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Welcoming the start of a new month with this Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Coffee Cake. Coffee cake infused with…coffee! Then swirled with sweet cinnamon sugar and cream cheese. This coffee cake is no fuss, easy to mix up, and SO DELICIOUS! Every bite is layered with sweet cinnamon streusel and vanilla coffee cake crumbs. Finish the cake with a light drizzle of vanilla coffee glaze for a cake that no one can turn down. Bonus? It’s simpler to make than you’d think, and so very pretty…with very little effort.
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I’m not sure how this could be, but this is only my second coffee cake recipe I’ve ever shared. A few years ago I shared a pumpkin coffee cake, but that’s my entire repertoire of coffee cakes on HBH. You see, growing up coffee cakes were not a thing at our house. You all know the story, if it wasn’t chocolate, it wasn’t something my mom was baking. So we never enjoyed coffee cake as kids.
However, when I was in middle school, I slept over at a friend’s house (which was SO rare of me to do). The next morning, we were served a chocolate chip coffee cake. I don’t recall questioning the coffee cake name, but I do remember thinking it was pretty delicious. And that was my first experience with any kind of coffee cake. And for a long time, it was also my last. Pretty sure I didn’t enjoy another coffee cake until that pumpkin cake I created a few yes back.
So until recently, coffee cake was rather new to me, which makes this recipe feel especially fun to share.
(cream cheese layer in the middle of the cake before baking)
The Idea.
The idea is simple. I’ve never understood why they would call coffee cake, coffee cake, if there wasn’t even a splash of coffee in the cake. Yes, I understand that it’s meant to be enjoyed with coffee. But still, why call it coffee cake if there’s no coffee inside?
It just never made sense to me.
And that brings me to this cake. It’s coffee cake, but with actually coffee in the batter…and even in the glaze. So it’s extra special coffee cake.
Here are the details.
There are three steps to this cake, the batter, the streusel, and the glaze. The batter is pretty simple, but the two special ingredients are the coffee (of course), and a bit of sour cream to give the cake the perfect moist crumb.
Simply mix the wet ingredients, then add the dry…simple simple, nothing fancy.
For the swirl of the cake, you’ll need to make a streusel and you’ll need some cream cheese too (though the cream cheese can be optional if you prefer).
I swirled the middle of the cake with a thick layer of cinnamon sugar, then a layer of cream cheese. It’s a little decadent, but oh so delicious. And it’s March, a little decadence is needed to keep things fun and exciting until those flowers pop up.
Then, for the very top of the cake, I made a more classic streusel with sweet brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. It’s so delicious and perfect atop this coffee cake.
Now on to that glaze…it might just be my favorite.
I don’t love a straight powdered sugar glaze. I find it to be pretty bland and re ally, it’s just too sugary for my taste.
With this glaze, I wanted it to be exciting, but not overpowering. I wanted the flavors within the glaze to help highlight the flavors in the cake. And naturally, I thought the glaze needed to be flavored with coffee. The perfect pairing for a coffee, coffee cake!
I used my favorite espresso powder, a nice splash of vanilla, and just a touch of powdered sugar, to create a coffee glaze. Not too strong, not too sweet, but just right. Especially when drizzled over this warm cake.
Delicious.
When you put everything together, you have a truly special coffee, coffee cake. This is going to be so perfect for all the upcoming spring holidays from Easter Sunday to Mother’s Day.
But my suggestion? Test this cake out this week, or maybe this weekend. Enjoy it with your favorite steaming latte for a sweet morning…or afternoon treat. Such a perfect way to keep the week feeling fun!
Looking for other springtime brunch recipes? Here are some favorites:
Herby Everything Cheddar Swirl Buns
Berry and Cream Cheese Croissant French Toast Bake
Lastly, if you make this Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Coffee Cake be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee
Streusel
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, grated
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Glaze
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-3 teaspoons instant coffee, to your taste
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch bundt pan.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until combined. Add the sour cream and vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Slowly mix in the coffee until just combined, being careful not to overmix. 3. To make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add the butter and use your fingers to mix the butter into the flour until a crumble forms.4. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the batter. Then, gently dollop the warmed cream cheese over the batter and spread in an even layer. Spoon the remaining batter over the cream cheese in an even layer. Top evenly with the buttery streusel mix. 5. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 30 minutes and then invert the cake onto a plate, flipping it back upright onto a serving plate. 6. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and coffee powder. Add a pinch of flaky sea salt. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake and let set 10 minutes. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature. Keep cake stored, covered in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Made this for my daughter to take on a weekend trip with friends. They called me the morning they ate it to tell me it was “The best breakfast food ever!” .
So thank you for making me the super mom!
Hey Stacy,
I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan
The recipe references warmed cream cheese. How much? Mixed with anything?
Thanks.
Hey Ellen,
The recipe ingredients call for 6 ounces of cream cheese. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So delicious and easy! Will be making this again. The cream cheese perfectly off-sets the sweetness of the crumble. Thank you!
Hey Brenna,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday? xTieghan
Hi! i see you recommend 2 loaf pans- but could you substitute a spring form pan?
Hey Brigit,
You could try a spring form pan, I think that should work okay! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This coffee cake was a big hit! Gone in 60 seconds. Tieghan, you are a rockstar!
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hey there, Amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing this with us. I wanna ask you something – can I use coffee pods instead of coffee powder?
Hey Elly,
Sorry that won’t work quite the same way, you will want to use instant coffee. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was amaaaazinngggg!!! I made it in two loaf pans and took it out maybe 5 min before the stated bake time.
Hey Aisha,
Awesome, I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made this cake and it is BOMB. I read someone else’s comment that they wished they had mixed the cinnamon-sugar layer and cream cheese layer together so I did that. It tasted like a cinnamon bun!! It doesn’t give you the pretty white swirl in the middle but it’s a flavor bomb so who cares ::shrug:: Also, I made it in a 10″ fluted, domed bundt pan and I was worried the streusel on the bottom would get soggy (once flipped out) but actually it held up fine and was an awesome little crispy surprise at the bottom of the bite. Finally, I had 2oz of cream cheese burning a hole after the 6oz I put in the cake so instead of the coffee glaze, I made a quick cream cheese glaze with the cream cheese, some butter, some confectioner sugar, vanilla, and milk. Perfecto. I will be making this cake again and again the exact same way (though I overbaked it a touch which was my fault) – super cinnamony, super delicious. Also my house smelled INCREDIBLE. Thanks HBH!
Hey Maura,
Awesome, I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
The flavors were great (I loooove cardamom), but the cream cheese wasn’t very spreadable for me. I’ll have to try this one again, maybe soften it a little more or add something to it?? Your picture of the cream cheese looked so much softer and spreadable than mine was. It baked well, but the cream cheese layer in the middle was tougher and chunkier than I liked. Do you think subbing creme fraiche would work well instead of cream cheese?
Hey Shannon,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Yes, I would try warming it more until it is easily spreadable. xTieghan
There is a step missing about “warming the cream cheese”……Could you please add that in the recipe
Halfbakedharvest.
Hey Carol,
You can just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Super Tasty! We thought we had some instant coffee but it turned out that we didn’t so we used regular coffee grounds instead–they did not sub well since they didn’t dissolve. Next time we’re going to crush up some pecans and add some cinnamon to the cream cheese! We didn’t have a bundt pan so we made it in a regular square glass dish and it worked great, no tweaks to time or temp.
Hey Jillian,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made this tonight before I sat down to watch Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry. It turned out perfectly! The only thing I noticed was that I had a ton of cinnamon/brown sugar mixture as well as the streusel mixture left over. Next time I will cut those measurements in half. It still seems plenty.
Hey Brittany,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
Where and when does the cream cheese get warmed and is the milk or some liquid added to make it spreadable?
Would appreciate an answer. It’s a wonderful recipe.
Elaine Gellman
elchaz545@gmail.com
Hey Elaine,
You are going to use the warmed cream cheese in step 4, nothing is added to the cream cheese:) I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Yum. Perfect for the weekend.
Hey Christine,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
Once I decided to make this recipe, I discovered I was out of butter and flour. So I had to run to the store. Once I finished assembling and baking this beauty, I had to go and teach. Once I got back from class I finished the process… So this coffee cake took me 3.5 hours and it was worth every freaking minute!!!! SOO SOO SOO GOOOOOOD!
Hey Madison,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan