Sit back with a hot cup of coffee and a big slice of this cinnamon coffee cake! This delicious cake has a layer of cinnamon filling and is topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel.
This cake is easy to prepare and just as easy to eat! With simple ingredients and simple steps, this fool-proof cake makes the ultimate dessert.
Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
Yield:
1 Cake (Serves 12)
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
50 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 20 minutes
The classic coffee cake is a moist and fluffy vanilla cake with a cinnamon filling and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. As the name suggests, this cake is perfect with a hot cup of coffee!
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 125 g (4.5 oz / ½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla essence
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- ½ cup cornstarch / cornflour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
For the Cinnamon Streusel
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g (3.5 oz / ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
For the Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F (fan/convection) or 180°C / 355°F (standard). Grease and line a 20 cm (8 inch) square cake tin with baking paper, ensuring there is at least 3 cm (1 inch) overhanging for easy removal of the cake.
- In a large jug, stir together the milk and vinegar. Set aside until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer (or you can use a handheld electric mixer). Beat together on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is pale and creamy. Add vanilla and beat for 30 seconds or until incorporated.
- Sift over the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Beat on low speed for 1 minute or until the batter is somewhat crumbly and the flour is incorporated into the butter mixture. Add the thickened milk and beat for another 1-2 minutes or until the batter is pale, fluffy and well combined. Be careful not to overbeat the batter.
For the Cinnamon Streusel
- Stir together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the rest of the ingredients. The mixture will look consistent in colour and texture. If you pinch a piece of the streusel together, it should hold its shape.
To Assemble
- Spoon half of the cake batter into the prepared tin and spread out evenly. Top evenly with about ⅓ of the cinnamon streusel. Spoon over the remaining cake batter and spread out carefully. Top evenly with the remaining cinnamon streusel.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. You can also gently shake the tin: the top of the cake should not wobble if the cake is cooked. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storage
- You can keep the cake un-refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze the cake, wrap the whole cake tightly in clingfilm or foil then place in a ziploc or freezer-bag. Keep frozen for up to 6 months. Allow to defrost for 6 hours at room temperature or overnight before serving.
Substitutions & Tips
- Milk: I use whole dairy milk. Instead of combining the milk and vinegar, you can replace both of these ingredients with buttermilk. This step helps the cake rise and become fluffy.
- Vinegar: you can use any type of vinegar or use 1 tbsp of lemon juice. You can also omit the vinegar completely if necessary.
- Why did my cinnamon filling layer sink/rise to the top? Make sure you use approximately half of the cake batter for each layer. Spread the second layer of cake batter CAREFULLY over the cinnamon sugar to prevent it from rising up.
- Why is my cake dense? If your cake is dense then you have most likely overbeaten the batter at some stage. Make sure after adding each ingredient, you only beat the mixture until it is just incorporated.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/12th of Cake with StreuselAmount Per Serving: Calories: 372Total Fat: 16.7gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5.1gCholesterol: 71.1mgSodium: 332.8mgCarbohydrates: 47.2gFiber: 0.9gSugar: 26.6gProtein: 4.6g
Kayla says
Can you use a square glass dish instead of a tin cake pan?
Chloe says
Hi Kayla! You absolutely can use a glass dish instead. Just be wary that the cooking time might take a little bit longer depending on the thickness of the glass. As long as you test the cake with a skewer to make sure it’s cooked, glass will be fine 🙂 Hope that helps!
J says
Hi, there is no mention of coffee in the ingredients list or instructions. How much coffee do you add and at what point do you add it in? Thanks!
Chloe says
Hi J, this coffee cake takes its name from being served WITH coffee, rather than containing coffee. It’s definitely confusing! I’ll let you know if I publish a coffee flavoured cake in the future 🙂
anani says
hi do you think it will be possible to make cupcakes with this recipe or should i just keep it one big cake? 🙂
Chloe says
Hi Anani, this recipe should work out well as cupcakes! Don’t over-fill your cupcake tins (I fill them 1/2 way). Sprinkle the streusel on top of the batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes at 160C/320F (fan/convection) or 180C/355F (standard). Hope you enjoy!