Buttery Coffee Cake – Simplest Recipe Ever : This buttery cinnamon crumb coffee cake is straightforward and timeless, but it’s far from boring! A moist, light, and not too dense breakfast cake is guaranteed by the sour cream, and the brown sugar cinnamon crumb streusel is doubled. Savor a generous layer of crumbs on top and a thick ribbon of streusel inside, both created from the same combination.
Buttery Coffee Cake – Simplest Recipe Ever
Well, don’t mind if I have cake for breakfast! Over the years, I’ve published a number of coffee cake recipes, but this is my go-to, all-time favorite sour cream variation.
The recipe I shared today was first published in 2015, but I’ve since made a ton of changes, like doubling the crumb to get more swirl both within and outside the cake. The printable version of the recipe is provided below. (Because if there is no crumb and just cake, what good is crumb cake?) “Two crumbs equals twice the fun!”
Ingredients
Cinnamon Crumb Mixture
- 2/3 cup (135g) packed dark or light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Cake
- 1 and 1/3 cups (166g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature*
Vanilla Icing (Optional)
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream or milk
ALSO SEE
Instructions
Turn the oven on to 350°F, or 177°C. Grease the pan directly or line an 8-inch square pan (the 9-inch square is too large; refer to the Notes for alternative pan sizes). Usually, I’ll use any of these square pans.
To make the cinnamon crumb mixture, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium-sized basin. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, a food processor, or your hands, cut in the cooled butter until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Bigger crumbs are OK. There will be slightly more than two cups of crumb. Chill till the fifth stage.
Prepare the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Put aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl on high speed for about two minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Using a silicone spatula, scrape up and along the edges of the bowl as needed. After adding the eggs and vanilla, mix everything together at a medium-high speed. Add the sour cream and beat. Using a silicone spatula, scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the basin; beat again as necessary to mix. It will be a lumpy mixture.
Beat the flour mixture on low speed until it is just mixed with the wet ingredients. Beat in the milk in the end. Don’t whisk this batter too much. There will be a lot of batter. There will be roughly 2.5 cups of batter.
Spoon roughly half of the batter into the pan that has been prepared. Evenly distribute 1 cup, or almost half, of the crumb mixture over the top. Gently pour the leftover batter—every last bit of it!—on top. Spreading thick batter on top of crumbs can make this a little challenging, but try your best. Typically, I use a little offset spatula or spoon. It is not required to be flawless. Evenly scatter the remaining crumb mixture over the top.
Bake the cake for about 32 to 38 minutes, or until cooked through. Place a toothpick in the center of the cake to check its doneness. It’s finished if it comes out clean. Let the cake cool for fifteen minutes in the pan that is placed on a wire rack.
Prepare the frosting: Combine all the frosting ingredients in a whisk. Pour over the warm cake.
Using the parchment paper that overhangs the sides of the pan, remove the cake from the pan and cut it into squares. If parchment wasn’t used, you could also slice right in the pan. Cake can be served warm or room temperature.
Remaining food can be refrigerated for up to a week or kept at room temperature for up to three days when covered tightly.
NUTRITION
- Calories: Approximately 200-300 calories per slice
- Fat: Around 10-15 grams
- Carbohydrates: Typically 25-35 grams
- Protein: Usually 3-5 grams
- Sugar: Around 10-20 grams
- Fiber: Usually less than 2 grams
