The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (2024)

by Kristen Whitby 22 Comments

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A delicious coffee cake recipe that is easy to mix in 5 minutes with just a few staple ingredients. This family recipe has been passed down for 3 generations and is perfect for breakfast, snack time or even dinner!

The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (1)

Coffee cake is one of our very favorites around here! We find ourselves making it more often in the fall along with pumpkin pecan coffee cake and walnut and apple coffee cake. When the weather becomes a little more crisp, we also tend to make more breakfast foods (and baked goods in general) and love our cinnamon rolls and apple pie cinnamon rolls too!

We have been making this coffee cake in my family for as long as I can remember. Back to my childhood, this is the recipe that my mom would always make for us, and now I make it for my family. We love to make it for breakfast and also "breakfast for dinner" which is our favorite! This recipe is easy to double and make for a crowd as well. It is also delicious as leftovers.

What is Coffee Cake?

American coffee cake is traditionally a mildly sweet cake with a cinnamon streusel crumb layer. It is given that name because it pairs well with a cup of coffee and not because it has coffee in it. Coffee Cake has a different texture than other cakes. The crumb is more moist and dense like a light pound cake.

The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (2)

How to Make Coffee Cake

The great thing about coffee cake is that it is SO easy to make! You can whip up the batter in just a couple minutes with a few staple ingredients. You don't need any special equipment or mixers. Just use a mixing bowl and spoon.

Cake Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 375°
  2. Beat egg in mixing bowl. Add sugar, milk, oil, salt and vanilla. Spoon flour into measuring cups and then dump on top of the batter. Sprinkle baking powder over flour and mix into the top half of the flour. Mix flour into batter until combined, but not over-mixed.
  3. Pour into a 9x9 baking dish.

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in microwave. Remove and mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour and stir until combined. Add nuts if desired.
  2. Sprinkle streusel onto the cake.
  3. Use a finger or the small end of a wooden spoon to poke the streusel halfway down into the cake batter, randomly in 12-18 different spots.
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs (not runny batter).
  5. Lightly drizzle with icing if desired.
The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (3)

Walnuts and Icing

The walnuts and icing in this recipe are totally optional. You can use (or not) based on preference.

We love walnut coffee cake, so I always include the nuts. Pecans are also a great option.

If I am being honest, I rarely make the icing drizzle. It is yummy (and pretty), but the cake is so good by itself that it doesn't necessarily need it.

The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (4)

5 from 20 votes

Print

Coffee Cake

The BEST moist coffee cake recipe that is easy to make 5 minutes prep time with just a few staple ingredients.

CourseBreakfast, Dessert, Dinner

CuisineAmerican

Keywordbreakfast, cake

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 9

Author Kristen | Ella Claire & Co.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1egg
  • 1/4cupoilvegetable or canola
  • 1tsp.vanilla
  • 3/4cupsugar
  • 1/2cupmilk
  • 1/4tsp.salt
  • 2tsp.baking powder
  • 1 1/2cupsflour

Streusel

  • 2Tbuttermelted
  • 1/2cupbrown sugar
  • 2tsp.cinnamon
  • 2TFlour
  • 1/2cupwalnutschopped, optional

Icing Drizzle

  • 1Tbutterroom temperature
  • 3/4cuppowdered sugar
  • 1Tmilkextra, if needed

Instructions

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.

  2. Beat egg in mixing bowl. Mix in sugar, milk, salt, oil, and vanilla.

  3. Spoon flour into measuring cup. Dump flour on top of the batter. Sprinkle baking pwder over flour and gently mix into the top half of the flour. Stir flour mixture into batter until combined. Pour into greased, or parchment lined, 9x9 baking dish.

Streusel

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in microwave. Remove and mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour and stir until well combined. Add nuts if desired.

  2. Sprinkle streusel onto the cake.Use a finger or the small end of a wooden spoon to poke the streusel halfway down into the cake batter, randomly 12-18 times.

  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs (not runny batter). Do not overbake or it will be more dry!

Icing (optional)

  1. (optional step) Mix butter and powdered sugar. Thin with milk until desired consistency. Lightly drizzle cake with icing.

Recipe Notes

Note: Spoon flour into the measuring cup for the cake batter. For the flour in the topping, I just scoop it straight with the measuring spoon.

Tip: Do not over-bake or it will dry out the cake.

I hope you love one of our favorite family recipes, and here are 5 more delicious fall breakfast recipes for you to try!

The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (5)

Delicious Coffee Cake by Ella Claire & Co. | Apple Pie Crepes by Tidy Mom | Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal by Inspired by Charm

The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (6)

Baked Pumpkin Maple French Toast by Freutcake | Cinnamon Apple French Toast by anderson + grant | Granola Brunch Baked Apples by Handmade Farmhouse

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katrina Carrico

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (7)
    I wanted a coffee cake that was quick, simple, and not massive. This was definitely the move! I had to substitute milk with sour cream but it still turned out great. I also used some cold coffee instead of milk in the icing and it gave it some nice extra flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  2. Gigi R.

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (8)
    First time making a coffee cake. I picked this recipe. I'm so glad I did. It is soo delicious. My family is requesting for me to make a 2nd one in the same week.

    Reply

  3. Cecilia

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (9)
    I made this and it turned out so good! I didn’t have a 9x9 pan so I used a 9x13, I just baked it for about 5 mins less. Still turned out great but I would definitely use a smaller pan next time.

    Reply

  4. Kristalyn

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (10)
    This turned out great! It was really easy to make, and it came out so good!

    Reply

  5. Sam

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (11)
    Delicious

    Reply

  6. Michelle

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (12)
    Really good, and easy to make.

    Reply

  7. Olivia

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (13)
    Delicious! Used a larger spring roll pan, buttermilk and left out nuts. Glazed while warm and it covered the top so sealed in moisture. Ten stars quick, easy and a hit!

    Reply

  8. Lori

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (14)
    This was an easy and delicious coffee cake! I doubled the recipe and used whole wheat pastry flour, its all I had on hand. I was worried it would be dense but it turned out great! That streusel!

    Reply

  9. Rebecca Morgan

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (15)
    Made for myself and boyfriend and we are obsessed! I’m very bad at baking and this was simple and quick.

    Reply

  10. Liz

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (16)
    Delicious cake! My husband also loved it. I doubled the recipe and baked in a 9x13" dish for 30-35 min and it came out great. I did keep the icing recipe the same and it was enough for me. Will be making again in the future, and pretty sure that my husband will be requesting it again!

    Reply

  11. Bonnie

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (17)
    All I can say it was divine! This is a definite keeper. Easy and delicious. Can't go wrong with this family recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply

  12. Annie

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (18)
    So delicious. I followed the recipe exactly except I used a 8x8 glass pan and baked it 10 minutes longer. Thinned the icing way down & used the tines of a fork to run icing all over the top of cake. My boyfriend said it was the best he's ever had. Yeah!

    Reply

  13. dave

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (19)
    I needed to warm the kitchen today. -2 outside plus Hellish windchill. I needed something to bake fast and easy ,and found this recipe. I wasn't expecting that it would be so good. Followed exactly, except I used pecans as I didn't have walnuts. Will make again!

    Reply

  14. Josh

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (20)
    Perfect! Easy to follow. Gonna be breakfast for a few days!

    Reply

  15. Mae

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (21)
    This cake is very delicious! It’s the simplest recipe and shortest cooking time I could find. I whipped it up just this morning. I accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder so I added some lemon juice to activate it. I couldn’t taste it at all in the end. I also added more cinnamon cause that’s my favorite part. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  16. Shelbi

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (22)
    I doubled this recipe for my large family and it was delicious. Took about 40 minutes total.

    Reply

  17. Ann Crawford

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (23)
    This was easy to make and best tasting coffee cake ever. The icing is a must for me. It made it look so much more decadent and pretty when cut it into squares and put on a cake stand. I made this for guests to have in am with coffee and everyone raved about it. Saying it reminded them of cinnamon rolls. It’s a keeper!

    Reply

  18. Linda C

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (24)
    Love the streusel topping! I poked fresh blueberries into half and it turned out great. Agree, do not over mix or over bake and it will turn out perfect. My oven runs hot so I watch it carefully. Thanks for a great recipe. Just the right size and easy for making in the morning.

    Reply

  19. Sharon

    OK, that was by far the best coffee cake I have ever eaten. I included the walnuts and the glaze. Thank you, I'll be making it in the future for my overnight guests. I'm a cake for breakfast kind of person.

    Reply

    • Sara

      The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (25)
      I made this for Thanksgiving at my boyfriend’s parents house. It was an instant hit! The recipe is simple to follow and delicious.

      Reply

  20. Michael Wurm Jr.

    The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (26)
    I can almost taste this through the screen. Wow! It looks SO delicious! (Beautiful photography too!)

    xo Michael

    Reply

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The BEST Coffee Cake | Our Family Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why was Aunt Jemima coffee cake discontinued? ›

In June 2020, amidst heightened racial unrest in the United States, the Aunt Jemima brand name was discontinued by its current owner, PepsiCo, with all products rebranded to Pearl Milling Company, the name of the company that produced the original pancake mix product.

What makes coffee cake taste like coffee cake? ›

No, coffee cake does not taste like coffee. There is no coffee or caffeine in this cake despite its name. This streusel cake tastes like a lightly sweetened cake and oftentimes has spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It is not a rich or overly sweet cake.

How do you increase the flavor of coffee in a cake? ›

Add Instant Coffee to the Batter

We recommend dissolving 2-3 tablespoons of instant coffee in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Then add this mixture to the batter along with the other ingredients. This method will give the cake a stronger coffee flavor and a richer color.

What's the difference between coffee cake and regular cake? ›

Where regular cakes typically have frosting or glaze, coffee cake does not. Instead, it often has some type of crumb or streusel topping that is typically made with a combination of flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon.

What is the new name for Aunt Jemima? ›

Accused of engaging in racial stereotyping, it was rebranded from Aunt Jemima to Pearl Milling Company by its current owner, PepsiCo, in 2021.

Why did they change Uncle Ben? ›

Rice brand Uncle Ben's changing name and logo because of racist connotations. The Uncle Ben's rice brand is getting a new name: Ben's Original, because the previous name and logo has been criticized as a racial stereotype.

How do you keep coffee cake from getting soggy? ›

Moisture — Choose a container that's moisture-resistant to keep your cake from becoming soggy or stale. I like to use glass containers with sealable lids or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Airtight — We all have those containers with cracked lids that end up fitting the container loosely.

Why is my coffee cake so dry? ›

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while measuring or mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand which common cake-baking blunders to avoid, you'll know how to bake a moist cake every time.

What compliments coffee cake? ›

When it comes to serving your coffee cake, you have a few options. You can serve it as is, with a cup of coffee or tea for a mid-morning or afternoon treat. Alternatively, you can pair it up with additional treats, such as whipped cream, fresh berries, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Can I add ground coffee to cake mix? ›

Boost the Flavor of Chocolate Desserts With This Ingredient

There's a simple trick to making chocolate desserts taste even better. Sure, cocoa powder and chopped chocolate give anything a rich, chocolate flavor. But if you want that flavor to be more complex and intense, add a little coffee to the recipe.

What coffee is best in cake? ›

Because espresso powder is so finely ground and concentrated, it's great for drier doughs like cookies and cakes, where you want a coffee flavor but you don't want to mess with the texture.

How do you moisten a coffee cake? ›

Here are five tips for how to moisten a dry cake once it's already been baked.
  1. Brush with simple syrup glaze. Velez recommends adding a simple syrup glaze to your cake layers if they end up coming out too dry. ...
  2. Soak your cake in milk. ...
  3. Fill the cake with mousse or jam. ...
  4. Frost the cake. ...
  5. Stick it in the fridge.
Apr 27, 2021

Is a king cake a coffee cake? ›

The king cake is a mixture of a French pastry and a coffee cake. Its oval shape and festive colors give it a unique appeal. The original version features the royal colors of gold, purple, and green. Gold represents power, purple represents justice, and green signifies faith.

What makes a coffee cake a coffee cake? ›

Despite its name, coffee cake doesn't typically contain coffee. Instead, it's a sweet, often spiced, cake that pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee. It comes in a variety of flavors, from classic cinnamon streusel to more adventurous combinations like apple custard or pecan praline.

Is cinnamon swirl crumb cake the same as coffee cake? ›

Even the dessert lovers who once thought that the two treats were the same can tell that one is sweeter than the other. The main reason for this difference is that crumbs are sugary. Since crumb cake has more crumb topping, it is usually sweeter than coffee cake.

Why is Aunt Jemima not on shelves anymore? ›

PepsiCo. and its subsidiary Quaker Oats announced in February that they would rebrand Aunt Jemima as the Pearl Milling Company because of the former brand's racist origins. Products in the new packaging will continue shipping over the next few months, the company said, so they're not available everywhere just yet.

Does Aunt Jemima still make buckwheat pancake mix? ›

We're sorry to disappoint you, but we're no longer making Aunt Jemima Buckwheat pancake & waffle mix. I understand how upsetting it can be to find out a product that you and your family have enjoyed for so many years has been discontinued.

Is Pearl Milling Company syrup? ›

Pancake & Waffle Syrups

That's what your family will say when you top their pancakes or waffles with our Pearl Milling Company™ Original Syrup. It's sure to make everyday breakfasts a little sweeter. Product formulations, packaging and promotions may change. For current information, refer to packaging on store shelves.

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