Simple and classic, this buttery cinnamon crumb coffee cake is anything but plain! Sour cream ensures a moist, light (not overly dense) breakfast cake, and there’s double the brown sugar cinnamon crumb streusel. Enjoy a thick ribbon of streusel inside and plenty of crumbs on top, both made from the same mixture.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips. I’ve also made two small changes to the recipe, which are reflected in the printable recipe below.
Cake for breakfast… well, don’t mind if I do! I’ve published quite a few coffee cake recipes over the years, and this is my go-to, absolute favorite sour cream version.
I’ve made so many variations of this one over the years, including doubling the crumb so there’s more swirl INSIDE and ON TOP of the cake. That’s the version you’ll find in the printable recipe below. (Because what’s the point of crumb cake if it’s all cake and no crumb?! Double the crumb = double the fun!)
One reader, Crystal, commented: “This is delicious! The crumb is surprisingly light and tender… This is my first foray into coffee cake, and I don’t think I need to look any further. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Stacey, commented: “My family loved this recipe! I’ve made MANY sour cream coffee cake recipes over the years. This is by far THE BEST!! ★★★★★”
You Will Love This Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
This cinnamon crumb coffee cake is the original and “plain” version of my raspberry almond crumb cake, cranberry Christmas cake, and blackberry cream cheese crumb cake.
Compared to my New York-style crumb cake recipe, it’s smaller and softer—with a lighter, more cake-like crumb. It also has a delicious cinnamon swirl inside and vanilla icing on top, similar to cinnamon swirl quick bread, cinnamon swirl banana bread, and crumb cake muffins. The best part? Make just 1 cinnamon crumb mixture and use that for the filling AND topping.
- Texture: Tender, fluffy cake paired with a soft crumb topping. Each slice boasts a cinnamon-y ribbon running through the middle.
- Flavor: Classic coffee cake flavors of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Ease: Prepare 1 mixture for both the cinnamon swirl and the crumb topping.
This coffee cake is delightful alongside a cup of coffee or tea (or a mimosa!). Make it for a birthday breakfast, a coffee catch-up with a friend, or a morning meeting—really any time you want to make the morning a little special. It’s always a favorite among these Easter brunch recipes, too!
Key Ingredients (Especially Sour Cream!)
- Brown Sugar: Moist brown sugar is the key to a crumb topping that’s soft, not crunchy.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is sturdy enough to support the heavy crumb layer. I was tempted to use cake flour in the recipe to achieve an ultra-soft crumb, but found that all-purpose gave a more ideal texture for a breakfast cake.
- Cinnamon: We can’t have cinnamon crumb cake without it!
- Butter: You need cold butter for the streusel and room temperature butter for the cake. Cream the softened butter with sugar, which produces a wonderfully cakey texture. If you’re a beginner baker, this tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar will be helpful.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: These leaveners help the cake rise.
- Salt: Flavor enhancer.
- Granulated Sugar: We’ll cream the butter + sugar together for the base of the cake batter.
- Eggs: Bind ingredients together, and make the cake tender and rich.
- Vanilla Extract: If you have homemade vanilla extract, use it!
- Sour Cream: The magic moist maker! Just like in this white cake, sour cream makes the cake incredibly moist and lush.
- Milk: Just a little to thin out the batter so you can spread it in the pan.
Make the Cinnamon Crumb Mixture First
To keep things simple, there’s only 1 cinnamon crumb mixture. Layer 1 cup (practically half) in the center of the coffee cake and sprinkle the rest on top. You need brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and cold, cubed butter. The butter must be chilled. Why the emphasis on cold? The streusel mixture needs to maintain some of its structure in the oven or else both layers will sink to the bottom.
Use a pastry cutter to cut the cold butter into the other ingredients. You could also use 2 forks, or a food processor. Look how crumbly it gets:
Expect a Thick Coffee Cake Batter
Refrigerate the crumb mixture as you make the cake batter. The batter is rich and thick, and you need to divide it in half so you can layer in some of the cinnamon crumbs. The old version of the recipe created such a thick, heavy batter that it was difficult to divide and spread into the pan. By adding a little milk (just 2 Tablespoons!), the batter is much easier to divide and spread.
You need an 8-inch square pan for this recipe. See below for other size variations. Line it with lightly greased parchment paper so you can easily remove the cake from the pan as a whole, or just directly grease the pan. (Either way works.) Eyeball half of the cake batter and smooth it into the bottom of the greased pan. It does NOT have to be exact, nor perfect. Layer 1 cup (about half) of the cinnamon crumbs on top:
Now spread the remaining batter on top. This can be tricky since you’re spreading thick batter on an unstable crumb foundation. Just do your best. Top with remaining crumbs:
Bake, and then top with vanilla icing. The icing is optional, but always a fabulous (and pretty) finishing touch. You could even turn it into a delicious orange icing by replacing the milk with orange juice.
Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake Success Tips
- Pay attention to ingredient temperature. The butter in the crumb mixture should be cold, and the butter, eggs, and sour cream in the cake batter should be room temperature.
- Do your best to spread the thick batter. The top layer can be hard to spread on top of the cinnamon crumb layer, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t overthink it.
- Use a metal pan or a glass pan. If using ceramic, the coffee cake may take longer to bake. If using extra dark metal, the cake may take less time.
FAQ: Why Is This Called Coffee Cake?
I get this question a lot. 🙂 There is no coffee IN this cake! “Coffee cake” gets its name not because of the ingredients in the cake, but because it’s a breakfast cake to be enjoyed WITH coffee.
Variations & Different Pan Sizes
- Add some extras! Try it as cranberry Christmas cake (with pecans) or raspberry almond crumb cake; or mix and match your favorite add-ins and flavors. Chocolate chips are always a good idea. (Fold 1 cup/180g into the cake batter.)
- Add a cream cheese layer, like in this blackberry cream cheese version.
- Bake in a 9×5-inch loaf pan—no changes to the ingredients; bake time is about 40 minutes.
- Bake it in a 9-inch round cake pan—no changes to the ingredients and bake time.
- Bake in a 9×13-inch pan—see recipe Notes for exact instructions/ingredient amounts. My team and I tested a few versions of this larger size, so use the precise amounts in the Notes below. This is a wonderful size if you’re feeding a crowd:
Sour Cream Coffee Cake (with Crumb Topping)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 9-12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Every baker should have a classic, old-fashioned and buttery coffee cake recipe in their back pocket and this one is my gold standard, baseline recipe. You’re welcome to borrow it! An 8-inch square pan is required, but see the recipe Notes for other sizes.
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*
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk (any kind, dairy or nondairy, is fine)
Vanilla Icing (Optional)
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square pan (9-inch square is too big, see Notes for other pan sizes) with lightly greased parchment paper or directly grease the pan. I usually use this square pan or this square pan.
- Make the cinnamon crumb mixture: Combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry cutter or two forks (or use a food processor or your hands) until the mixture is in pea-sized crumbs. Some larger crumbs are OK. You’ll have a little over 2 cups of crumb. Refrigerate until step 5.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula and beat again as needed to combine. Mixture will be lumpy.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and beat on low speed until just combined. Finally, beat in the milk. Do not overmix this batter. The batter will be thick. You’ll have about 2 and 1/2 cups of batter.
- Carefully spread about half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 cup (about half) of the crumb mixture evenly on top. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top (every last drop of it!). This can be a little tricky since you’re spreading thick batter on top of crumbs, but do your best. I usually use a spoon or small offset spatula. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly on top.
- Bake for around 35–40 minutes or until the cake is baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cake to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm cake.
- Lift the cake from the pan using the overhang parchment paper around the sides and slice into squares. Or, if you didn’t use parchment, slice directly in the pan. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The cake can be baked and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Make the glaze the next morning and drizzle over cake before serving. Cake, with or without icing, can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan (such as this one or this one) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Cutter | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Small Offset Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream: Sour cream creates a bakery-style tender and thick crumb. Do not skip it. If needed, you can substitute full-fat or low-fat (not nonfat) Greek yogurt.
- Loaf Pan: If you’d like to bake this coffee cake in a 9×5-inch loaf pan, adjust the bake time to about 40 minutes.
- 9-inch Round Pan: This recipe is too small for a 9-inch square pan; however, it fits wonderfully in a 9-inch round cake pan. Same instructions and bake time.
- 9×13-inch Pan: If you want to make this cake in a 9×13-inch pan, you need to just about 1.5x the recipe. My team and I tested the exact amounts and here is what you’ll need. The instructions are exactly the same, just use the following amounts. Crumb: 1 cup (200g) packed dark or light brown sugar, 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 10 Tablespoons (1 stick + 2 Tbsp or 145g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed. Cake: 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 cup (240g) sour cream, 1/4 cup (60ml) milk. The icing recipe makes a lot, so it’s plenty for the larger cake. Bake time is closer to 45 minutes. Makes 24 servings.
- Update in 2022: After making this recipe for 7 years straight, I’ve made 2 small updates to produce an even better sour cream coffee cake. The recipe above has more crumb filling/topping than the 2015 version and it also includes a touch of milk to smooth out the batter. If you wish to make the old version, skip the milk and halve the amounts for the crumb filling/topping.
- Why is this called coffee cake and there is no coffee in the cake? “Coffee cake” gets its name not because of the ingredients in the cake, but because it’s a breakfast cake to be enjoyed WITH coffee.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Delicious cake! I made this in honor of International Coffee Day. It was absolutely scrumptious, soft and moist. The crumb topping added the best texture on top as well. Perfection!
Reading the part of the recipe that said the amount of crumb topping was increased – should I halve the amounts for making this in a loaf pan?
Hi Anna, Yes, you can bake this in a loaf pan; see the section titled “Variations & Different Pan Sizes” in the post above for details. You can use this recipe as is.
Delicious!
I added about 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts, and put half in the batter, half in the topping, half in the crumb mix.
Can I use this cinnamon crumb mixture as the topping for your banana chocolate chip crumb cake recipe?
Certainly!
Tysm Sally’s baking I’m loving this I’ve made banana bread , sandwich bread cinnamon swirl bread they are all awesome !!!
Hi,
Would this cake pair well with the brown butter icing or should I stick to the vanilla? The brown butter icing was the best icing I’ve ever tasted!!
Thanks!
Brown butter icing would be delicious here!
Can this be made in a bundt pan?
Hi Laverle, there isn’t enough batter as written for a Bundt or tube pan. However, if you try the 9×13-inch pan recipe/ingredient amounts (in the Notes), that would likely be enough. We’re unsure of the best bake time. Let us know if you try it!
Thank you so much Trina at Sally’s baking I’ve learned a lot from you I am so enjoying myself ! Sure glad I found you even if it’s just a ? While I’m baking your there so tyvm
This coffee cake is easy and delicious!!!! The batter was spreadable, and the crumb was absolutely a time saver. The glaze was such a great add on because the house smelled like a glazed coffee cake donut. I am fortunate to have found this coffee cake recipe. Thank you!!
Hi, I was wondering if you could half the recipe?
Hi Zoe, you could halve this recipe and bake in a loaf pan if you would like.
Can I add blueberries to this recipe? If so, do you recommend frozen?
Hi Delaney, Yes you can! Fresh blueberries would be best. If using frozen berries do not thaw before using.
hi sally! i made more crumb topping than i should have…can additional be frozen for another coffee cake in the near future? ty
Hi Sonny, that should be fine!
I have been cooking and baking for 40 years. It would be helpful if you put the oven temp at the top and listed the ingredients in the order of appearance. Thanks
Hi Sally and team! I’ve made this recipe very successfully in both an 8×8 and a 9×13. I want to make it to take to a function at work in a half sheet cake pan (18x13x2). I’m estimating that 3x the original recipe should be the correct volume, but would love any feedback if someone has already made this much at once! Thanks. 🙂
Hi Molly, so glad you love this cake! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Have you ever done this in a bundt pan? Should I change anything in the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Kassi, there isn’t enough batter as written for a Bundt or tube pan. However, if you try the 9×13-inch pan recipe/ingredient amounts (in the Notes), that would likely be enough. We’re unsure of the best bake time. Let us know if you try it!
Hi! This recipe looks delicious, any tips for making it in a bundt pan?
Hi Emily, there isn’t enough batter as written for a Bundt or tube pan. However, if you try the 9×13-inch pan recipe/ingredient amounts (in the Notes), that would likely be enough. We’re unsure of the best bake time. Let us know if you try it!
Would this recipe work as muffins!?
Hi Amy, here’s our crumb cake muffins recipe!
Can you use salted butter?
Hi Dawn, you can use salted butter and omit the salt in the cake.
Coffee cake perfection – soft, buttery, rich cinnamon flavor. I can see why this would be the starting point for any variations on coffee cake. I made mine exactly as per the recipe to make sure I got it right as a beginner. Wow this is good.
Can you make a 9×13 recipe
See Notes after the recipe!
Good grief this is delicious! Thanks for another great recipe. ❤️
Hi Sally,
I want to know if I can use an 8” round pan that is all I have.
Thank you
Hi Patti, there is a little too much batter for an 8-inch round pan; here is a post on cake pan sizes and conversions that’s helpful to bookmark.
Hi Sally,
I only have an 8” round pan. Can I use that.
Thank you
Hi Patti, It should work but the cake will be thicker so the bake time may be a little longer. Let us know if you give it a try.
Awesome recipe! I have made it 3 times already!!
Have you added apples or blueberries to this cake?
Hi Brandie, blueberries would be great in this cake! Here’s our apple crumb cake recipe.
My daughter turned me onto your cooking/baking website.
I just love your recipes. Would really like more diabetic recipes
If you have any. That would make you a 10/10 in my books.
Sally – keep up the GRRRR8 work.
Love from Canada ❣️
I’m curious why nonfat Greek yogurt is not recommended as a replacement for the sour cream but was an acceptable replacement for Sally’s blueberry muffin recipe?
Hi Jessica, see Notes after the recipe: If needed, you can substitute full-fat or low-fat (not nonfat) Greek yogurt.
You still didn’t answer the question as to why the non-fat yogurt is not recommended. That’s what I have on hand and would love to not have to go back out to the store!
Hi Dana, nonfat yogurt is thinner and less rich.
Made it for the first time today. My middle crumb layer didn’t turn out as nice but it was still so delicious. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Can I make this in muffins?
Hi Annabel, here’s our crumb cake muffins recipe!
Sally and friends, I need a little help. I have made this a couple of times and I love the springy cake texture, the cinnamon crumbly layer, and general flavors. I think this this is a solid recipe, which leads me to a problem. I am getting creative with it and trying this recipe with bourbon soaked cherries, but struggle to get the middle to bake. I have tried doing only the 8×8, draining and lightly pressing the cherries to keep it from being soggy, baking for 50 minutes, but I am still getting a doughy middle. I am using a disposable aluminum pan because it will be for a group and doing a liberal, but not solid layer of cherries (maybe a centimeter between them) within the center cinnamon layer. Any suggestions?
Hi Kitt, we’re so glad this is a favorite for you! That flavor combination sounds delicious, but yes, we know how tricky cherries can be. Draining and blotting the cherries as you mention will be important. Have you tried chopping the cherries and mixing throughout the batter instead? The smaller pieces throughout may help the cake to bake more evenly than a thicker layer in the center. Let us know if you do give it a try!
I prepared the 9×13 version of this for coffee hour at our church. It was well received and garnered many compliments on it! So thank you for sharing this with the world! It’s found a home in my recipe file!
Damn!!! This coffee cake is so very good. How does a cake come out so light, airy and moist at the same time??? It’s little miracle in a pan. Make this as you will not regret it. This will be my go-to coffee cake from now on. Thanks for such a fabulous recipe.
The best coffee cake ever!
Hi Sally, I have a question. I’ve made this cake several times, each time it has been perfectly fluffy, but this last time I made it the cake came out much denser than usual. I spooned and leveled the flour like I always do, same oven, same amount of moist ingredients – do you think the sour cream may not have been room temp enough? Or maybe I added too much baking soda/powder accidentally? Wondering why it came out significantly denser this time than previous.
Hi Kayla! Make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh. We find they lose strength after just 3-4 months. Use proper room temperature butter and other room temperature ingredients and be careful not to over-mix the batter (which can lead to dense baked goods). Hope these tips help for next time!
Ahh that must be it – my baking powder and soda are def older than 3-4 months. I might have over mixed this time too. Thank you!