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
Can we see a krusteaz chocolate swirl crumb cake copycat?
Hi Tia, we haven’t tested a chocolate crumb cake recipe but it sounds delicious!
This is the crumb cake recipe I have looking for! So delicious. I sprinkled a few mini chocolate chips on the crumb layer inside the cake. It did take about 40 minutes to bake completely but my oven may be off. So delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Excellent
Made cake per recipe
Used 9×5 loaf pan
Took longer to bake than recipe
stated, but used toothpick method, and was moist and scrumptious
My kids (10y and 7y) wanted to bake a coffee cake together. I used this recipe, rewriting it a little to make the steps very clear to them and let them try it. The end result was amazing, the best coffee cake I’ve ever tried. We did not add any icing and I including 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom in the crumb. Delicious!
Very good. I did not put the icing on. Personally, I think it’s overkill. It’s a delicious blend of butter and cinnamon. Thanks, Sally.
This turned out so wonderful! My husband and kids love it. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Any tips to make this in muffin tins? Thanks.
Hi Irma, Absolutely! You can layer the batter and crumbs into muffin liners. I’m unsure of the exact bake time, but around 20-22 minutes would be great at the same oven temperature.
I baked this in an 8×8 pan *twice* and it remains uncooked but topping gets overcooked. What should I do I can tell the flavor is amazing, it just needs to cook properly
Hi Amina, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. It does sound like the cake needs a few more minutes in the oven to completely bake through. You can tent the pan with aluminum foil if you notice the topping getting too browned. This will allow it to continue baking without burning the tops/edges. Thanks so much for giving this one a try!
This is my family’s favorite coffee cake recipe. There are nine of us – mostly adults and teens – so I double the recipe and bake it in a 10×15” baking dish. Before I add the crumb to the top, I put down a layer of chopped pecans and then add the crumbs. I think it bakes for about 55 minutes total, and I turn the oven down to 325 after about 35 minutes so it doesn’t get too brown. We usually have it on one of our breakfast for dinner nights with eggs and sausage, and milky sweet decaf coffee. We might have some left for breakfast the next day if we hide it so the teenagers in the house don’t snack on it through the evening.
I have been enjoying your recipes for years and this one is now at the top of my list. I don’t even like coffee cake, but my husband requested it and I’m in love! Three people ate the entire thing in one day. Thank you, Sally, for your great recipes!
Would I be able to make this in a 9″ bundt cake tin? The crumble would essentially be at the bottom (and middle) when served.
Hi Karen, there isn’t enough batter for a Bundt 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.
This is the best recipe!!! I have made it in an 8 x 8 pan, and as a loaf. It’s a family favourite.
The last time I made it, instead of drizzling with vanilla icing, I made a batch of your caramel sauce (also an excellent, easy recipe), and once it had cooled, drizzled that over the top of the 8 x 8 cake. It made perfection even better. 12/10 would make again (and again.)
YUM – sounds amazing, Alison!
Hi Sally, do you think I could add frozen berries to this recipe? Thanks!
Absolutely. I often use this same base (or close to it) for other crumb cakes such as cranberry cake and raspberry almond crumb cake. You can use frozen berries, and even fold them right into the batter.
Have made several coffee cakes with different recipes. I made this one over the weekend and it was declared by family “the best coffee cake ever”. Thank you!
I was wondering if I could substitute regular butter for dairy-free butter.
Hi Nisa, we haven’t tested a dairy free version of this recipe. We’d try a plant-based butter rather than shortening. Let us know if you give it a try!
I had a bed and breakfast for 13 years and I tried many cinnamon coffee cakes. I have to say that this one was the best. Thanks for the great recipe. I did have to bake it for 40 minutes and that was in a convection oven.
Can you replace plain greek yogurt for the sour cream in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely! We recommend using a full-fat or low-fat greek yogurt (not no-fat).
Great recipe didn’t last but a day at my house, the monsters said it was the best cake ever. I think I want to try to make them into muffins or mini loaves next time though just to help with ease of eating and serving.
Similar to Patti, my cake was undercooked. I used an 8×8 glass pan in a Breville oven using the convection. I don’t know if any of those factors might have contributed? I did do the toothpick test and it came out clean. I suspect because the crumble top creates a crust, it may have cleaned off the toothpick when I pulled it out. When I went to cut it, I saw the raw dough. Fortunately, even though it had cooled 15 minutes, I was able to stick it back in the oven for 15 more minutes and other than being a little dark on top, it turned out delicious. Next time I will bake it for 40 minutes and check for doneness with a knife.
I’ve taken this cake out twice and checked it with a toothpick and it’s raw.!Now I see others had the same problem and will bake it 45 minutes.
I hope I don’t have to give a star rating to post this, because I’m sure it’s a lovely recipe. However, although I’m an experienced home baker, I had an epic fail with this one. I followed all directions exactly and yet the crumbles on top simply baked down into a flat mess and the rest of the cake became dense like a brownie texture.I don’t understand it because I paid close attention to which ingredients needed to be cold, which needed to be room temperature and my BS and BP were fresh. I’m really at a loss as to what went wrong.
Hi Karen! I’m just seeing this comment now and can definitely help if you decide to try the recipe again. Was your batter thick? This is a pretty thick batter, which helps keep the crumb topping on top of the cake. Your cake’s texture likely completely changed because the crumb topping sank and baked into it. If the batter wasn’t thick, it could be helpful to add another 2 Tablespoons of flour to the dry ingredients in the cake batter.
I just made the coffee cake, and it was a complete disappointment. When it cooled in the middle, it sunk, and most of it was not cooked. I followed the instructions exactly, tested cake, and toothpick was clean. I am now rebaking the cut squares to see if I can salvage this. Don’t understand what went wrong. I have always been a fan of Sally.
Hi Patti! It sounds like your cake was simply underbaked. Make sure to really get into the center of the cake when doing the toothpick test. An easy fix for next time. Thank you for making our recipes!
I had exactly the same experience, Patti, even though my cake tester came out clean before I took the cake out of the oven (after 37 minutes). We haven’t eaten it yet, but it’s pretty ugly looking!
I made this last night in a loaf pan, and then sliced it and gave it as a thank you to the techs at the vet’s who helped me last week. I ste the end pieces and they were amazing! Can’t wait to make it again for my daughter and me!
Turns out, this is the recipe I have been trying to find for YEARS! Absolute perfection. Tender crumb, a generous amount of crumble, moist and delicious, easy, and ingredients that are on hand. Dang, it’s good and your house smells like heaven while it’s baking. Thank you!
The best coffee cake recipe. It’s going to be a challenge not making this every weekend.
I have tried a lot of coffee cakes but never had any that were outstanding. This recipe is outstanding!!! It is moist and so flavorful!!! And freezes extremely well! I used a 9 inch round pan and that worked very well!! Awesome recipe!!! Thanks Sally!!
Your amended recipe which creates more topping doesn’t align with your instructions. You say to use 1/2 of the crumb about 1 cup as the filling. What was left was far more than 1 cup for the topping. The filling could have been more than a cup. Also, I needed to add more milk/ cream to the icing in order to drizzle it. It also makes a crazy amount for an 8×8. It should be halved.
Thank you for your feedback, and this does make a lot of icing. It’s not an equal amount of crumb in the layers, so you’ll have more for the topping. But I appreciate you letting my team and I know that you had a lot leftover for the topping.
I can’t wait to make the coffee cake in a 9 x 13 pan; it looks delicious! I have a question on the amount of baking soda for the cake is 1/4 tsp the same amount for the 8-inch pan. Is that the correct amount?
Anxious to bake it for guests. Thank you
Hi Phyllis, that is correct. It proved to be too much baking soda when doubling it.
By far the very best coffee cake! I’ve made several before and none of them compare to this one. It’s moist with great flavour, definitely didn’t last long in my house and everyone wants me to make it again!! Thanks for another fantastic recipe.
Thank you for the adjustments for a 9X13 pan. Will be making it for coffee hour at church this weekend and looking forward to it!
Delicious right out of the oven! I don’t think my first batch will last long, but I’m making another for Saturday brunch with the girls, along with mimosa cupcakes!
Oh my goodness—-this is the best coffee cake I have ever had—-and the double crumb is amazing!