Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe - Daring Kitchen (2024)

This cinnamon coffee cake is a match made in heaven for your favorite cup of coffee or tea. Its buttery cake base is filled with luscious layers of walnut streusel. Not to mention it is finished with a dazzling and easy to make the sugar glaze!

When I think of any perfect morning, it always involves a hot cup of coffee and a delicious sweet treat. There is something remarkable about cake and coffee together. This cake is incredibly versatile. This cinnamon coffee cake is great because it is less like a sweet birthday cake and more like a buttery sweet bread. Just one bite makes your favorite cup of coffee so much better.

Who Doesn't Love Coffee Cake?

Coffee cake was invented for a reason. Did you know it has origins in Germany and Austria? These countries were and still remain famous for their sweet treats. I mean, streusel is a German invention!

Centuries ago, these German bakers got curious. They were eager to create the best cake to pair with coffee. And, you bet they did.

Coffee cake is special because it is very different from your typical cake. It is more like a sweet bread. Coffee cake has a texture that is both buttery and luscious. Instead of creamy icing, you have nutty brown sugar layers that add sweetness and crunch.

This cinnamon coffee cake recipe resembles the classic coffee cake invented years ago. It features that iconic streusel and not to mention tons of cinnamon spice. You may have found the best way to get your morning started!

The Softest Cinnamon Coffee Cake

No one wants a dense cake. This cinnamon coffee cake is oh so fluffy and buttery. That all has to do with a couple of easy tricks!

As much as I cannot deny it, butter does make everything better. When you cream together the sugar and butter evenly, this coffee cake gains an impeccable texture.

But, there is one trick to the ultimate soft coffee cake base. It all has to do with how you combine your wet and dry ingredients. Oftentimes, we just want to throw everything together. That makes sense because who wouldn't be eager to eat this cinnamon coffee cake? But, if you just take a little time with this tip, you will have a coffee cake that is rich and fluffy.

It all starts with setting aside your milk from your wet ingredients. When you are ready to combine wet and dry ingredients, your milk will be your asset. Slowly alternating between dry ingredients and milk will help to blend all the ingredients together smoothly. This results in a well-combined batter that will rise gracefully in the oven. Once the coffee cake cools, the cake will practically melt in your mouth!

A Classic Streusel Topping

What is incredibly fabulous about this coffee cake is its walnut topping. It adds just the right kind of texture to the cake. When you bite into both the buttery cake base and the brown sugar walnuts, you don’t seem to need much else. Did I mention the streusel only requires 5 simple ingredients?

• Chopped walnuts to give you the ideal crunch and nutty flavors.
• Brown Sugar imparts a lovely and toasty sweetness.
• Melted Butter to make everything gooey and rich.
• Cinnamon for that beloved classic spiced flavor.
• Flour to bind everything together!

How to Make Cinnamon Coffee Cake

One of the best parts about this coffee cake recipe is that it uses plain old baking ingredients. No need to search all over the store for obscure ingredients - this cake uses simple staple ingredients that you may have already. Even if you do not, you will be in and out of the store in no time.

In regards to kitchen accessories, nothing fancy is necessary either. All you need are 3 reliable mixing bowls, a spatula, and a hand mixer are your best friends. Oh and your oven of course!

The prep time for this cinnamon coffee cake recipe is super simple.

With this recipe, you are only an hour away from a taste of heaven. Before getting started, you should take your butter out of the fridge. You will need it to reach room temperature, especially for your streusel. Once you preheat your oven, you are ready to rumble.

First, you need to mix all your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. You should always sift your flour. This will make all the difference when you combine your wet and dry ingredients. It will help everything to mix evenly. After you carefully stir together all your dry ingredients, you can set them aside.

When combining your wet ingredients, you will need your hand mixer. This will whip together your sugar and butter quickly into a creamy mixture.

Remember, this cake achieves its light and buttery texture with a special alternating technique. Bringing together your wet and dry ingredients is a lot smoother when you alternate between incorporating flour and milk. This lets all the cinnamon coffee cake ingredients completely blend. This will make for the perfect bite of fluffy cake.

Now, here is the hard part: making your streusel topping, without eating it all! The simple ingredients come together so smoothly. All you need is a fork to mix. The smell is even better, especially with all the fragrant cinnamon. Just try not to take a bite full along the way.

The creative part comes with layering your cake. You first need to pour half of the batter into the bottom of a well-greased classic 8-inch cake pan. Then you add a generous layer of streusel, followed by the rest of your batter. The cake will be finished with a complete layer of streusel that will become extra crunchy in the oven.

Pop it in the oven and get ready for a classic cinnamon treat!

For that Sinful Sugar Glaze

To ease your eagerness as you wait for your cinnamon coffee cake, why not make some glaze? This glaze is easy peasy to make. Three ingredients result in the scrumptious decoration for your cinnamon coffee cake treat. At this point, your butter should be super soft. Mixed with milk and powdered sugar, an iconic sugar glaze will come together in only a few minutes.

This coffee cake needs around 10 minutes to cool. That is the perfect amount of time to brew your favorite cup of coffee. Whether it's a cappuccino or drip coffee, you will not regret enjoying it with a slice of this epic cinnamon coffee cake.