Classic Coffee Cake
What is a classic coffee cake? Contrary to what people think, a coffee cake doesn’t actually contain any coffee. Rather, it gets its namesake from the idea that one is supposed to enjoy a slice with a cup of coffee. Moist but dense in the most pleasant way, its tempting texture traditionally comes from sour cream. It usually has a brown sugar and cinnamon ripple in the middle, then it’s studded with a crunchy streusel topping of more cinnamon and brown sugar.
What Ingredients go in a Classic Coffee Cake?
The ingredients that go in a classic coffee cake are very simple. They are:
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Vanilla
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
And as you may have noticed…no COFFEE!
Can I Use Cake Flour Instead of All Purpose Flour?
You certainly could, but your coffee cake will be more fluffy rather than the classic dense yet moist texture coffee cake is known for. And because coffee cake has a streusel topping of brown sugar and cinnamon, the cake flour might not be able to withstand its weight. This could result in collapsing, which would just ruin your cake. For this reason, it’s better to use all purpose flour for your coffee cake.
Can I Substitute Yogurt for Sour Cream?
You definitely can, just be sure to use a full fat Greek or even just plain yogurt. Flavored yogurts would add too much sweetness and might make the texture too watery as they tend to have a thinner consistency. Therefore, it is best to stick with either full fat sour cream or plain/Greek yogurt.
What Variations of Classic Coffee Cake Can I Create?
There are endless variations you can create using this classic recipe as a blank canvas. Try making a chocolate version by swapping out 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour for unsweetened cocoa powder. You could substitute half of the sugar for brown sugar for a butterscotch version. You could also add chocolate chips, raisins or nuts to the batter and even the streusel topping for good flavor and texture.
In addition to the cinnamon and brown sugar ripple for the middle layer, try adding blueberries, apple or peach slices for a fruity coffee cake. Using this basic recipe, create any variation of coffee cake you want and make it your masterpiece!
Tips for Making the Best Classic Coffee Cake
- Measure the flour by weight rather than volume. In other words, instead of using cups to measure your flour use a scale to get the right weight. This is because all brands of flour differ in moisture content. So while 1-1/2 cups of Robin Hood flour might be 190 grams, it might only take 1-1/4 cups by volume (or cups) of King Arthur flour to reach 190 grams. You may end up making your cake batter too runny or too stiff, yielding a dry cake.
- Use room temperature ingredients. These would be your butter, eggs and sour cream. If you use them cold from the fridge, they won’t incorporate smoothly into your batter. This causes curdling or splitting, which will bake into an unevenly textured, greasy cake.
- Use full fat sour cream or yogurt. You will notice a difference in texture if you try to use low fat versions of sour cream or yogurt (if using). It won’t be as rich or flavorful, so opt for the extra calories and use full fat–your waistline won’t feel it that much.
- Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. This will ensure easy removal of each slice of cake much more reliably than greasing alone.
- Use the right size cake pan. Whether you make this a round or square cake, be sure to use one that is 9 inches. When we tested it with an 8 inch pan, the cake overflowed slightly and made a mess in the oven!
The next time you need a dessert, you can’t go wrong with this classic coffee cake! It’s good for literally any occasion–a dinner party, potluck, game night or just a weeknight dessert. I hope you’ll make this classic version or create a variation that will make you a star. And if you do, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment about how it turned out for you!
If You Liked This Coffee Cake, You Might Like These Other Amazing Cake Recipes!
- Old Fashioned Yellow Butter Cake
- Strawberry Layer Cake
- Best Ever Banana Cake
- Angel Food Cake
- Chocolate Avocado Cake with Chocolate Avocado “Butter” Cream
Classic Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Offset spatula
- 9 inch baking pan
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1½ cups all purpose flour 190 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
CINNAMON FILLING
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
STREUSEL TOPPING
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- *PLEASE HAVE ALL INGREDIENTS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE* Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Grease a 9 inch round or square cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl combine all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
- Beat in sour cream and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl to incorporate the ingredients smoothly.
- Add flour mixture in 2 parts using a rubber spatula. Do not over mix. Spread half of the batter evenly into the bottom of prepared pan using an offset spatula.
- In the same bowl you used for the flour mixture, combine cinnamon filling ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the pan. Dollop remaining batter here and there over top of the cinnamon filling layer. Spread evenly using an offset spatula.
FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING
- In the same bowl you used for the dry ingredients and cinnamon filling, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter using your fingers to create a crumbly topping. Sprinkle evenly over the cake.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool at least 1 hour in the pan before serving.