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.
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 originally published today’s recipe in 2015 and have made so many variations 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!)
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 and cinnamon swirl banana bread. 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.
- 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:
More Coffee Cake Recipes
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 (115g) 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 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. 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 rubber 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 32–38 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.
- 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.
Keywords: coffee cake, crumb coffee cake, sour cream coffee cake
I am looking forward to making this recipe (husband LOVES crumb coffee cake!). Can I bake this in an 8 inch Pyrex pan? I don’t have a metal pan.
Thanks for the help.
Hi Shelly, absolutely! That will work. Bake time may be just a minute or two longer, but keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
another fantastic recipe. there’s a million coffee cake recipes on the internet, but i have made a few of your recipes and they are always great. i made this in Christmas morning, got up at 6 so it was ready for when we had coffee, it was amazing! my mother and i ate the whole thing over the next couple days, but was the best when still warm frm the oven. a keeper!
★★★★★
This is absolutely delicious! Thanks Sally!
I had to make it without eggs for allergy reasons, and substituted 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and an extra 1/4 tsp baking powder for one egg, and subbed the second egg for an extra 1/4 cup sour cream. You couldn’t tell I made the changes except for the slightly longer bake time. Perfection!
★★★★★
I have been making a different coffee cake every year for Christmas morning and was never satisfied enough to repeat for the next year. This recipe dropped the mic! Ha! I have finally found the BEST EVER! I added 3/4 C chopped walnuts to the crumble. Incredible ! Thank you!
★★★★★
Can I bake this in a bundt pan? If so, what would the bake time be?
Hi Mandi, 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. I’m unsure of the best bake time.
Wonderful recipe! So good I had to make one for my husband’s work the very next day! Perfect cake consistency and the crumble part is great! On my second one, I did add some pecans before I added the crumble layer in the middle. A good addition but definitely not necessary! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
This recipe was Yummy! I’d love to see a chocolate crumble cake!!
★★★★★
I don’t have sour cream. Can I substitute mayonnaise?
Hi Maria, if needed, the best substitute for sour cream here is full-fat or low-fat (not nonfat) Greek yogurt.
This cake has restored my affection for coffee cake. Most are dry and dense. This one is so moist. There isn’t much more to say except—THE BEST!! (and I even forgot the icing) Thank You, Sally! for this amazing recipe!!!
★★★★★
This is SO good! My first time making coffee crumb cake and it is delicious! It is 100% worth making! YUM! I had it in the oven for 35 min, but needed to add an extra 8 minutes for the middle to be done.
★★★★★
I love making this recipe! I made it several times and every single time it comes perfectly delicious. Today I double the recipe and added chopped apples and made it in a bundt pan. I baked it for 50 minutes and it came gorgeous.
★★★★★
Thoughts about adding some chopped walnuts to the middle layer?
Yes, you can definitely add chopped walnuts. Enjoy!
Hi Sally,
It seems to me that to me that some apple “chunks” (maybe half-inch cubes ?) would go wonderfully with the ingredients in this recipe. What do you think?
Hi Roger! Definitely. You may love our apple crumb cake recipe as well.
My granddaughter-in-law is a serious cinnamon fan but she lives about an hour from me. If I take this cake to her, what are instructions for reheating?
Hi KB, you can either reheat individual pieces in the microwave, or put the entire pan back in the oven at a low temperature for a few minutes. Hope it’s a hit!
This is one of the best coffee cakes I have made! The crumb is light and the flavor is perfect. I did have to bake it for about 40 minutes and add an extra tablespoon of cream to the glaze. Otherwise it turned out great. My family inhaled this recipe!
★★★★★
I just baked this cake, and could hardly wait for it to cool, ( the fragrance was wonderful)
and now it’s cooled and I’ve had my first bite and it is simply delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Your instructions were so simple to folllow
and it turned out perfect! Highly recommend this to anyone who loves coffeecake!
★★★★★
Sound delicious, could I use Gluten Free flour ? Thank you.
Hi Katherine, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour. If you give it a try, we recommend using a 1:1 gluten free flour substitute. Let us know if you give it a try!
Could I make this in cupcakes?
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’m not seeing when to add the milk???
Hi Peggy, right after you add the dry ingredients in step 4.
Can Greek yogurt be used instead of sour cream?
Yes, not a problem. See recipe note.
Loved making this recipe! Can we add a layer of cheese cake filling along with the streusel in the middle?
★★★★★
Hi Patsi, we’d suggest trying this blackberry cream cheese crumb cake and leaving out the berries if you wish to!
Delicious! I doubled the cinnamon and refrigerated the streusel while I put together the batter. Came out beautifully. Almost everyone in my family wanted seconds. Will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Hi sally! Can I use this recipe for muffins ? Do you think that would work?
Absolutely! We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
First time making coffee cake from scratch. It’s delicious, cake is so soft, crumbs perfect and glaze the best.
★★★★★
Great instructions and a new favorite recipe!
★★★★★
Finally! a crumb cake that is moist and and easy to make. I’ve made several recipes and this one is hands down the best and will be added to my personal collection of family favorites. I omitted the vanilla glaze because I didn’t want to overly sweeten the final product and added 1 tablespoon of cardamom to streusel and an additional 1 teaspoon cardamom to cake batter because it nice to include a complex spice. HIGHLY recommend!!!!
★★★★★
This is delicious and moist, so thank you! Crumb topping was perfect.
That all said, I was hoping for the sour cream flavor to be more prominent. We could hardly tell it was there!
How would you recommend bringing out the sour cream tang a bit more next time?
Hi Matt, so glad you tried this recipe. Though I haven’t tested this, you could try replacing 1 of the eggs with 1/4 cup sour cream so the total amount would be 3/4 cup (180g).
This is seriously delicious! Just made it today for some friends and got rave reviews. Thank you!
★★★★★
This is scrumptious! Can we add a layer of cheese cake filling along with the streusel in the meddle layer?
Hi, quick question: can I skip the layers and just put all the batter in one layer then all the topping in one layer? I have seen other recipes set up like this, was wondering if I could do that because I oftentimes do not split the batter evenly and am concerned about having enough for 2 layers especially in light of some of the comments. Thanks in advance!
Hi Cathy, you may enjoy our recipe for New York style crumb cake instead – with a thick crumb layer on top.
Can i use oil instead of butter? And is it still thw same amount of 1/2 a cup
Hi Noura, It’s not possible to cream oil. The creaming step is crucial to this cupcake’s/cake’s texture. You’ll also lose a lot of flavor. You could try solid coconut oil instead, but we fear the texture will be greasy (and, of course, lacking butter flavor).
Hi! I am having trouble with the crumb topping collapsing into the cake. I ensured that I used cold butter and refrigerated it until I used it. I also ensured I used room temperature ingredients in the batter. Help! Any ideas?
Hi Sharon, is it ALL sinking to the bottom, or just some? Because some can definitely sink down, especially in the center where the cake rises the most. You can try to reduce the butter in the crumb by 1 Tablespoon to see if that helps though.