Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Cinnamon coffee cake loaded with layers of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel is something that I can not resist whenever it is in the house. Fortunately, it’s irresistible to everyone I know, so it disappears fast any time I make it.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Whether it’s early in the morning with a cup of coffee, mid-afternoon, or late at night, this cinnamon coffee cake is a favorite. Heavy on the cinnamon streusel, this cake is literally half streusel.

The sour cream gives a delicious richness and tender, moist crumb without making the cake overly sweet. It really is the perfect treat with a mid-morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea. My kids devour it as an after-school snack.

Simple cakes like this one are some of my favorite treats to share. Whether I’m taking a whole meal to someone, or sharing a dessert just to bring a friend a smile, cinnamon coffee cake with abundant layers of cinnamon streusel is perfect for any reason.

I first shared this recipe in The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook and it’s been on my frequent repeat list ever since. (For those of you counting, that’s a solid 7 years in the favorites rotation!)

I’m happy to tell you that coffee cake freezes quite well. Wrap individual slices tightly and store them in an airtight container or zip-close bags. Frozen cake can be thawed at room temperature or reheated from frozen in the microwave.

Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake

There are a few steps to this coffee cake to create that buttery brown sugar cinnamon layer.

First, combine the ingredients for the cinnamon streusel layer in a medium size bowl and stir with a fork until clumps form. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Mix in the sour cream.

After mixing up the cake batter and the cinnamon brown sugar streusel in separate bowls, it is time to assemble the layers.

Grease a 10″ square pan with butter or line the pan with parchment paper.

My default is almost always parchment paper. First of all, it makes cleaning up a breeze. Cutting the pieces is super simple when you can just lift the entire coffee cake out of the pan and slice it into nice neat squares using a long knife.

If you are going with parchment and lifting the entire cake out of the pan – let it cool completely first! Otherwise, disaster will likely strike and you will have a pile of warm cake on your counter.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Use a spatula to spread it in a thin layer across the bottom of the pan.

Scatter half the cinnamon streusel crumbs over the batter and then spoon the remaining batter over the streusel layer. Use a flat spatula or the back of a spoon to lightly spread the batter over the streusel layer.

Sprinkle all of the remaining streusel topping over the batter in the pan. It will seem like a lot and be rather thick. Don’t stress it, we aren’t looking for any kind of perfection here. Just pile the rest of the streusel on top.

Bake for 40-42 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely before slicing. 

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

Cinnamon Streusel Layer Ingredients

• all-purpose flour
• brown sugar
• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• butter

Cake Ingredients

• butter
• sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• ground cinnamon
• sour cream

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Coffee cake is often called “snack cake” in my house as we enjoy it any time of day. Tender buttery Peach Coffee Cake is filled with sweet bites of peach and topped with an irresistible brown sugar crumb topping – what is not to love??

Fresh cranberries and a hint of lemon are combined in this incredibly moist brown sugar streusel Cranberry Coffee Cake. And this Rhubarb Coffee Cake is the perfect excuse to eat cake for breakfast.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake starts with a sour cream coffee cake that is layered with a creamy pumpkin filling and then topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar and pecan topping.