Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Updated: May 25, 2025 by christina.marsigliese · 53 Comments

This Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake is best described as plush - so soft, tender and moist with a thick ribbon of cinnamon sugar through the middle and a buttery cinnamon brown sugar crumb topping. When I first developed this recipe, it immediately jumped to the top of my list of favorite things to bake! My whole family is in love with this cake. It is so easy to make with simple pantry ingredients and you don't even need a mixer. Make this cake to serve for breakfast, brunch or when you have last minute guests over for coffee. There's a hint of almond flavor that sets it apart and gives it a sort of fresh-from-the-bakery taste. It's perfect as is, but you can also dress it up with a sugar glaze or drizzle it with my Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce and serve it with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.

stack of cinnamon streusel coffee cake slices on cooling rack

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Easy and quick to make - this recipe is super simple to make and isn't time consuming at all. It uses basic pantry ingredients too! The filling is used as the base for the crumb topping so you don't need to make two separate mixtures - it's so easy!
Soft coffee cake - the cake itself is so tender and soft with a hint of almond flavor. It pairs with coffee so well!
Cinnamon swirl - there is a thick defined cinnamon swirl through this cake which is my favorite part! Make sure you read through my step-by-step instructions to learn how I ensure the swirl stays defined and doesn't bleed into the cake batter.
Buttery crumb topping - a nice thick crumb topping loaded with cinnamon just makes this cake so delicious. Read my tips near the bottom of the post to learn what I do to make the crumb soft instead of crunchy.

cinnamon streusel coffee cake sliced on cooling rack showing cinnamon swirl in the middle

WHAT IS COFFEE CAKE?

Coffee cake, most of the time, does not actually contain any coffee! It refers to a buttery sweet, slightly dense cake that is usually baked in a single layer round or square pan, or even a bundt pan. It often can have a crumble topping or crumble swirl through the middle. It is intended to be eaten alongside a cup of coffee or tea, hence the name. It is generally less sweet than say a birthday cake since it doesn't have frosting which is why it is considered acceptable to eat mid-day or during brunch or breakfast.

INGREDIENTS FOR CINNAMON STREUSEL COFFEE CAKE

All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great this coffee cake. If you have bleached cake flour, then you can replace half of the unbleached all-purpose flour with cake flour and it will actually give you a taller cake. That's because bleached flour absorbs moisture more readily and sets more quickly to trap in gas created from baking powder.
Unsalted butter - butter brings the flavor! Using a combination of oil and butter means we get the taste of butter and the softness of oil.
Sunflower oil - this recipe uses part oil. Using some oil will keep the cake soft and feeling moist since it is liquid at room temperature. You can use any neutral tasting oil, but I prefer sunflower oil for its clean taste.
Almond flour - fine ground blanched almonds give this cake a wonderful plush texture. It is moist and soft while slightly dense which is exactly how coffee cake should be. It has an irresistible quality to it and you won't be able to stop eating it!

cinnamon streusel coffee cake sliced on cooling rack

cinnamon streusel coffee cake ingredients

sliced of cinnamon streusel coffee cake on cooling rack with bite

cinnamon streusel coffee cake streusel topping ingredients

Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is the main flavor in these muffins so use your best one. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
Pure Almond extract - this is my secret ingredient! It really gives this coffee cake another dimension that stands out from the rest. It adds a nostalgic taste.
Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps this cake moist and lets the vanilla flavor shine.
Brown sugar - the topping is made with brown sugar for a rich molasses taste that pairs so nice with the cinnamon.
Cinnamon - what's a Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake without the cinnamon? I use quite a bit for a big punch of flavor.

sliced of cinnamon streusel coffee cake on cooling rack with bite from a fork

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1). Make the topping & filling. Combine flour, brown sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and salt until blended. Reserve ¼ cup of this mixture and place in a separate bowl and stir in the other other ½ teaspoon of cinnamon - this will be the filling. Add butter to the main mixture and blend until it makes clumps - this will be the topping.
STEP 2). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Add almond flour and whisk to blend evenly.
STEP 3). Cream fat and sugar. Combine soft butter, sugar, oil, vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until pale and fluffy.
STEP 4). Add egg. Beat in egg until evenly incorporated.
STEP 5). Add dry ingredients and milk. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low then alternate adding milk and the remaining dry ingredients while mixing on low or folding gently until just combined.
STEP 6). Spread it out. Dollop just over half of the batter into prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over top. Then take spoonfuls of the remaining batter and dollop over the filling and spread it out without disturbing the filling layer as little as possible (an offset spatula works well for this). Gently spread it over to cover the filling. Take the topping mixture in clumps and crumble it over the batter.
STEP 7). BAKE. Bake for 28-32 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil and let the cake steam as it cools.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

Sift the dry ingredients - Sifting the flour will eliminate any lumps and separate all of the flour particles which means it will incorporated into the wet ingredients more easily and more quickly. This will minimize the amount of mixing required so that you ensure the cake is soft.
Do not reduce the sugar - the right amount of sugar will create the right texture for this coffee cake. Do not reduce it as it is already less than most cake recipes.
Do not over-bake. Over-baking will most definitely lead to dry coffee cake. Make sure you check with a skewer for doneness.
Do not over-mix. Just fold in the flour gently until well combined, but no need to mix vigorously. Just mix until no streaks of dry flour remain.
Let it steam - cover the cake with foil as it is cooling so that the steam will help soften the crumb topping to make luscious buttery soft clusters.

RECIPE FAQ

Can I make this cinnamon streusel coffee cake with all butter?

Yes, you can use all butter to make this recipe and it still works well, however the batter will be much thicker and the crumb will be slightly firmer since butter is a solid fat at room temperature.

Can I leave out the almond flour?

The almond flour gives this cake a wonderful texture - it's soft but sturdy and it melts in your mouth. If you can't access almond flour where you live, you can finely grind raw almonds in your food processor, or you can leave them out and replace it with 2 tablespoons of flour. In the latter case, you would need a total of 1 ⅔ cups (235g) flour in the recipe.

What makes the cinnamon swirl so defined?

Using flour in the cinnamon sugar mixture will help it set and gel in place instead of baking into the batter.

How do I get a soft crumb topping?

The key to making the topping soft (if that's what you like) is to cover the cake while it is still warm so that it steams slightly. The trapped steam will soften the crumbs.

How to make soft cinnamon streusel coffee cake?

To ensure the cake has a soft texture, do not reduce the sugar. Sugar is important to hold moisture in. Also, be careful not to over-mix the batter. Over-mixing will initiate gluten formation which can lead to a tough crumb texture.

Can I freeze cinnamon streusel coffee cake?

Yes! This cake freezes very well. Just wrap it well in plastic wrap, and then in foil, and then place it in a large resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

cinnamon streusel coffee cake slices stacked on cooling rack

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