The only thing better than coffee cake? Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping! The super buttery cake batter bakes up rich and dense, almost like pound cake, and is sprinkled with a generous amount of butter crumb topping.

Coffee Crumb Cake

Every time I post a coffee cake recipe… I get the same question over and over again: why doesn’t this recipe HAVE coffee in it?!

And I totally get it, I mean, you’d think a recipe that has the word COFFEE in the title would contain said ingredient.

But alas, coffee cake is actually a butter crumb cake meant to be enjoy with a cup coffee. And 99.9% of recipe do not contain a single ounce of coffee in the actual cake.

But after much thought, I decided what the heck… I’m going to break tradition and make a coffee cake that actually has a little caffeine in there! Which is exactly what I did here. You see, I snuck some espresso powder into the cinnamon swirl, and it adds a delightful yet subtle coffee flavor as well as helps keep the color of the swirl dark and defined. All of that being said, you can absolutely skip that ingredient and make the traditional coffee-less way. It’ll still be delicious!

Coffee Cake Ingredients

There are three parts to this recipe: the cake, the cinnamon swirl, the crumb, and the glaze. So don’t be shocked at this long list! But luckily, these ingredients are household items most bakers have on hand at all time.

• All-purpose Flour: I have not tested this recipe using any other variety of flour, so I cannot advise how substituting other flours will work. That being said, if you’re looking to make this gluten free, your best bet is to use a 1 for 1 gluten free flour.
• Baking Powder: Make sure it’s fresh!
• Baking Soda: Ditto what I said above.
• Light Brown Sugar: Although dark brown sugar will work in a pinch, it will make your crumb topping and filling have a darker color and more intense molasses flavor.
• Granulated Sugar: Don’t be tempted to reduce the amount here. This will not only affect the taste, but the texture!
• Salt: Just a small amount helps balance the flavors and avoid the cake tasting overly sweet.
• Unsalted Butter: Salted butter will work in a pinch, but I suggest omitting the salt called for in the recipe if you do use salted butter. You’ll use melted butter for the topping and room temperature butter for the actual cake.
• Cocoa Powder: I prefer dutch-process but any unsweetened variety will do. This ingredient does not affect the taste at all, just the color of the swirl.
• Espresso Powder: My favorite brand is DeLallo! This ingredient adds just the most subtle coffee flavor, but it’s not dominating at all. You may absolutely omit it if desired.
• Nutmeg: Freshly grated or ground work, but since most people have ground on hand, that’s what I call for.
• Ground Cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth of flavor. I’ll admit this recipe is cinnamon heavy, so you may cut back by a bit for a more subtle cinnamon flavor.
• Sour Cream: Full-fat sour cream adds moisture and tangy flavor, and gives the cake its trademark poundcake like texture.
• Buttermilk: Loosens the batter up a bit while adding moisture and flavor. While I don’t suggest using homemade buttermilk substitutes, it’ll work in a pinch.
• Vanilla Extract: I always suggest using quality pure vanilla and avoiding imitation extract if possible.
• Eggs: Use large eggs, and make sure they’re at room temperature before use.
• Confectioners’ Sugar:
• Milk 

Let’s Bake Coffee Cake!

1. Line a 9×13-inch aluminized steel or metal baking pan with aluminum foil. If you use a ceramic or glass pan, your cake may take longer to bake.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. Set them aside.
3. In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, combine the sour cream and buttermilk.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
5. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition! It’s important to scrape the bowl here to ensure the bottom and sides are getting evenly combined.
6. When you add the the flour mixture, be sure to do so on LOW speed. Don’t over mix or your cake will be dry.
7. If you want to evenly divide the batter, you can weigh it. But I suggest just using a rubber spatula and eyeballing it. You’ll want to scrape about half of the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Sprinkle all of the filling evenly on top, then scrape the remaining batter on top of the filling and spread evenly on top of the filling.
9. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the cake batter, then bake!
10. This cake takes about 1 hour, or until Bake for 58 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Place the cake in the pan on a cooling rack and drizzle with glaze.

Although I think this cake tastes best fresh, it will keep, at room temperature and wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days!

More Coffee Cake Recipes:

• Coffee Cake Donuts with Vanilla Glaze
• Bakery-Style Coffee Cake Muffins
• Chocolate Swirl Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake Donuts
• Cranberry Apple Coffee Cake