Coffee Cake

By Lidey Heuck

Updated November 20, 2023

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 5 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Rating
5(1,489)
Comments
Read comments

Cinnamon-sugar crumble does double duty for this classic cake, serving as both a topping and a thick ribbon running through the middle. This coffee cake is light and fluffy, thanks to a cup of buttermilk in the batter. For added crunch, add a cup of finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumble mixture. The cake will keep at room temperature, wrapped well, for several days, but the crumb topping will be the most crisp on the day the cake is made.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:One 9-by-13-inch cake (12 to 16 servings)

FOR THE CAKE

  • 1 cup/226 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan

  • 2 ½ cups/325 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • 1 ¼ cups/250 grams granulated sugar

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) 

  • 1 cup/240 milliliters buttermilk, at room temperature

FOR THE CRUMBLE

  • 1 ¾ cups/228 grams all-purpose flour

  • 1 ½ cups/300 grams light brown sugar, lightly packed

  • ¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), at room temperature

  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 to 16 servings)

71 grams carbs; 101 milligrams cholesterol; 524 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 25 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 320 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 40 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter, then line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; dust the exposed sides with flour.

  2. Step 2

    Make the crumble: Combine the flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well with your hands until the mixture forms crumbles (they may not be uniform in size), and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Make the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer), combine the butter and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix until just combined.

  4. Step 4

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in three parts, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Use a spatula to make sure the batter is well mixed.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it into an even layer. Scatter 2½ cups of the crumble evenly over the cake, then sprinkle lightly with more cinnamon. Spoon the rest of the cake batter over the crumble layer in big spoonfuls. Gently spread with a spatula to cover, then top with the remaining crumble.

  6. Step 6

    Bake until the crumble is browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs on it, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove it using the parchment paper overhang. Cut into squares and serve. (You can also serve the cake directly from the pan.) The cake will keep, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,489 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

William Wroblicka

The instructions are a bit muzzy. What step 4 means is to add one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-half of the buttermilk, followed by one-half of the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining buttermilk, and finishing with the remaining flour mixture. Or, more briefly, the flour is added in three equal parts and the buttermilk is added in two equal parts, alternating with the flour.

Dale T

Excellent recipe. I made it into 3 small loaves and shared 2 with neighbors . One is begging me to make more as it is the best coffee cake he ever had and the other said the same and brought me roses! It is absolutely delicious. By the way my husband said the same thing.

Absbakes

I have been looking for a classic, diner-style coffee cake recipe for like 20 years, and this is exactly it! The cake was soft and fluffy, the quantity of topping was generous, addition of chopped pecans was great.

Xavier

cut up some apples, and toss them in with the first layer of crumble. the cake will take longer to bake, but the fruit takes this to the next level.

SandyM

This cake was super moist and delicious with a very generous amount of streusel. I cut the whole thing and put half in the freezer in a plastic container. It froze and thawed perfectly. And it held up on my counter in an airtight container for a week. A perfect classic coffee cake recipe.

suji

Could we substitute the flour with almond flour? If so, what would the proportions be?

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.