Cinnamon Coffee Crumb Cake

This coffee crumb cake is so moist and buttery with a swirl of cinnamon inside, huge crumbs on top, and a generous drizzle of cream cheese espresso glaze! It's truly the perfect breakfast and only takes minutes to make. You can bake it ahead and have it ready for gatherings or have a slice every morning with your coffee. No one said you had to share!

This delicious cake is a mashup of the New York crumb cake and a classic coffee cake. The perfect complement to any cup of coffee or tea. 

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Ingredients

Sour Cream adds moisture to the coffee cake and can also be substituted with Greek yogurt. If you don't have sour cream you can use buttermilk or any of these buttermilk substitutions. 

Espresso in the cream cheese glaze adds that extra special something. It's rare to have actual coffee in coffee cake recipes, but I felt like it needed it! 

Brown sugar is used in both the cinnamon swirl and crumb topping. The crumb mixture is like a chunky cinnamon streusel and the moisture in the brown sugar helps hold it together. 

Step-By-Step Instructions

The 3 components of this coffee crumb cake are the coffee cake, the cinnamon sugar filling for the center of the cake, and the coarse crumb topping.

Making the crumb topping

1. Add the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, cinnamon, and soft (almost melted) butter to a large bowl. Mix together with a spoon or spatula to combine until most of the flour is combined.
2. Use your clean hands to press the topping together. You should have very chunky crumbs, some large and some small. If it’s too crumbly and dry, microwave it for about 5 seconds to melt the butter more, then work it with your hands until it comes together. 

Making the cinnamon sugar filling

1. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a medium bowl and mix together to combine. If it’s really lumpy, sift it together. 

Making the coffee cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8”x4” loaf pan with pan release on the bottom and up the sides. I recommend using cake goop! Or you can line the bottom and sides with parchment paper to easily flip it out later. You can also use an 8”x8” nonstick square cake pan, it will just take less time to bake. If you want to use a larger bundt pan, make 1 and a half batches of this recipe.
2. Make sure your butter, sour cream, egg, and cream cheese are all room temperature so that the ingredients combine together well. I place my eggs (still in the shell) into a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and leave out the butter and sour cream for a few hours. If needed, I microwave them for a few seconds until they are room temperature or even slightly warm.
3. Place the butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed and cream together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. (Or longer if you’re using a hand mixer.) 
4. Add your egg, sour cream, and vanilla to the creamed butter and mix until cohesive. If it has big chunks of cold butter in there, one of your ingredients was too cold.
5. Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on medium-low speed until the batter is thick and just combined. If your flour is really lumpy, sift these dry ingredients before adding them to the mixer.
6. Place half of the batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth it out in an even layer.
7. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling on top until it’s completely covered.
8. Add the rest of the cake batter on top. 
9. Sprinkle the thick crumbs evenly on top, covering the surface of the loaf.
10. Bake at 350ºF for 40-50 minutes and rotate halfway through for even baking. When a toothpick comes out clean from the center, it’s done!
11. Rest the loaf at room temperature until the pan is completely cool, about 2 hours. Do NOT flip your cake out while it’s warm, it could collapse.
12. Loosen the edges with a knife, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the cake, and flip it upside down to remove it from the pan. 

Making cream cheese glaze

1. Place the softened cream cheese in a large bowl and blend it until smooth with a hand mixer or whisk. 
2. Slowly pour in the melted butter a little at a time. Do not pour it all in there at once or you could end up with a soupy cream cheese mess.
3. Add the vanilla, sift in the powdered sugar, and mix until you don’t see any lumps.
4. While mixing, pour in the coffee (or espresso, milk, or water) a little at a time. Keep adding until you get the desired consistency of a glaze. I like a thinner glaze so it’s easy to pipe.
5. Place the glaze into a piping bag and drizzle on top of the loaf. You can also use a spoon or a plastic bag with the corner cut off.
6. Enjoy this cake at room temperature for up to three days. To keep the coffee crumb cake moist, store it in a plastic bag or wrap it with plastic wrap.

FAQ

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