Buttery Coffee Cake
This homemade coffee cake is taken to the next level with a thick layer of DOUBLE the crumble and a moist and buttery cake base. Inspired by a New York style crumb cake, this treat would suit any bakery. It’s decadent, delicious, but not overly sweet.
What makes this coffee cake recipe so good?
Let’s be honest, the best part of any good coffee cake recipe is the crumble on top. Especially one that’s sweet and buttery and not too firm. That’s exactly what to expect out of this coffee cake…but DOUBLED.
The first step of this recipe is to make the crumble as it uses melted butter. This creates a thick but soft crumble that turns into the perfect consistency once chilled.
To ensure it doesn’t turn too firm once baked, a bit of cornstarch is added to this mix. Combined with both brown sugar and white sugar, this crumble topping has the perfect consistency.
Below that is a layer of delicious and buttery cake. So buttery that this cake stays moist and delicious for days after.
But the overall secret to this recipe is to use really good quality butter as it plays a big role in this cake. Go for a butter that’s grass-fed, rich and creamy, and has a beautiful golden color. This will provide the biggest payoff for this cake in both texture and flavor.
And if all of this isn’t enough to convince you, my husband always takes my desserts to work with him for his coworkers to enjoy. One of his coworkers is from New York and claimed that this was the best coffee cake he has ever had, and that’s comparing it to the coffee cake his dad used to buy every single day from a local bakery.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Baking Tips
To ensure your cake turns out just right, here are a few crumb cake baking pointers:
- Butter – Use a really good quality butter for the best results. I like Kerrygold because it’s common at most grocery stores and is made from the milk of grass-fed cows. It’s truly incredible quality and makes this cake taste so delicious.
- Sugar – When mixing the butter and sugar, make sure to really beat the two together until light and fluffy. This will create little air pockets to help lift the cake.
- Room Temp Ingredients – The butter, eggs, and sour cream should all be at room temperature before starting. Otherwise, the batter can turn lumpy and struggle to bake all the way through.
- Mixing – Once the flour is added, mix gently but thoroughly. It’s important that the batter is well combined, but over working can lead to a tough cake.
- Sour Cream – The only other substitute for sour cream would be full fat Greek yogurt. Don’t substitute with milk or anything liquid as this will create a very thin batter that will not hold up well against the thick crumble on top.
- Pan – I always recommend using a light colored aluminum baking pan. Dark pans tend to create really dark edges on your cake and a glass pan will likely result in an uneven bake.
Coffee Cake FAQs
This classic cake gets its name not from what’s in it (because there’s no coffee involved in making coffee cake), but from what it’s best served with. Coffee cake tastes delicious with a cup of warm coffee.
Unfortunately I don’t think this recipe would hold up well if doubled. The reason being, double the recipe would bake in a 9×13 dish but since the crumble layer is so heavy, I think the middle of the cake would really struggled to bake through.
The cornstarch is there to lighten the texture of the crumble topping. I don’t suggest replacing this as it can change how the crumble bakes.
If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp of kosher salt to the crumble and add a total 1/2 tsp of kosher salt to the cake batter.
Expect this cake to sink very slightly in the center, but if it completely collapses this is likely due to over mixing, expired baking soda, or not whipping the butter and sugar enough.
Since this coffee cake is so moist, it stays that way for a quite a few days. This cake will still taste good for up to 5 days.
Keep the coffee cake in a container at room temperature. I suggest reheating a slice in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
For more coffee cake recipes, check out my:
- Banana Coffee Cake
- Carrot Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make this buttery coffee cake. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make this buttery coffee cake:
Buttery Coffee Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
Description
This coffee cake is inspired by the New York style version, with EXTRA crumble on top and an incredibly rich and buttery cake on the bottom. It’s so decadent but not overly sweet – just coffee cake perfection.
Ingredients
Crumble
- 1 2/3 cup (215g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (105g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (180g) salted Kerrygold butter, melted
Coffee Cake
- 1/4 cup (55g) salted Kerrygold butter, room temp
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (230g) sour cream, room temp
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
*NOTE: This recipe makes a rich and dense cake. If you prefer a fluffier cake, use 3/4 cup (180g) of sour cream instead and add 1/4 tsp baking powder.
Crumble
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon.
- Pour in the butter and mix, ensuring all of the crumble is evenly hydrated with no patchy dry spots. It should be very thick and clumpy.
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator while we make the cake batter.
Coffee Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Grease and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Allow the paper to reach up and over the sides for easy removal once the cake is baked.
- In a mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until creamy, light, and fluffy.
- Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and mix to combine.
- Now mix in one egg, scrape down the bowl, and mix in the other egg along with the vanilla.
- Once smooth, mix in the sour cream followed by the baking soda and salt.
- Last, mix in the flour. When it appears to be fully mixed in, switch to a rubber spatula to gently mix the batter a couple times by hand just to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Taking the crumble from the refrigerator, sprinkle an even layer over the cake batter and ensure absolutely no cake batter is peaking through.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the cake has an even rise with golden brown edges.
- Allow the cake to cool for 30-45 minutes, then release it from the pan.
- Top with a dusting of powdered sugar, slice, and enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
BUTTER – Since butter plays a huge role in this coffee cake, it’s important to use a rich and flavorful butter. Kerrygold is my favorite as it’s SUPER creamy with a strong butter flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
Hi there Jenna.
This is the best coffee cake! I made two after reading the recipe. One was for me and the other was taken to a potluck. Huge hit!
It’s now Thanksgiving 2024 and I’ve decided to make three to give as parting gifts.
Thank you so much for sharing this!
gave this a try and everyone loved it. Would this work in one of those pullman loaf pans by doubling the recipe?
Everyone loved this recipe! I made it exactly as directed, and it came out perfectly. This one is being added to my ‘go to recipes’!
Help! I’ve made this cake 3 times and it’s super delicious but my crumble is NOT soft. In fact it’s very hard 🙁
Full disclosure I’m not using Kerrygold because it’s so expensive. Any tips?
Just made this! Just pulled it out of the oven! Tastes delicious! I added a layer of sprinkled cinnamon on top of the cake batter along with walnut and pecan pieces then added the crumble on top! How fun! Thank you for sharing your recipe
I followed the recipe exactly and I must say this is by far the best coffee cake I’ve ever made! Buttery moist and delish! Will definitely be making again and again! Thank you for a great recipe!
I made this last night and it is absolute perfection! The cake is soft and light and the crumble is to die for.
Really great cake and easy to follow recipe!
10/10 delicious and a huge hit at the brunch get together I brought it to! I added a brown sugar cinnamon swirl in the center — about 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1.5 tbsp cinnamon. Poured half the batter, added the cinnamon sugar, then the other half of the batter. Swirled with a butter knife. Really brought the buttery cinnamon from the crumble into the cake!
Made this coffee cake and it turned out great. Super moist. The only thing I was missing was more cinnamon. Would you consider tweaking this recipe with maybe a cinnamon swirl inside the cake? To me, a coffee cake should definitely have more cinnamon present. Thanks!