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. Best of all, it’s so easy to make!
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 creamy. This will create little air pockets to help lift the cake.
- 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.
- Doneness – A toothpick test won’t work here as there’s so much crumble to poke through, so it’s done when it’s evenly puffed, the high points are golden brown, and the center bounces back when tapped.
Coffee Cake Recipe 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.
Absolutely – just swap the all-purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill (the blue bag) or King Arthur measure for measure. Use the same weight listed in the recipe.
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.
This can happen if the cake isn’t in the oven for long enough. To tell when it’s done, it should be evenly puffed and golden on the high points. Tap the center with your finger and if it bounces back, it’s ready. If it feels squishy, keep baking.
This happens when you use too much flour. When measuring, spoon the flour into your cup and level it off for light and fluffy cups. But as always, I suggest weighing your ingredients for accuracy.
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 or in the refrigerator – it’s delicious either way!
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!
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Buttery Coffee Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
Description
This coffee cake is inspired by the New York style version, with EXTRA crumble on top and an incredibly buttery and moist 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 or 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (168g) salted Kerrygold butter, melted
Coffee Cake
- 1/4 cup (56g) salted Kerrygold butter, room temp
- 2 tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, or melted coconut)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt (1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
- 1 cup (128g) all-purpose flour or 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour, spooned and leveled
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
Crumble
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon (add a pinch of kosher salt if using unsalted butter).
- 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 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 large bowl, use a fork to mash and mix together the butter, oil, and sugar. Once combined, switch to a whisk and thoroughly mix until creamy and lightened in color. Now whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and sour cream. Once smooth, whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt to distribute. Last, whisk in the flour until you reach a creamy cake batter.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Remove the crumble from the refrigerator – it should be nearly solidified together so use your hands to break it up into a fine crumb. Sprinkle a thick and even layer over the batter.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake has an even rise and the center doesn’t move when the pan is nudged.
- Allow the cake to cool for about an hour, 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: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 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!
Loved it. Mine came out a little ugly* (the cake erupted out of the spaces in the crumb) but-ugly delicious.
*My bad, not the recipes because it was delicious and once again I was everyone’s bestie at work-ha ha ha
If I wanted to make these extra dangerous, would the crumb layer hold up if I added a layer of cream cheese to the middle?
I think that would be too much weight for this cake!
This is a fantastic coffee cake! While I am not typically a devoted sweets consumer, I do have a fondness for crumble cakes, and this recipe certainly satisfied my craving without leaving me feeling overly stimulated, as many cakes tend to do. This will definitely be a staple for future birthday celebrations or family gatherings.
I used a 9-inch springform pan, and the result was a beautifully tall cake with a lovely gradient of golden brown to taupe. In future iterations, I plan to incorporate toasted, skinned walnuts and/or pecans. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Yay! Enjoy!
We made this buttery coffee cake for a dinner get together and it turned out amazing, everybody loved it!! We will definitely make it again soon! ❤️
Love your recipes!🫶🏻💕
Could this be doubled for a 9 x 13?
It’s too much better for a 9×13 unfortunately! You’d have to 1 1/2 of the recipe, or you can make double the batch and bake most of the batter in the 9×13 and the rest of the batter in a smaller pan, like a loaf pan.