This cinnamon streusel coffee cake is soft and buttery with the perfect bit of crunch on top! It is a classic treat to serve with coffee, for breakfast, or after dinner!
Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cake
When I was growing up, there was this wonderful thing called Coffee Cake. It was a cake, that the moms would serve to their friends when they came by for a visit or to have coffee.
Back in the day, friends didn’t meet up at coffee shops; they went to each other’s houses.
Coffee cake was the perfect treat to make and serve because:
- It can be made quickly. Your friend rang the door, and you could have something baked and served in 30 minutes.
- It smells so yummy, filling your house with fresh-baked goodness.
- Delicious delicate flavor that compliments coffee without overpowering it.
- The children will love it too!
Coffee cake is still amazing, and you can make it for breakfast, brunch, or for an anytime treat. I made it twice to test this recipe and I can assure you that it is great with coffee too.
This coffee cake recipe came to me from a friend, who has been making it since she was young. She found it in a children’s cookbook and has been making it for over forty years.
My friend Julie, made this when she was a teenager and still gets requests for it now! It is a recipe that has stood the test of time.
Related: For another treat to enjoy with coffee, try this Palm Beach Biscotti recipe!
What is Streusel?
Streusel is a dessert topping that is usually made with flour, butter, and sugar. Cinnamon is also a common ingredient.
For this recipe, instead of making the streusel separately and sprinkling on top, it is essentially baked right into the cake!
So while this might not be a traditional streusel recipe in the preparation, the flavor is spot-on!
Related: Our Blueberry Buckle Cake also uses a delicious streusel topping!
Why This is the Best Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
This coffee cake is easy to make. You only use one bowl and one pan. You don’t even have to get the mixer out. You. barely measure anything.
It’s a super moist coffee cake. Some kind of magic happens while cooking, the ingredients on top, move to the bottom and create a sweet gooey layer.
This easy coffee cake is so delicious. All of my testers thought it was yummy!
What You Need to Make Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- Egg
- Milk
- Flour
- White Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Cinnamon
How to Make Cinnamon Coffee Cake from Scratch
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease your pie pan generously with butter.
Sift the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt into a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Crack the egg into a clear measuring cup. Add milk so that it comes to the ¾ cup line. Whisk together egg and milk.
Pour liquid ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients and whisk until just smooth. Pour into your prepped pie pan.
Cut butter into thin squares and place over top of batter. Put them about one-inch from sides and one-inch apart all over. I used about 2 Tablespoons total.
Cover the butter and batter with about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of brown sugar.
Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon .
Bake for 20 minutes.
How to Store Coffee Cake
Your homemade coffee cake can stay fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature, in an airtight food storage container. Do not keep it in the fridge, as this can affect the consistency and texture of the cake.
Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe (Printable Copy)

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Pie Pan
- Measuring cup/spoons
- whisk
Ingredients
Coffee Cake Batter
- 1 egg
- milk Add to egg to equal 3/4 cup
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Coffee Cake Topping
- 2-3 tablespoons butter cut in think slices
- 1/2 cup brown sugar cover top of cake, use more if needed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease pie pan with butter.
- Sift the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Crack the egg into a clear measuring cup. Add milk so that it comes to the ¾ cup line. Mix egg and milk with a whisk.
- Add liquids to the dry ingredients. Whisk just until smooth.
- Pour into a greased pie pan. I used butter and liberally greased the pan.
- Cut butter into thin squares and place over top of batter. Put them about one-inch from sides and one-inch apart all over. I used about 2 Tablespoons.
- Cover the butter and batter with brown sugar. About ½ cup to ¾ cup.
- Sprinkle cinnamon all over the brown sugar.
- Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
Pin this easy homemade coffee cake recipe on Pinterest:
You might also like:
This looks delicious but where is the coffee?
Coffee cakes are generally meant to be a sweet treat enjoyed with a cup of coffee. They’re not necessarily coffee-flavored 😉
I can’t wait to make this coffee cake! It looks amazing! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
What did you do with the cinnamon?
Cinnamon is the last thing you add. Sprinkle cinnamon all over the brown sugar before you bake the cake.
I believe you left out the baking powder to be sifted along with flour, salt and sugar??
Thanks for the catch! Yes, the baking powder is sifted with the rest of the other dry ingredients in the easy cinnamon coffee cake.