This Amish coffee cake recipe makes a moist and tender vanilla cake that is ribboned and topped with cinnamon streusel.
It is an easy-to-make, delicious, cinnamon coffee cake with a wonderful play of textures from the tender, moist crumb and crunchy streusel topping. It's perfect with a cup of coffee!
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- Butter: Provides moisture and richness to the cake, contributing to its tender texture and flavor.
- Sugar: Sweetens the cake, providing flavor and helping to create a light and airy texture by incorporating air into the butter during creaming.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent and provide structure.
- Yogurt or Sour Cream: Adds moisture and contributes to its tender texture. The acidity in yogurt or sour cream also reacts with the leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda), helping the cake rise.
- Vanilla: Enhances the flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and serves as a base ingredient for the batter.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents, helping it to rise and become light and fluffy.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor.
For the Streusel:
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and a caramel-like flavor to the streusel topping.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives structure to the streusell.
- Chopped Pecans or Walnuts: Add crunch, texture, and a nutty flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon: Provides warmth and spice.
- Melted Butter: Binds the streusel ingredients together and helps create a crumbly texture.
For the Glaze:
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the glaze and provides a smooth, creamy texture.
- Vanilla: Enhances the flavor with its sweet and aromatic notes.
- Heavy Cream: Thins out the glaze to achieve the desired consistency and adds richness.
Does Coffeecake Have Coffee In?
A coffee cake might have coffee in it. But the name comes from the fact that it's usually served with coffee (or tea), not because it has coffee in it. Most coffee cake recipes do not have coffee in them.
Coffee cakes stand apart from other cakes because of their streusel topping. Although they might have a little glaze drizzled on top, they are not frosted. Some have a swirl of streusel in them, and others (such as my blueberry cream cheese coffeecake, blueberry sour cream coffeecake, or pumpkin coffeecake) are filled with fruit, nuts, or cream cheese.
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How to Make Amish Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Mix the cake ingredients as you would for a normal cake. Then spread only half of the batter into a greased 9x13" cake pan (affiliate link).
(And now it's commercial time...lol...But I'm just telling you that I hate non-stick bakeware and would never buy it. I have several glass cake pans that I use for some things, and they're ok. But I LOVE my metal cake pan. And I use it every time I need a 9x13" pan for baking if it's not already full with something else. There, I gave my 10 cents worth for the day. Sorry! 🙂 )
Back to my cake...Sprinkle half of the streusel over the top of the batter. Then, by spoonfuls, drop the remaining batter over the top of the streusel. The batter is thick and doesn't want to spread too well over the streusel, so it may take some patience to spread it. (It's ok if it's not perfect.) Sprinkle with the remaining streusel and bake.
When only a few crumbs stick to the toothpick, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Then drizzle the glaze over the top. Or you can skip the glaze.
Store this Amish coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 or 3 days. Or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Use a mini chef spatula (affiliate link) for serving. Mini spatulas are narrow and perfect for serving bars, cakes, etc. I use mine all the time.
Cinnamon Streusel CoffeeCake for Breakfast
Did your mom ever tell you that you shouldn't eat cake for breakfast? It's not the best practice to eat cake or donuts for breakfast. But some desserts seem like they are made for breakfast. They pair so well with a bitter cup of morning coffee.
I must admit that I have a problem. It's a terrible habit that I should break. I'd never been a coffee drinker until a few years ago. I started drinking coffee in the break room at work and usually took something sweet along to eat with it for break time, and I guess I got hooked.
Amish Streusel coffee cake is perfect with that cup of coffee, even though I should not eat it.
I won't sit here and lie to anyone, telling you that this moist coffee cake is healthy food. It is most definitely not. However, I will tell you that this is the best cinnamon coffee cake!!
It has a light, buttery crumb, yet is still somehow just a little dense. And there is a ribbon of cinnamon streusel filling through the middle and on the top. It does go perfectly with coffee… and vanilla ice cream too.
Can You Freeze Coffeecake?
Yes, you can freeze this Amish coffee cake. You may know, I'm a huge fan of freezing baked goods that won't get eaten within a few days. It keeps them moist and fresh. Most homemade baked goods will dry out after two or three days of sitting on the counter.
Store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove the cake from the freezer and thaw at room temperature.
A homemade cinnamon coffee cake recipe doesn't get much better than this cinnamon coffee cake with a streusel crumb topping!
If you try this recipe for Amish coffeecake with cinnamon streusel, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
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Amish Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ¾ c. butter, softened (1 ½ sticks)
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 c. yogart or sour cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
For the Streusel:
- ½ c. brown sugar
- ½ c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
- 2 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 6 Tbsp. melted butter
For the Glaze:
- 1 c. powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for a few minutes.¾ c. butter, softened (1 ½ sticks), 1 c. sugar
- Add eggs and mix. Add yogurt and vanilla. Mix well.2 large eggs, 1 c. yogart or sour cream, 2 tsp. vanilla
- Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mixture. Mix only enough to combine. The batter will be thick.2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. salt
- Spread half of the batter into a well-greased 9x13" baking pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the top. Then drop the remaining batter, by spoonfuls, over the top and spread as best you can. Cover with the remaining streusel.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs. Overbaking will result in a drier cake.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the baked cake. Or you can omit the glaze, if you prefer.
For the steusel:
- Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts. Add melted butter, and stir to combine.½ c. brown sugar, ½ c. all-purpose flour, 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts, 2 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, 6 Tbsp. melted butter
For the glaze:
- Mix all the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cake after it's finished baking.1 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
peter
Just a note on the glaze. This 1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. heavy cream is not nearly enough for 1 cup of powdered sugar. Need closer to 1/4 cup of heavy cream.
Anna
Ok, just add enough to get the consistency you desire.
Anna
So yummy!
Laura
I found this dough very thick and sticky and impossible to spread. I did the best I could and it is in the oven right now but it won't bake through. It's been in the oven 40 minutes and still not set in the middle . I will not make this ever again.
Anna
I'm sorry! I don't know what happened?? But this is a tried and true Amish recipe, and it turns out perfect every time for me.
Stacy Saman
How would you change this recipe to bake it in a Bundt pan? I assume the baking time will be longer, for one. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.
Anna
I have never tried that. But I think it should convert fine. You'll want to leave at least a 1/4 - 1/2" space for it to rise. Baking may take a little longer, but I would check it after 25 minutes and see how done it looks to gauge how long it may still need.