This Cinnamon Coffee Cake is soft, packed with warm spice, and topped with a crunchy, buttery crumble that makes it good enough for a weekend brunch spread or just a lazy morning at home with a cup of coffee. It comes together with basic pantry ingredients, so there’s no special trip to the grocery store required, and it bakes up in one pan with very little cleanup. It truly can’t get any better unless I hand delivered it to you.
The base of this coffee cake gets its softness from buttermilk, which keeps the crumb tender without weighing the cake down, and creaming the butter and sugar together first is what gives it that light, fluffy texture. The crumble topping is made separately, with cold butter pulsed into the dry ingredients until it turns into little clusters, then it’s baked right on top of the batter so it stays crisp instead of sinking in. Want similar bakes? Try my Easy Apple Cake or Pumpkin Muffins.
😍 Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Ultra soft, tender crumb: buttermilk keeps every bite moist without making the cake feel heavy.
Big cinnamon flavour: cinnamon runs through the batter and gets doubled down in the crumble on top.
Crumble topping: cold butter, walnuts, and warm spice bake up into a buttery, crunchy layer in every bite.
Simple, pantry-friendly ingredients: there’s a good chance you already have everything you need to make this today.
🍁 Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Cinnamon Coffee Cake
For the Cake
All-purpose flour: gives the cake its structure while still staying light thanks to the buttermilk and eggs.
Granulated sugar: creamed with the butter to sweeten the cake and help build that soft, fluffy texture.
Buttermilk: its acidity tenderizes the crumb and adds a subtle tang.
Salted butter: creamed with the sugar for richness, and gives the cake a soft, tender bite.
Eggs: added one at a time to bind the batter together.
Baking powder: works alongside the baking soda to give the cake its rise.
Baking soda: helps the cake rise and keeps the crumb light instead of dense.
Cinnamon: mixed right into the batter for warm spice in every bite.
For the Cinnamon Crumble Topping
All-purpose flour: helps bind the crumble together into little clusters.
Cold butter: staying cold is key here, since it’s what creates that classic crumbly, streusel-like texture instead of melting.
Light brown sugar: adds a deeper, slightly caramel-like sweetness to the topping.
Granulated sugar: adds sweetness and helps the crumble turn golden.
Ground cinnamon: doubles down on the cinnamon flavour.
Walnuts: adds crunch and a nutty flavour.
✔ How To Make Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Grease a 9-inch square baking pan, then lightly flour the pan, tapping out any excess. Alternately, line the baking pan with parchment paper.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
Using an electric or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, mix or stir gently until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
Prepare the crumble: pulse the all purpose flour, sugars, cinnamon, and cold cubed butter until it looks like coarse sand, then pulse in walnuts just once or twice. Break up any big clumps by hand, sprinkle evenly on the cake batter, then bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 45-60 minutes.
🗒 Variations
Nut-free: leave the walnuts out of the crumble entirely. It won’t change anything!
Glazed: whisk together powdered sugar and a splash of milk and drizzle it over the cooled cake for glazed finish.
Fruit-studded: fold a cup of fresh blueberries or diced apple into the batter before baking for a fruitier version.
🗒 Substitutions
Buttermilk: if you don’t have any, stir a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
Salted butter: unsalted butter works, just add a small pinch of salt to the batter to make up for it.
Walnuts: pecans are a great swap in the crumble, or leave them out completely for a nut-free version.
All-purpose flour: this recipe hasn’t been tested with gluten-free flour, but a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend should work in a pinch.
🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave for about a minute, or warm them in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until heated through.
🤔 FAQ’s
Can I make this cinnamon coffee cake ahead of time?
Yes. It holds up well overnight, covered at room temp, so it’s a good option if you’re planning ahead.
Can I freeze it?
Wrap individual squares tightly once the cake has cooled completely, then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the microwave before serving.
Do I need a food processor to make the crumble?
No, a food processor just makes it faster. You can also cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until it looks like coarse sand.
Can I make this without the walnuts?
Leave them out entirely for a nut-free version, or swap them for pecans if you still want some crunch.
Can I use a different size pan?
This recipe is written for a 9-inch square pan. Baking time may need to be adjusted slightly if using a different sized one.
👩🍳 Hungry For More?
If you loved this cinnamon coffee cake recipe, then make sure to check out a few of my other recipes you may also love:
- Easy Apple Cake
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Chocolate Loaf Cake
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest! If you do make this cinnamon coffee cake recipe (or any recipe of mine) don’t forget to leave a review.
Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×9 square cake pan
- 1 hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 3/4 cup+ 1 tbsp salted butter, 185 grams
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon Crumble Topping
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp cold butter, cubed into 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), optional, used as part of the glaze
- milk, optional, used as part of the glaze
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Grease a 9-inch square baking pan, then lightly flour the pan, tapping out any excess. Alternately, line the baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Using an electric or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Stir in half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, mix or stir gently until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Prepare the crumble: pulse the all purpose flour, sugars, cinnamon, and cold cubed butter until it looks like coarse sand, then pulse in walnuts just once or twice.Break up any big clumps by hand, sprinkle evenly on the cake batter, then bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 45-60 minutes.
- Optional: For the glaze, whisk together confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) and a splash of milk until you reach your desired consistency. Drizzle over the cooled coffee cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family loved this!