Easy One-Bowl Coffee Cake Recipe

A buttery and tender cake topped with a spiced crumb topping is the perfect accompaniment for a cup of coffee.

Why It Works

  • Whole wheat flour gives the crumb topping a hint of graham flavor.
  • Using a high proportion of cinnamon ensures that the topping's flavor shines through with every bite of cake.
  • A pinch of cardamom rounds out the aroma of cinnamon, and pairs unbelievably well with a cup of coffee.
  • Strained Greek yogurt gives the cake a lighter crumb than sour cream, but the same tangy flavor.
  • Lining the baking pan with parchment makes the coffee cake easy to serve.

Coffee cake is a thing of beauty, with big boulders of brown sugar and cinnamon strewn over a thick sheet of buttery vanilla cake, just sweet enough to offset a steaming mug of black coffee. There's no need to wait around for the end of a meal; this is a treat best served for breakfast or an afternoon snack. It's basically day drinking, but for cake, and I am 100% all about it.

A piece of coffee cake on a serving plate; a fork has taken a corner of the cake out of it.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Start With Streusel: How to Make the Crumb Topping

Whether I'm making pumpkin muffins or a rhubarb crisp, I always cut down on cleanup by starting with the streusel, allowing me to reuse the same bowl for the main event, and my coffee cake is no different.

For the crumb topping, I opt for a mixture of light brown sugar, whole wheat flour, and cinnamon for a graham cracker–like vibe, but I also add a pinch of cardamom. The cardamom goes all but unnoticed until that first sip of coffee, at which point it suddenly opens up the aromas of cinnamon and coffee in a really magical way. There's plenty of salt for balance, and, of course, a bit of unsalted butter, too—less than I'd use in the topping for a lean fruit crisp, as the cake itself here is plenty rich.

Wiping down a paddle attachment with paper towel.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Though you can certainly make it by hand, the topping comes together quickly in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Once it forms a crumbly dough, I scrape it onto a plate and wipe the paddle with a paper towel—no need for a proper wash until after you've made the cake.

Use Ingredients at the Right Temperature

As with any cake, temperature is important to keep in mind when assembling ingredients from the fridge. A lot of recipes specify nothing more than "room temperature" for things like butter and eggs, but that's a pretty subjective thing. Instead, I aim for about 65°F (18°C). This can be done passively by setting everything out a good while in advance, but I prefer a more proactive tactic. A microwave can handle the dairy without much fuss, while for eggs, I've found that a two-minute dunk in hot tap water (about 110°F or 43°C) is just about right.

Brown eggs submerged in a measuring cup full of warm water.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Other recipes may approach things differently, using colder butter and warmer eggs, or vice versa, so my method isn't a universal rule of thumb. But in most cases, the idea is to end up with a batter temperature of between 68 and 70°F (20 and 21°C), which leaves plenty of wiggle room so long as you make a good-faith effort to stay in the ballpark.

How to Make the Batter

For coffee cake, I like to use Greek yogurt rather than the more traditional sour cream. First, Greek yogurt contains more protein overall, which can help with structure, but it specifically contains more casein, a protein that can improve moisture retention and volume in cake. Greek yogurt is also strained, which means it has a higher concentration of lactose, the milk sugar that gives dairy such a delicious flavor as it browns. And it's slightly tangy, so it rounds out the sweet richness of the cake.

With the toppings, temperatures, and ingredients squared away, the method for the cake itself is pretty straightforward: Cream the butter and sugar (along with baking powder and salt) until it's soft and light—you can read a full breakdown of the creaming method here. Then add the eggs one at a time, followed by alternating additions of all-purpose flour and Greek yogurt.

When the batter is smooth, scrape it into a parchment-lined aluminum pan. No need to fuss; just tear off a sheet of parchment and cram it into the corners with your fingers. This makes it easy to pop out the first slice of cake later on, while also helping to keep the outer crust tender and light.

On that same note, it really is important to use an aluminum pan rather than one made from dark metals or glass, both of which can result in a tough outer crust. My favorite is this pan from Fat Daddio's, which happens to be my go-to brownie pan as well. (Read my full post about the properties of cake pans here.)

Spread the thick batter into an even layer, then cover with the prepared topping, squeezing with your hands to create new clusters, or using your fingers to break apart big lumps. There's no right or wrong way to go about it, so create whatever sort of texture you prefer.

Tips for Baking and Cooling

It may seem a bit sandy at first, but the topping will absorb moisture from the batter in the oven, binding it all together later on. Bake at 350°F (180°C) until the coffee cake is puffed, firm, and golden around the edges, about 40 minutes or to an internal temperature of about 200°F (93°C).

The aroma of butter and cinnamon will be unbelievably tempting, but let the cake cool before you dig in. Hot from the oven, it'll be too soft and squishy, making every bite feel gummy and wet. After about 30 minutes, the cake will have set up nicely and still be comfortingly warm.

A piece of coffee cake on a serving plate with a fork.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Greek yogurt keeps this coffee cake tender and moist for days, so it's A-OK to bake it the night before, then wrap the pan in foil so you can enjoy it in the morning. If you do serve it right away, don't cut the whole thing all at once; the fewer surfaces are exposed to air, the better, so cut only what you need.

Overhead shot of plated coffee cake square missing a bite.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Admittedly, though, you may find you need a second slice. It really is that good.

May 2017

Recipe Details

Easy One-Bowl Coffee Cake Recipe

Active 25 mins
Total 90 mins
Serves 12 pieces

Ingredients

For the Topping:

  • 4 ounces light brown sugar (about 1/2 cup, packed; 115g)

  • 2 1/2 ounces whole wheat flour (about 1/2 cup, spooned; 70g)

  • 1 tablespoon (5g) ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon (1g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight

  • Shy 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

  • 2 ounces unsalted butter (about 4 tablespoons; 55g), soft, about 70°F (21°C)

For the Coffee Cake:

  • 14 ounces plain or quick-toasted sugar (2 cups; 395g)

  • 6 ounces unsalted butter (about 12 tablespoons; 170g), about 65°F (18°C)

  • 4 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight

  • 1/2 ounce vanilla extract (1 tablespoon; 15g)

  • 3 large eggs, brought to about 65°F or 18°C (about 5 1/4 ounces; 150g), see note

  • 12 ounces all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal (about 2 2/3 cups, spooned; 340g)

  • 14 ounces plain Greek yogurt (about 1 3/4 cups; 395g), any percentage will do, brought to about 65°F or 18°C (see note)

Directions

  1. For the Topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine brown sugar, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, and butter. Mix on low speed until sandy and well combined. Scrape onto a large plate or sheet of parchment.

    Whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt, spices, and pieces of butter in a mixer bowl.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Alternatively, the crumb topping can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for 6 months. Wipe bowl and paddle with a paper towel and proceed to the next step—no need to wash!

  2. For the Coffee Cake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F (180°C). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Mix on low to moisten, then increase speed to medium and cream until soft and light, about 10 minutes. Pause to scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula, then resume mixing on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next.

    A four-image collage illustrating stages of mixing coffee cake batter in stand mixer: creaming butter, adding eggs, flour, and Greek yogurt.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  3. Scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula, then resume mixing on low. Sprinkle in about 1/3 of flour, then add 1/3 of Greek yogurt. Repeat with remaining flour and yogurt, working in thirds as before. Fold batter once or twice with a flexible spatula, then scrape into a parchment-lined 9- by 13- by 2-inch anodized-aluminum baking pan. Spread in an even layer, then cover with prepared topping, a handful at a time, squeezing each addition in your palm to help form streusel nuggets.

    A four-image collage illustrating stages of folding, pouring, and spreading out coffee cake batter in a lined cake pan.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    A hand sprinkling crumb topping over batter in a cake pan.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

  4. Bake until coffee cake is puffed and firm, about 40 minutes (a toothpick inserted into the center should emerge with a few moist crumbs). Cool cake directly in pan about 30 minutes before serving, as it will be soft and gummy until its crumb has had a chance to set.

    Baked coffee cake cooling in the pan.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Cut into squares with a butter knife and lift parchment to help fit an angled spatula under the first slice. To keep coffee cake as fresh as possible, cut only as much as you plan to serve at one time. With plastic wrap or wax paper pressed against cut surface, and top of pan covered with a sheet of aluminum foil, leftovers will keep up to 3 days at room temperature.

    Overhead shot of a square of coffee cake plated with a fork.

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Special Equipment

Stand mixer with paddle attachment, 9- by 13-inch anodized aluminum baking pan

Notes

This recipe works best with strained Greek yogurt, like Fage or Chobani, that contains nothing more than milk and active cultures. Avoid imitations thickened with gum, gelatin, or pectin.

To quickly bring refrigerator-cold eggs to the desired temperature, simply submerge them in a vessel of hot tap water for about two minutes.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The prepared crumb topping can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to one week, or frozen for six months.

Wrapped tightly in plastic, leftover slices of coffee cake will keep up to three days at room temperature.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
464 Calories
17g Fat
70g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 464
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 88mg 29%
Sodium 360mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 70g 26%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 44g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 157mg 12%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 137mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)