Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - A Cedar Spoon (2024)

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Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe is a sweet, delicious treat perfect for breakfast or brunch. It’s perfectly “cinnamony” and the cake is buttery and moist!

Buongiornofrom Italy!

My husband and I are inSanta Margherita Ligure, Italy and taking a day trip to Cinque Terre, a place I have always wanted to see in person. This is a picture my sister took when she visited Cinque Terre. Picture perfect, right?

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

Today I have my good friend and former co-worker Jessica from Stuck on Sweet sharing her Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake. YUM!

Her blog is filled with delicious food, but especially all of her delicious sweets. She offers lots of inspiration if you have a sweet tooth! Two of my favorite recipes include Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes and Banana Cream Cupcakes. Jessica and I worked together for 3 years until she recently took a new job. While I am so happy for her (and her commute went from one hour to about 10 minutes) I miss seeing her! She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and has an infectious smile and personality.

Jess is actually one of the reasons I started a food blog. She turned me on to reading food blogs when we both started working together three years ago. At that time I had never read food blogs, but once she introduced me I was hooked. I loved seeing the interesting and exciting recipes that food bloggers came up with and reading their stories along the way. I am excited to have her here today to share her Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake with you. Such a perfect breakfast or brunch treat. Welcome Jessica!

Hello everyone! This is Jessica from Stuck on Sweet. I hope I am finding everyone doing well today! Julia asked me to guest post on her blog while she’s on her fabulous vacation in Italy. I cannot wait to read about her trip, especially the food. 😉

Today I am sharing an easy (despite the long recipe) Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake with you. I hope you all like sweets!

I have a few Starbucks gift cards so I have been stopping there lately to grab my favorite latte (skinny vanilla of course) and every now and then I will munch on their blueberry or cinnamon coffee cake because it’s soooooooo good. I figured, why the heck not just make my own? So I did!

The batter is thick and creamy and incredibly tasty…I mean really really good – I licked the bowl clean. This recipe calls for a ton of cinnamon. It seems like it’s way too much (at least I thought so) but after all said and done, it’s the perfect amount.

The picture above is important! First spread half the batter on the bottom of a greased baking pan, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top then spread the rest of the batter on top. The batter is thick so it may be difficult to spread. I used a small spatula and it worked well.

Next, take a knife and swirl it through the batter so the cinnamon mixture is thoroughly swirled through the batter. This is what makes the coffee cake look pretty!

Lastly, sprinkle the streusel topping on top (also seems like a lot) and bake! Feel free to add more butter to the streusel topping to make it more buttery. I did not add more and it came out a little more powdery but still tasted wonderful.

Look at the swirl! I just love this Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake recipe. It’s perfectly “cinnamony” and the cake is buttery and moist (yuck, hate that word but I don’t know how else to describe it).

It’s even more perfect with a cup of coffee!

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - A Cedar Spoon (9)

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake is a delicious treat for breakfast or a brunch. The cinnamon flavor pairs great with a warm cup of coffee.

Ingredients

  • •For the streusel topping
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
  • 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • •For the filling
  • 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • •For the cake
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 teaspoons if you use unsalted butter)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • 1 1/4 cups milk (anything from skim to whole)
  • 3 3/4 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, or two 9" round cake pans.
  2. Make the topping by whisking together the sugar, salt, flour, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter, stirring till well combined. Set the topping aside.
  3. Make the filling by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Note that the cocoa powder is used strictly for color, not flavor; leave it out if you like. Set it aside.
  4. To make the cake: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk till well combined. You don't need to whisk out all the lumps.
  7. Add the flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/sour cream mixture, beating gently to combine.
  8. Pour/spread half the batter (a scant 3 cups) into the prepared pan(s), spreading all the way to the edges. If you're using two 9" round pans, spread 1 1/3 cups batter in each pan.
  9. Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.
  10. Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.
  11. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.
  12. Bake the cake until it's a dark golden brown around the edges; medium-golden with no light patches showing on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes for the 9" x 13" pan, 50 to 55 minutes for the 9" round pans. When pressed gently in the middle, the cake should spring back.
  13. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve cake right from the pan

Source: Stuck on Sweet Adapted from: King Arthur Flour

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Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - A Cedar Spoon (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between coffee cake and regular cake? ›

The difference between coffee cake and regular cake is the topping. Coffee cake and regular cake are made with the same ingredients like flour, sugar, eggs, and butter and a leavening agent like baking powder. The difference is that instead of frosting on top, coffee cakes have crumble or streusel.

What is the difference between coffee cake and tea cake? ›

Tea cakes are pastries to be eaten with tea. They are usually individully sized. Coffee cake is a cake made with brewed coffee as ingredient or flavoring. Some coffee cakes are just spice cakes or dense cakes with a glaze meant to be eaten with coffee.

What is the difference between coffee cake and pound cake? ›

A coffee cake is a traditional pound cake with a single layer of cinnamon-flavored simple cake with swirls. Contrary to how it's called coffee cake, it doesn't have any coffee ingredients. A coffee cake is a sweet treat with bread-like consistency, texture, and taste served with coffee or tea.

What is the origin of coffee cake? ›

The first coffee cake likely originated in Germany, specifically in Dresden. However, the Danish came up with the earliest version of eating a type of sweet bread while drinking coffee, so coffee cakes really evolved from many different cultural traditions. We do know that coffee was introduced to Europe in the 1600s.

What is the fancy name for coffee cake? ›

American Coffee cake—also referred to as gugelhupf or Austrian German: kaffekuchen—evolved from other sweet dishes from Vienna. In the 17th century, Northern/Central Europeans are thought to have come up with the idea of eating sweet cakes while drinking coffee.

Is a king cake a coffee cake? ›

The name “king cake” comes from the Biblical story of the three kings who bring gifts to Baby Jesus. A blend of coffee cake and cinnamon roll, king cake is usually iced in yellow, green and purple – the colors of Mardi Gras -- and is frequently packed with fruit fillings and decadent cream cheeses.

What is in a Bakers Treat coffee cake? ›

Sugar, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate or reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, soybean oil, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter (cream, salt), contains 2% or less: modified cornstarch, glycerin, egg, cinnamon, tallow, palm oil, salt, natural ...

What coffee is best in cake? ›

A dark roast or robust espresso will give rich, hearty treats plenty of depth, while a lighter, fruitier variety won't overpower a delicate dessert. Follow the recipe's instructions for coffee temperature, too.

What makes a cake a coffee cake? ›

Coffee cake, or kaffekuchen, is a single layer cake with a sweet, cinnamon-infused flavor and streusel top made from flour, butter, and sugar. Streusel can also be layered inside of the cake like a filling. Fruit variations are prevalent, with blueberry being the most common.

What is the difference between coffee cake and cinnamon crumb cake? ›

While some people confuse crumb cake for coffee cake, there's actually a pretty big difference between the two. Traditionally, coffee cake is topped with a layer of crumbly streusel, while crumb cake is essentially half crumb, half cake. Both are worthy bakes, but today, we're all about the crumb!

Why is it called LB cake? ›

First Published Pound Cake Recipe

The original recipe was essentially a cake that was made from a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of butter, and a pound of eggs. This is actually where the pound cake received it's name. Each ingredient added to the cake weighed one pound.

What is a pound cake in slang? ›

1. (US) an attractive woman.

What is coffee and cake slang for? ›

Noun. coffee and cake (uncountable) (slang, sometimes attributive) A trivial amount of money; peanuts.

What are some fun facts about coffee cake? ›

Coffee cake wasn't invented by anyone in particular but actually evolved from classic vanilla cake, which dates back to biblical times. The first versions of coffee cake were baked by the Danish in the 17the century.

Why do people eat coffee cake? ›

Well, it's delicious to eat while drinking coffee. It's a bit of a holdover from the days when neighbors and friends had lingering conversations over coffee and a sweet treat. Coffee cakes can, of course, be enjoyed without the benefit of coffee (or tea).

Does coffee cake have coffee on it? ›

Curiously, coffee cake contains zero coffee itself. I think (and I am totally speculating here) that it's meant to be served with coffee, sort of in the tradition of tea. My sleuthing on the internet points to origins in German yeasted cakes, but it's not entirely clear.

What is the difference between dessert and coffee portion cake? ›

COFFEE v DESSERT PORTIONS? Coffee Portions - are 1/2 the size of a dessert portion i.e. 1" x 1" x the height of the cake. Dessert Portions - are roughly 1" x 2" x the height of the cake. If your event includes a three-course meal, coffee portions are usually ample.

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