Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
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This Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake starts with a sour cream cake that has a swirl of brown sugar and cinnamon throughout. It's finished with a streusel topping and drizzled with a sweet glaze!
If you love breakfast sweets as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like my Cinnamon Pecan Babka Coffee Cake, Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones, or my Coffee Cake Muffins.
Table of Contents
This organic coffee cake is the perfect breakfast cake for any brunch! Moist, and tender, this Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake is made with sour cream, brown sugar, and cinnamon for a decadent breakfast cake that has bits of cinnamon and swirl in every bite. It's topped with a streusel topping and a sweet glaze for the ultimate organic cake that you'll want to indulge in this weekend!
This Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake is one of my favorite breakfast cake recipes. I'll take any excuse to eat organic cake for breakfast! If you have a special occasion, brunch, or a holiday where you're hosting, then this organic coffee cake is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Comforting cinnamon, brown sugar, and tender cake is the perfect compliment to a hot cup of coffee.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Make Ahead: This Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake is an amazing breakfast cake to make for the holiday season. I love this recipe because you can easily make it the night before and it taste just as good the next morning, so it's a great make ahead recipe!
Sour Cream Cake: This Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake starts out with a sour cream cake so it's extra moist! Sour cream adds moisture to cakes, making them super soft and fluffy!
Cinnamon Swirl: I swirl a ribbon of brown sugar and cinnamon into the middle of this organic cake for that classic coffee cake allure. And this baby is topped with a streusel topping and finished with a drizzle of sweet glaze on top. This Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake pairs beautifully with coffee, eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit!
Organic Cake: While you can buy a breakfast cake at the grocery store, this organic coffee cake will be so much better than anything store bought!
Ingredients
- Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter, but you can use your favorite.
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar because its less processed than granulated white sugar. This gives it a more natural sweetness without being overly sweet.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high quality vanilla extract, like Simply Organic.
- Eggs: Use large eggs.
- Milk: Use whole milk.
- Sour Cream: I use organic sour cream in this breakfast cake. It brings a moist texture, delicate crumb, and perfect tang.
- Cake Flour: I use my homemade organic cake flour, but store bought also works. You can also use pastry flour as well.
- Baking Powder: Use baking powder, not soda because this is a cake which is a slow rise back. Be sure to check out my post the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder for more info on leavening agents.
- Salt: Use fine sea salt.
- Cinnamon: I use organic Korintje cinnamon, its my favorite variety. For more info on the different varieties of cinnamon, check out my pos the Best Cinnamon to Bake With.
- Brown Sugar: I use both organic dark brown sugar and light brown sugar for maximum flavor in this organic coffee cake. I use dark brown inside the cinnamon and swirl filling because I want that to be more rich. And I use light brown in the streusel topping
- All Purpose Flour: I use organic all purpose flour in the streusel topping.
- Powdered Sugar: You'll need organic powdered sugar for the glaze, which is the best part! Make sure its sifted well so you have a smooth glaze.
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Tools Needed
- Scale: Always use a digital food scale for the best results.
- Stand Mixer: I use my stand mixer for ease, but you can use a hand mixer if you prefer.
- 9-inch Cake Pan: I use a 9-inch round cake pan for this organic coffee cake, but a 9×9-inch square pan will also work.
- Parchment Paper: I always use nontoxic parchment paper cake rounds to ensure my cakes come out with ease.
- Mixing Bowl: You'll need a mixing bowl to mix up the topping and the glaze.
- Whisk: I just use a whisk to whisk together the glaze.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
Step 2
To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and no chunks of butter remain. Add the eggs, milk, and sour cream and mix on low until combined.
In a separate bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt and whisk together. With the mixer on low, slowly add the cake flour mixture to the butter mixture and continue to mix on low until combined into a smooth batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 3
To make the cinnamon swirl: In a small bowl, add together the dark brown sugar, milk and cinnamon and stir to combine completely.
Step 4
Transfer half the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread out evenly. Then add the cinnamon swirl mixture by drizzling it on top of the batter in a spiral. Then add in the remaining batter on top, spreading evenly.
Step 5
Bake for 20 minutes. Set a timer. While the cake is baking, prepare the topping.
Step 6
To make the topping: Add the flour, cane sugar, cinnamon, light brown sugar, and cardamom to a medium bowl and swirl together. Add the melted butter and fold together with a spatula until you have a paste.
Step 7
Once the timer goes off, remove the cake from the oven and using your hands, crumble the topping onto the partially baked cake batter. Return the cake to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
Step 8
To make the glaze: Add the powdered sugar and milk and whisk to combine completely. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the coffee cake.
Baker's Tips
- Make sure your butter is soft. This is just like making any type of cake, you want the butter to be soft so it creams well with the sugar. I like to leave butter out at room temperature overnight before I make cake, this usually allows it to soften naturally which I find is best!
- It's also important to have room temperature eggs, milk, and sour cream. If your butter is room temperature and soft, then adding colder ingredients can cause it to seize up, which will then create chunks of butter in the finished cake batter. This causes two problems, the first being that the butter doesn't incorporate completely which then can cause the cake to be dry, as there are larger chunks of butter and that can leave the rest of the cake without fat and moisture. It also makes little holes in the cake, which can sometimes cause the cake to break as well.
- Make sure to have the topping ready so when the first timer goes off, you can easily add it on. The reason I add the topping on after partially baking the cake is so that it doesn't sink into the cake. The first time I made a coffee cake like this with a crumb topping, I put it on right away and it turned out perfect. I then made the cake 3 times after that and each time, the topping sunk into the cake. I think I just got lucky the first time, and so now I always partially bake the cake to be safe! Because, the topping is the best part, and you want it to be in tact on top of the cake.
- I store this cake in a cake dome when I make it and it keeps well for up to 5 days.
FAQ's
Yes, this is a great cake to make ahead of time! I like to bake the cake the night before, let it sit out on the counter in the cake pan (this will prevent it from drying out on the sides). Then the following day, remove it from the pan, and glaze it!
This Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake is best with coffee – duh, haha! I love serving this with scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, or fruit. Try my Maple Turkey Breakfast Sausages or Fluffy Scrambled Eggs.
Once the cake is made and cut, it should be stored under a cake dome to keep it fresh. You can also store it in a tupperware if need be.
Craving More?
Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Batter
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 170 grams cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ⅓ cup milk (room temperature)
- 57 grams sour cream (room temperature)
- 212 grams cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Filling
- 57 grams dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping
- 95 grams all purpose flour
- 57 grams cane sugar
- 57 grams light brown sugar (packed)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 85 grams salted butter (melted)
Glaze
- 142 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and no chunks of butter remain. Add the eggs, milk, and sour cream and mix on low until combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt and whisk together. With the mixer on low, slowly add the cake flour mixture to the butter mixture and continue to mix on low until combined into a smooth batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- To make the cinnamon swirl: In a small bowl, add together the dark brown sugar, milk and cinnamon and stir to combine completely.
- Transfer half the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread out evenly. Then add the cinnamon swirl mixture by drizzling it on top of the batter in a spiral. Then add in the remaining batter on top, spreading evenly.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Set a timer. While the cake is baking, prepare the topping.
- To make the topping: Add the flour, cane sugar, cinnamon, light brown sugar, and cardamom to a medium bowl and swirl together. Add the melted butter and fold together with a spatula until you have a paste.
- Once the timer goes off, remove the cake from the oven and using your hands, crumble the topping onto the partially baked cake batter. Return the cake to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan.
- To make the glaze: Add the powdered sugar and milk and whisk to combine completely. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the coffee cake.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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