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Vanilla coffee cake with a cinnamon streusel topping and one square served on a plate
CookingPassion

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Bake cinnamon streusel coffee cake in an 8-inch square pan. Includes crumb topping tips, butter preparation, center doneness, cooling, and freezer storage.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cooling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 9 squares
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American-inspired

Ingredients
  

Streusel
  • ⅔ cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
  • 85 g packed light brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of fine salt
  • 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Cake
  • 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened, plus a little for greasing
  • ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (115 g) plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) milk

Equipment

  • 8-inch square metal baking pan and parchment
  • Two mixing bowls and a small topping bowl
  • Electric hand mixer and flexible spatula
  • Wire rack and tester

Method
 

  1. Make the streusel first. Heat a conventional oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch square metal pan and line the base with parchment. Mix the streusel flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt, then stir in its 57 g melted cooled butter. Squeeze gently into irregular crumbs and set aside while preparing the cake.
  2. Mix the dry cake ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. These amounts are for the cake only; do not include the streusel flour again. Stir the yogurt and milk together in a small jug or bowl so they can be added evenly without prolonged beating later.
  3. Cream butter and sugar. Beat the softened 85 g cake butter with granulated sugar for about 2–3 minutes until lighter and evenly combined, scraping the bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. The mixture may look slightly textured, but there should not be large cold pieces of butter that remain unmixed.
  4. Finish the batter and top. On low speed or with a spatula, add half the dry cake mixture, then the yogurt-milk mixture, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. Spread in the pan, reaching the corners. Scatter the streusel across the surface in an even layer, retaining small and medium crumbs rather than pressing it into a solid lid.
  5. Bake the middle through. Bake about 42–50 minutes. A tester inserted deep into the cake center should come out without wet batter; a few dry topping crumbs are expected. The center should spring back gently under a light touch. If the topping browns too quickly, lay foil loosely over the pan and continue until the cake underneath is baked.
  6. Cool before cutting. Let the cake cool on a rack in its pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting into nine squares. The topping is fragile while hot and becomes easier to handle as it cools. For wrapping or freezing, wait until fully cool so moisture does not collect under the streusel.

Notes

Measure cake and streusel ingredients separately. Use softened butter for the cake and melted cooled butter for crumbs. Check the cake below the topping. Cooling time is included in the total.
Keep the cooled, unfrosted cake covered at a cool room temperature for up to 2 days for best quality. In hot or humid conditions, refrigerate and use within 3–4 days. The crumb topping softens as moisture moves through the covered cake; this does not mean more butter is needed in a later batch.
Wrap cooled squares individually without crushing the topping and place in a rigid freezer container for up to 2 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator while wrapped, then uncover. Warm briefly if desired; avoid repeated heating, which dries the exposed edges.