Cinnamon-Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - The Domestic Diva (2024)

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. For more information, please read our Disclosure Policy.

Hand's down, the best coffee cake you'll ever eat. You won't believe how easy it is to make. Turn a simple boxed cake mix into a cinnamon swirl coffee cake that tastes like its from your favorite coffeeshop.

Jump to Recipe

Table of Contents

Don’t let the name fool you. Coffee cake doesn’t have any coffee in it. This coffee cake recipe gets its name because it is recommended to serve alongside your favorite cup of joe.

Not a coffee fan, not a problem. Coffee cake is one of those desserts that everyone in the family enjoys.

Bursting with cinnamon flavor, each time I make this coffee cake recipe it is devoured in just a few days time. My family loves it.

Cinnamon-Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - The Domestic Diva (1)

This recipe is best made in a bundt pan. I prefer to use either a traditional metal bundt pan. However, a silicone bundt pan often makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan after baking. With silicone bundt pans you can push the cake out because of the flexible structure of the “pan”.

Give this Cake as a Gift

This mini-bundt pan would make the perfect sized little bundt cinnamon swirl coffee cakes to give away as a surprise gift to someone. If you choose to use a mini-bundt pan, please keep in mind that you will need to adjust the cooking time of the mini coffeecakes. They will more than likely cook faster in a mini pan than a regular sized bundt pan.

Cinnamon-Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - The Domestic Diva (2)

Do you eat coffee cake with coffee?

Get the entire coffeehouse experience without even leaving your house. Learn how to make two coffeehouse classics, Caramel Macchiato and Iced Coffee, in your own kitchen.

These recipes tastes so much better than a trip to your local coffeeshop, you might prefer to stay-in instead. Your wallet will thank you, if you do.

Cinnamon-Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe

thedomesticdiva.org

Hand’s down, the best coffee cake you’ll ever eat. You won’t believe how easy it is to make. Turn a simple boxed cake mix into a cinnamon swirl coffee cake that tastes like its from your favorite coffeeshop.

4.95 from 18 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 people

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow boxed cake mix + ingredients according to package (usually water, oil, and eggs)
  • 1 stick cold, unsalted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.

  • Grease bundt pan and set aside. I use coconut oil to grease my pan but you could use any nonstick cooking spray that you prefer.

  • Mix yellow cake mix according to package instructions and set aside.

  • In a bowl, mix together all of the remaining ingredients except the cold butter.

  • Cut the cold butter and mix into the dry ingredients. I found it easiest to use my hands to squish the butter and dry ingredients together until they formed a crumbly texture. (See Notes)

  • Pour half of the cake batter into your greased bundt pan.

  • Sprinkle half of the crumb topping mixture onto the cake mix.

  • Pour the remaining cake batter on top of the crumb topping.

  • (Optional) Swirl the batter slightly by making small circles in the batter with a butter knife, just once around the pan. This step is not necessary but will swirl the crumb topping in the middle of your cake, ever so slightly.

  • Evenly distribute the remaining crumb topping to the top of the cake.

  • Bake in preheated 350F oven for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

  • Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely in the pan.

  • Once cooled completely, remove from the pan, slice and enjoy.

Notes

If you don’t want to use your hands to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, a pastry cutter is the perfect tool for this job.

Check out my favorite kitchen gadgets for stay-at-home chefs on Amazon.

Keyword Cake, Coffee, Coffeecake

Cinnamon-Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - The Domestic Diva (4)

Other Homemade Cake Recipes You Might Like

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Layered Cake

Dark Chocolate layered cake with creamy peanut butter frosting topped with morsels of peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Get this Recipe

Easter Bunny Dirt Cake Trifle Recipe

Rich chocolatey cake trifle with decadent layers of chocolate pudding and crushed oreos. Top this trifle with Easter themed edible decorations like a marshmallow bunny and milk chocolate candy coated eggs and you have a dessert everyone will be talking about.

Get this Recipe

Flag Dessert: Strawberry, Banana, and Blueberry Shortcake Recipe

This flag dessert uses fresh strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. A red, white, and blue cake recipe that can be decorated like an American flag.

Get this Recipe

Cinnamon-Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe - The Domestic Diva (2024)

FAQs

Is cinnamon crumb cake the same as coffee 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!

What makes coffee cake different from 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.

Who makes cinnamon swirl cake mix? ›

Cozy up with Duncan Hines® Dolly Parton's Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake & Muffin Mix. Easy to make and deliciously decadent, this crumb cake mix is the perfect way to serve up some sweetness.

What does sour cream do in baking? ›

Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products; the extra fat content (for example, adding sour cream to a cake instead of milk) will make the cake moister and richer, says Wilk. "Fat, in any form (butter, lard, cream, etc.) shortens gluten strands, which essentially leads to the most tender baked goods," she adds.

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.

How do you keep coffee cake moist? ›

Melted butter is key for moist coffee cake, but this dessert tends to get drier over time. If you want to prevent coffee cake from getting stale for as long as possible, storing it in an airtight Tupperware is your best bet.

What does adding coffee to cake mix do? ›

Its rich, bittersweet flavour adds depth to cakes, cheesecakes, pies, cookies, muffins, loaves, and soufflés. It boosts the chocolatey appeal of Fudge Layer Cake with Chocolate Avocado Icing, Coffee Brownies and soft, fudgy Coffee Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

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.

Why add instant coffee to cake? ›

Add Instant Coffee to the Batter

We recommend dissolving 2-3 tablespoons of instant coffee in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Then add this mixture to the batter along with the other ingredients. This method will give the cake a stronger coffee flavor and a richer color.

What brand of cake mix is the most moist? ›

I tried 3 boxed white-cake mixes to see which is the best. I'm a baker and I made white cake using boxed mixes from Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, and Betty Crocker. The Duncan Hines cake was moist, not overly sweet, and the fluffiest of the three.

Do professional cake makers use cake mix? ›

There are scratch-only bakers, there are mix-only bakers, and there are those who do a little of both. At CakeBoss, we prefer cake mix for some cakes, especially our CakeBoss White Velvet Wedding Cake, but are scratch all the way for others like Red Velvet cake, Italian Cream cake, or carrot cake.

Is it better to put sour cream or milk in a cake? ›

Baking with Sour Cream: The creamy texture of sour cream makes baked goods more moist than if you used milk. This makes sour cream an excellent choice for recipes that are known to have drier results, like sponge cakes.

Why add sour cream to boxed cake mix? ›

Sour cream adds moisture without thinning your batter the same way that a liquid would. That fact that sour cream delivers moisture without further thinning out a batter results in a cake with a very tender, very fine crumb.

Is it better to bake with sour cream or yogurt? ›

Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. Whether you're baking or making a dip or sauce, yogurt is a 1:1 sub. That means if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt. Full-fat Greek or natural yogurts work best, but low-fat or even nonfat can be used, too.

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

The main difference between the two cakes is the amount of streusel topping. Crumb cake has a thicker layer of streusel topping than coffee cake. Coffee cake can also be made without the streusel topping. You might also see that there's a New York-style crumb cake as well, which has much bigger crumbs.

What is another name for crumb cake? ›

Streuselkuchen (German pronunciation: [ˈʃtʁɔʏzl̩ˌkuːxn̩]; "crumb cake"), also known in English-speaking countries as crumb cake, is a cake made of yeast dough covered with a sweet crumb topping referred to as streusel.

What is a good substitute for cinnamon in coffee cake? ›

Cinnamon Substitutes:
  1. Nutmeg (use 1/4 amount)
  2. Allspice (use 1/4 amount)
  3. Whole Cinnamon (use 1/4, and a microplane or coffee grinder to grind it)
  4. Ginger.
  5. Apple Pie Spice.
  6. Pumpkin Pie Spice.
  7. Cardamom.
  8. Mace.

What is coffee cake crumble made of? ›

To make the topping, in a large bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Cut in softened butter using a pastry cutter until mixture resembles large crumbs. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Last Updated:

Views: 6307

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Gov. Deandrea McKenzie

Birthday: 2001-01-17

Address: Suite 769 2454 Marsha Coves, Debbieton, MS 95002

Phone: +813077629322

Job: Real-Estate Executive

Hobby: Archery, Metal detecting, Kitesurfing, Genealogy, Kitesurfing, Calligraphy, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Gov. Deandrea McKenzie, I am a spotless, clean, glamorous, sparkling, adventurous, nice, brainy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.