Soft, buttery cake meets a golden, crisp crumble in this irresistible coffee crumble cake. It’s the kind of cozy, all-day treat that feels just as right with your morning coffee as it does for dessert!
Crumb coffee cake is one of those cakes that somehow feels suitable to indulge in any time of day. Here’s why I think you’ll also love it:
This coffee crumble cake checks all the right boxes. Even better, it calls for simple pantry staples that you likely already have. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for full details:
“Coffee cake” gets its name not (only) from its ingredients, but from how it’s served. This lightly sweet, crumble-topped treat was created as a social snack to enjoy alongside a cup of coffee.
It’s believed to have originated in Europe, with the tradition carried over to various parts of the world. The name has stuck, even though the classic coffee cake contains no coffee at all.
As you can tell, I have included coffee in this coffee cake recipe. The flavor is delicious but not overpowering. Perfect for coffee and non-coffee lovers alike.
Start by creaming the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and extract and mix until combined.
Mix in the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and instant coffee powder). Don’t overmix the batter as this can result in an overly dense cake.
Pour the batter into a parchment-lined baking pan and spread evenly so that you don’t get any underbaked spots in the cake.
Now for the crumble topping. Add all of the ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to work it into a crumbly dough.
Sprinkle the crumbs over the cake and bake for 25 minutes at 320°F/160°C (conventional oven) until cooked through and golden brown.
BAKING TIP: I love to use a 20×20 cm/8×8-inch square cake pan for this coffee crumb cake to create uniform cake squares. Leave some parchment paper overhang on either sides as a simple way to remove the baked cake from the pan for cutting.
Wrap leftover coffee crumble cake in aluminum foil and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.
Absolutely! Wrap individual slices of the cake with foil and plastic wrap. Transfer the cake slices to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw the exact number of cake slices you desire at room temperature when ready to enjoy again.
While leftover coffee crumble cake is delicious at room temperature, you can heat it in the oven for a few minutes to warm it through and to regain some crispy texture.
If you love the contrast of soft, moist cake and a crisp, buttery crumb topping, you’ll want to try these irresistible crumble-inspired treats too:
To prevent the crumble topping from sinking into the batter, chill the batter in the fridge for a short time. This is particularly helpful if you have a warm kitchen.
For a crisp crumble that won’t melt while baking, make sure that the butter isn’t too warm when mixing it with the rest of the crumble ingredients.
Absolutely! Oatmeal not only gives extra flavor to the crumble topping, but also an extra tasty texture. Make sure to reduce the amount of flour when adding oatmeal to prevent an overly dry crumble topping. For example, you could add 40 grams of oatmeal and reduce the all-purpose flour to an equal amount of 40 grams.
No, not at all. The coffee flavor, while present in both the cake batter and crumble topping, fades as the cake bakes in the oven. It’s a lovely subtle flavor which you can intensify with additional instant coffee powder, if you like.
Yes, brown sugar works too. Keep in mind that brown sugar adds more moisture which will result in a softer crumble texture while white sugar will provide a more crispy texture.
Feel free to leave the instant coffee powder out and add cinnamon powder into the batter and crumble for a touch of warmth.
It depends on the size of the round springform pan. I recommend a round 24 cm/9-inch springform pan. You will not need to adjust the bake time.
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