Buttermilk Coffee Cake – easy and stays moist for days!

Whether you’re brewing your first cup of the day or setting out something special for brunch, this Buttermilk Coffee Cake is a total crowd-pleaser. The magic is in the buttermilk — it makes the crumb incredibly tender and adds a subtle tang that balances the sweet buttery cinnamon streusel topping. It’s simple, nostalgic, and exactly what you want alongside your favorite mug.

I love using buttermilk for baking. It’s thick and tangy and keeps baked goods moist for days. I usually send all the baked goods I test on the weekend with my husband to work on Monday or Tuesday. But this Buttermilk Coffee Cake, I kept munching on it for breakfast the whole week, and it stayed moist until the very last slice.

How to make Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Streusel

First, make the cinnamon streusel by mixing together flour, sugar, cinnamon and cold butter. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture to create coarse crumbs. Alternately, the streusel can be made using a food processor very easily. This can be made a head of time and kept refrigerated or just before you start baking. If the kitchen is warm, keep the streusel refrigerated so it doesn’t melt.

Allow all of your refrigerated ingredients to come to room temperature before mixing up the cake batter; that includes your butter, eggs and buttermilk. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and beat to combine. At this stage, sometimes the mixture looks slightly separated, especially if the eggs are still cold. Don’t worry too much, just keep mixing and move on to the next step which is adding the flour mixture and buttermilk.

Alternate your addition of the flour and buttermilk: half flour, mix, half buttermilk, mix, then remaining flour, mix, remaining buttermilk, mix. When done, make sure to scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl for even mixing.

Now it’s time to assemble your cake batter along with the cinnamon streusel made earlier. I like to use a springform pan to bake this coffee cake because it unmolds easily. Always butter the pan generously to prevent sticking, even if your pan is “nonstick”. Add half the cake batter to the pan, then add half the cinnamon streusel on top in an even layer. Add the remaining cake batter and try to spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon, then sprinkle on top the rest of the cinnamon streusel. Bake, and enjoy!

This buttermilk coffee cake is really quick and easy to whip up. It’s perfect for brunch or a little something sweet for breakfast with your coffee during the week if you have any left over from the weekend. If you don’t have any buttermilk in the fridge, you can check out all the buttermilk substitutes from this Taste of Home’s article. Note that I have not tried any of those substitutes so I can’t guarantee results.

More coffee cakes you’ll love

• Cardamom Apple Coffee Cake
• Peach Coffee Cake
• Mango Coconut Cake
• Mascarpone Berry Cake
• Sour Cream Banana Bread with Pecans

4.93 from 27 votes

Buttermilk Coffee Cake Recipe

By Trang

This Buttermilk Coffee Cake is simple and nostalgic! Buttermilk gives it tender crumb and a subtle tang that balances the sweet buttery cinnamon streusel.

Servings: 10 slices

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Stand Mixer
• Pastry Blender
• 9” Springform Pan

Ingredients 

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Cinnamon Streusel

• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar, 90 g
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour, 68 g
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 g
• ▢ 2 oz unsalted butter, 57 g, cold & cubed

Cake

• ▢ 4 oz unsalted butter, 115 g, room temperature
• ▢ ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 130 g
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 4 g
• ▢ 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ▢ 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, 203 g
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 3 g
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda, 3 g
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 g
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk, 235 g, room temperature

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Instructions 

Prepare the streusel

• Add sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk to distribute evenly. Toss in the cold cubed butter and cut with a pastry blender or a fork until the texture is sandy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the cake batter

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Brush a 9” springform pan with butter and set aside.
• Add flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder to a small bowl and mix with a whisk to combine.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined.
• Add half of the flour mixture and beat to combine, then add half of the buttermilk and beat again to combine. Alternate the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk and continue to beat until a smooth batter forms. Use a spatula to scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
• Add half the cake batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the streusel mixture on top. Then add the remaining cake batter over the streusel, use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread it as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the remaining streusel over the top.
• Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Nutrition

Serving: 102g, Calories: 334kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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