This Mini Coffee Cake is light and fluffy with a ridiculously good buttery, crunchy, crumbly streusel layer over the top. It serves four, but you might not want to share…
Say hello to the world’s perfect (mini) coffee cake.
And by perfect, I mean perfect. It’s light, fluffy, cinnamon spicy, and has the ideal ratio of cake to crumbles.
There was a moment as I was testing this cake for the first time, dropping handfuls of sugar and butter crumbles over the cake batter, that I was like, okay, this is an excessive amount of streusel, even for me. I’m going to have to cut this down.
But nope. Once everything bakes up, it turns out that excessive is just right when it comes to coffee cake. The crumb layer is thick and decadent, making up about a third of the cake’s height, but paired with the light, not-too-sweet vanilla cake underneath, it’s perfect.
With every bite, you get just the right amount of moist, fluffy cake and buttery, crumbly, crunchy streusel.
This little cake is stellar enough that you can serve it on its own with just a good cup of coffee alongside. Or make it a part of a breakfast spread.
The cake needs at least 15 minutes to cool, and that’s plenty of time to fry up some bacon, scramble some eggs, cut up a little fruit, and maybe make a mimosa or two. The cake will serve four, especially when served with a full breakfast, so invite a couple friends over and enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but if you only have salted, not a problem. Simply reduce the salt to a pinch (both in the streusel and the cake), and you’ll be good to go.
- Sour cream: The cake calls for a couple tablespoons of sour cream in the batter, which helps give it a fantastic moist texture. In a pinch, you can substitute plain unsweetened yogurt instead.
FAQ
Can I double this recipe?
Sure. You can double the recipe and bake it in an 8×8-inch baking dish. Just extend the baking time as needed.
I don’t have a 7×5-inch baking dish. What else can I use?
You can also bake this in a 6-inch round or square pan. If using a 6-inch round pan, extend the baking time slightly since the cake will be a little thicker and need a slightly longer baking time.
More Small Cake Recipes
More Small-batch Breakfast Recipes
- Small-batch Cinnamon Rolls
- Crêpes for Two
- Pancakes for Two
- Small-batch Muffins
- One-banana Banana Bread
Mini Coffee Cake Recipe Tips
- If you are making this in a cold kitchen during the winter, your room-temperature butter might be a little too cold to cream easily. You can microwave the softened butter for just a couple seconds, long enough to further soften, but not melt it.
- When testing the cake for doneness, make sure the streusel is not scraping off wet batter from your toothpick or cake tester, making the cake look done while still under-baked. Use the cake tester to clear a very small hole in the topping so you can accurately test your cake.
Mini Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- 7x5-inch baking dish
- Handheld electric mixer optional but helpful
Streusel
- 3 tablespoons (36g) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg optional
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (68g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
Cake
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method
- ½ teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Drizzle in melted butter and mix until well combined. Use a spoon to stir in the flour, a little at a time, until flour is completely incorporated. Place in the refrigerator.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine butter and granulated sugar. Cream them together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well-combined. Add sour cream and mix well. Add half of the flour mixture and stir until just mixed. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and stir until just mixed. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and milk.
- Pour batter into your prepared dish and drop crumb mixture over the top in pea-size pieces. It will seem like a lot, but don't worry! It's just the right amount.
- Bake for 28 to 34 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs. Differences in ovens, baking dishes, and environments may affect baking time, so don't be worried if your cake takes slightly longer to bake. Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting, and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted From Cooking Classy
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