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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Donna says
I made this today and mistakingly set my oven to 400 instead of 350. It’s a bit crisp on the edges, but still delicious! Can only imagine how good it would be at the correct temp. I’ll have to make a redo! Thanks for the great recipe!
Salma says
Another great recipe by you! I baked this cake many times already, my family keeps asking for it every 2 days I just reduce the sugar to 35g because 50g is overly sweet for us and I use self-rising cake flour. This cake is just perfect even without changes!
I have a question, can I substitute the eggs for milk or can I use more sour cream instead? Will it change the texture of the cake? Thank you Tracy! ❤️
Tracy says
So glad you’ve enjoyed the cake! If you don’t want to use milk, I’d probably try mixing 1 extra Tbs of sour cream with 1 Tbs of water. All sour cream would make the batter really thick.
Jaime Butcher says
OMG! This is delicious!!! The only mistake I made was cutting into it before it had time to cool. I think I was just too excited to try it. I am 35 weeks pregnant and this definitely satisfied my craving!!
Tracy says
Thanks, Jaime!! I’m so glad to hear it worked out for you!!
Susan says
This was fantastic, best tasting coffee cake I have made in a long time. It was even gluten free, I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-1 flour. The streusel was great, not too much at all. The only disappointing thing about it was that I made the small version in a 6 inch round pan. Next time, which will be soon I am going to double the recipe and make an 8X8 inch. Thank you so very much for this recipe. It is very much appreciated and enjoyed. 😉
Sarah says
super delicious streusel and the cake itself was so fluffy and moist. Overall it’s a very yummy cake but to me I feel like the cake itself could have used some more flavor. Maybe adding cinnamon and nutmeg to the dry mixture? It was just a bit too bland for me.
Laura Migliore says
Oh my goodness. This little coffee cake is superb. I love a small cake to put in the freezer. Perfect to pull out for a few people. Of course, this did not make it to the freezer. It is perfect. Made mine in a 6 x 2 inch cake pan. I could eat one by myself with a good cup of coffee. The cake is so tender, and it is indeed, the perfect amount of streusel.
Tracy says
Thanks, Laura!!
Laura says
I always enjoy getting your email on Sunday mornings and many times end up making what is on it for breakfast. This morning I tried the coffeecake and it was delicious. Just the right amount of topping as you said – and my husband loved it too. Another keeper for sure! Thanks for sharing.
Tracy says
That makes me so happy to hear! I’m glad you both enjoyed it!!
Arya says
Can we use buttermilk instead of sour cream as I don’t have sour cream. If yes, what will be the substitution ratio? Thanks.
Tracy says
I haven’t tried it with this cake, but you can usually get away with swapping the two. The cake will have a slightly drier texture, but it should come out okay. Let me know if you give it a try.
Jaime says
Just made a gluten-free version of this for myself and it turned out wonderful! The only changes I made was baking in a 6×6 baking dish because it was the closest size I have, and I used an all-purpose GF flour mix and added 1/2 tsp of Xantham Gum to each portion of flour used in the recipe. I don’t have anyone to share with for the time but was craving a treat and this definitely hit the spot! I baked for closer to 40 minutes and am so happy with the result! I will definitely make again!
Tracy says
So glad it worked out for you, Jaime!!
AP says
This recipe looks great! I can’t wait to try it out tomorrow morning. I was wondering though, would I be able to use self rising flour? If so, what adjustments are needed? I don’t have any AP flour currently. Thanks so much!
Tracy says
I haven’t tested it, so I can’t say for sure or that the texture will be exactly the same, but it should probably be okay. Just omit the baking powder from the recipe and bake the rest according to recipe instructions.
AP says
Thank you for your help! I took many liberties with this recipe as I was limited to the ingredients I had on hand. I subbed self rising flour for AP and omitted the baking powder and salt. I subbed yogurt for sour cream. I didn’t have vanilla extract so I used vanilla bean paste instead. And lastly, since I didn’t have AP flour and wasn’t sure how self rising would work for the crumble topping I used whole wheat flour instead. All-in-all, even with all the modifications, the cake turned out amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Tracy says
So glad to hear it!!
Rabeea Saleem says
This is a really good recipe and I loved the end result. I had some difficulty spreading the streusel topping though because it wasn’t very crumbly- any tips?
Arlene Jarmel says
Ate it Warm. So Delicious! Especially Loved Streusel Crumbs! Mixed by Hand . So Easy!!
Ashley says
Can I double this and bake in an 8×8 square? If so, suggestions on bake time?
Tracy says
Yes, you can double the recipe in an 8×8 with no trouble. I’d start checking on it around 30-32ish minutes.
Ashley says
Would full fat plain Greek yogurt work instead of sour cream?
Tracy says
I haven’t tried it with this particular cake, but usually that substitution works just fine. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!
Haley says
I was wondering if I could use parchment paper instead of butter or spray?? It’s all I have
Tracy says
Hi, Haley. That should work just fine. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Kristy says
Made this today. Oh my, this is soooo yummy! I followed directions exactly. It came out perfectly. My hubby dug into it as soon as it cooled a little. (Me too). . Will definitely make it again. Thanks for the recipe!
Tracy says
Just saw your photo on Pinterest! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kristy!!