Triple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Triple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?

We’ll probably be sitting on the floor of my living room, as we had to get rid of the coffee table after Hugo learned to climb onto it and then sit precariously on the edge almost giving me a heart attack.

We’ll have to keep our coffee in hiding, because it seems like my child has radar for these things, he loves to rest his hand on the cup and say “hot!” sometimes sticking his fingers in too.

He may come over to us and give us sloppy hugs and kisses which are always a perk, and as of late, his favorite activity is to grab books from his little shelf and hand them to you- flapping his little arms until you make room on your lap and read to him.

Triple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Ok, so maybe we will be doing a little less coffee drinking and a little more toddler entertaining but it will be fun I swear! I also promise to have this coffee cake in the kitchen, which is absolutely delicious and will make up for my coffee date shortcomings. 

This recipe is very similar to one I posted a few years ago, and I thought of revamping that and replacing it, but I made enough changes that I thought this recipe needed a post of it’s own.

It’s really is spectacular, and it my opinion the absolute best coffee cake ever.

The cake itself is superb- moist, buttery, and tender. In the middle is a gooey, cinnamon filling- imagine the best part of a cinnamon roll in a thick ribbon throughout this cake. On top is a crispy crumble and a sweet cinnamon glaze. It’s really too good to be true.

Triple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I made this in a 10-inch ring pan, but you could make it in a 9×13 or two round cake pans. (One for you and one for a friend?)

It is delicious warm but keeps well for a couple of days too. I had big plans to freeze slices of this to warm up for breakfast here and there, but I just couldn’t resist sending huge hunks of this with my friends and neighbors who stopped by the day I made it. (And I don’t think they had too much of a problem with it!)

Triple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

This would be the perfect addition to any brunch spread- I can’t wait to make it again for Easter this weekend!

Want more coffee cake goodness? Check out this Sour Cream Coffee Cake– it’s divine!

Triple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Triple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Yield: 1 10-inch cake

Delicious coffee cake with a perfectly moist texture, a thick gooey cinnamon ribbon inside, a crumbly topping, and a sweet cinnamon glaze.

Ingredients

Filling:

  • 1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (for color not for taste- you can leave it out if you want.)

Cake:

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Glaze:

  • 1 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoons milk or cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 10-inch ring pan, 9x13 pan or 2 9-inch cake pans* Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the filling ingredients. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream together the butter, salt, and sugars Beat until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Sprinkle the baking powder over the batter, and then 1/3 of the flour. Beat on low until just combined. Add half the buttermilk. Add another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the buttermilk and end with the last of the flour, being careful not to over mix.

For the Topping:

  1. Melt the butter in a heat proof bowl and stir in the flour, sugar and cinnamon until crumbs form.
  2. Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the pan and spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the batter, trying to keep it away from the edges if possible. Spread the remaining batter over the filing and smooth with the spoon. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter.
  3. Bake for 50-60 minutes** or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the Glaze:

  1. Stir together the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add the milk or cream and stir together until smooth. add a splash more milk if needed until the glaze is a good drizzling consistency.
  2. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake (or slightly warm of you prefer.)

Notes

Recipe adapted from King Arthur's Flour

*When using the ring pan, the cake ends up being taller but more narrow. The filling proportion is thick, gooey, and perfect. If you are using a 9x13 pan, the filling won't be as thick but it will still be a delicious ribbon through the cake. Double it if desired.

**Baking time will vary based on pan size. My cake baked in about 55 minutes.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

34 Comments

  1. Your coffee cake date sounds like a lot like mine, so maybe we should get together and enjoy the fun chaos together — I’ll bring the coffee if you bring this cake! ;)

  2. I love coffee cakes, this one looks incredible! Baby proofing can get so overwhelming; I remember using rubber bands on every door in the beginning!

  3. This looks incredible! That thick layer of filling and that streusel topping are totally doing it for me, and the glaze…I can totally get behind this.

  4. This looks so amazing! I will definitely make this.
    I met someone in LA who loves your blog. It was so cute, we were discussing baking and I brought up one of your recipes on my phone, and she was like I love that blog, I make her chocolate chip cookies all the time!
    Another side note… Not hiding your coffee cup is coming soon. Leo will touch it, say milk HOT and then leave it alone. (: it feels good to not have two police our beverages. You are only six months away! (:

    1. I’m so glad the grabbing coffee cups phase is coming to an end soon. What about the sleeping phase? When does that come? ;)

  5. I’ve decided to make this for this eve sounds great, however I’d like to know if I add the filling before I add 1/2 of the topping in the center?

    1. I had left out one instruction- I think I fixed it! Let me know if you have other questions!

  6. Audra, can you please check this recipe? I think it says topping where is should say filling? And then there is no topping section.
    I want to make it for Easter as it looks absolutely incredible, I just want to be sure I get it right!

    1. Thanks for letting me know! I left out the part where you sprinkle the filling on top. It should be fixed now!

      1. Susan Louis says:

        I’m a bit confused on the brown sugar myself. I’m assuming the 1/3 cup of brown sugar goes into the topping, which leaves the 1/2 cup of brown sugar to go somewhere else. Does the 1/2 cup go into the cake batter? Step 3 just says “sugar” so I took that to mean singular as in the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. I’m assuming too much and most likely this is pilot error on my part, but if you could clarify this for me I would really love to make this recipe! It looks amazing!!

  7. Dear Audra,
    I made it for the ladies and gents from church tonight and they thought it was delicious and my husband thought it was better than delicious. Thank you!
    Best wishes, Nancy

  8. I do not have a ring pan, but I prefer the circular shape vs a 9×13. Would a bundt pan or an angel food cake pan work as well? This recipe looks soooo yummy. Can’t wait to give it a try.

    1. The thing about the Bundt pan is that the crumb topping would be on the bottom since you invert it know what I mean? If you are Ok with skipping the crumb and maybe doubling the glaze that could work! Ring pans are good for this because the bottom is the bottom and top is top if that makes sense.

      1. Thanks for the clarification. I think I’m going shopping!

  9. This coffee cake looks delicious! As a lover of coffee cakes, I’ll definitely have to try this one!

  10. I am totally down for toddler entertaining and CAKE. That swirl has my heart.

  11. I made this in a 9×13 pan. After cooling, I noticed that the middle sunk down a little bit. Has anyone else had this happen? Did I overmix batter?

    1. It sounds like the middle may not have been cooked through. Did you notice that?

  12. Hi! Quick question…I want to make for a co-worker who’s on maternity leave and looooves cinnamon-sugar stuff. I don’t have a bundt pan but love the circular shape for this and the taller cake. Do you think this would work in a 9-inch springform instead? Regular 9″ cake pans are really shallow and my springform is a lot deeper, but didn’t know if it would still be too much batter. Thank you!

    1. I think that pan will be a bit small. You could make one in that and then make the rest into muffins though!

  13. I would love to try this recipe in the round cake pans. Love the idea to bring one to a friend! Can you give me a better estimate on cooking time in those pans?

  14. Fina Jenal says:

    Hello from Brunei! Stumbled upon your blog while I was looking for banana bread recipes; tried your recipe and love it! Have made it for events several times since and have gotten good reviews. Question about the batter – should I still mix on low speed after adding the second 1/3 of flour and the buttermilk and then the remaining flour or should it be left layered?

    Thank you!
    Fina

  15. Want to try this cake! Just wondered – is a ring pan the same thing as a springform pan? Thank you!

    1. No it’s similar to a bundt pan but just more simple :)

  16. This looks and smells delicious right out of the oven, but I’m contemplating how exactly to get it out of the pan and keep it looking beautiful. Any tips would be helpful. Cheers!

  17. My husband likes super gooey coffee cake. Should I add butter to the filling ingredients? All filling recipes have butter and I’m curious why your filling doesn’t and if there is a science behind not adding butter to the filling? I want to make this morning, please let me know!

  18. Catherine Mermier says:

    I made this coffee cake because I wanted one that used buttermilk and didn’t have nuts. This one fit the bill. The cake part was delicious – moist and flavorful. However I had problems with the rest. I personally would leave out the unsweetened cocoa next time (it was optional anyway). I feel like it gave the filling a funny flavor. Instead I would have maybe added cloves for more flavor complexity. Also, there was way too much topping. I could have used half or even just a third. I made the glaze after baking and used half the proportions. Your glaze looks nicer – mine came out kind of tan from the deep brown cinnamon. This took a long time to make and unfortunately I don’t think it was worth it.

  19. Mary murphy says:

    What is a ring pan?

    1. Hi! It is shaped like a donut. YOu can also use a 9 inch springform or round pan!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *