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If you ever wanted to have a coffee cake with coffee baked inside then look no further! This soft and moist coffee cake recipe has a coffee flavored filling, coffee streusel, coffee icing AND coffee in the batter. It has most and soft coffee cake layers and is perfect for breakfast (or dessert!)

A slice of crumb cake with a thick layer of cinnamon streusel topping and a light drizzle of icing, served on a white decorative plate.

I have loads of coffee cake recipes on this site (my favorite is my streusel crumb cake recipe) and the number one question I get asked whenever I share it is “where’s the coffee?” For a long time I didn’t get why people were asking and then I realized: people search coffee cake as in they want a cake that has actual coffee in it and they get coffee cake, the breakfast delight we Americans love to eat with a cup of coffee. So I decided to combine the two and made a coffee cake with coffee recipe!

Top-down view of baking ingredients in bowls: butter, brewed coffee, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, egg, salt, vanilla, milk, and powdered sugar, all labeled on a white surface.

How to make Coffee Cake with Coffee

  1. You’ll need the regular cake ingredients for this: baking powder, salt, all-purpose flour. I like to whisk the dry ingredients first.
  2. You’ll need 2 kinds of sugar – brown sugar and powdered sugar – for the different layers of the cake.
  3. Eggs and melted butter add richness and the fat needed to keep the cake moist.
  4. Whole milk is the best kind of milk to use, but you can use 2% milk or nondairy milk (with fat in it). I don’t recommend using nonfat milk for cake – it might get too dry.
  5. The coffee flavor in this cake is in FOUR places: cooled strong coffee in the cake batter and icing, and instant espresso powder in the filling and crumb topping.
  6. If you can’t find instant espresso powder you can use instant coffee. When brewing coffee for the filling and icing, brew it strong. If using a Keurig, do a 6 ounce cup with one pod. If making it in a pot, use half the amount of water you normally use.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.

Rectangular slices of coffee cake topped with brown crumbly streusel and white icing drizzle, arranged on a white surface. Some slices are stacked, showing the moist, dense texture inside.

Storing Homemade Coffee Cake

  • Coffee cake is great made ahead – you can make the full cake and bake it up to a day ahead of time and it’ll stay fresh if stored properly.
  • Wrap cooled cake well with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
  • You can freeze coffee cake too! Just wrap it well and put in an airtight container.

Dorothy’s Expert Tips

  • It’s important to let the hot coffee cool before adding it to the cake.
  • Make sure not to over bake the cake – a toothpick will come out clean with moist crumbs.
  • Use a 9×9-inch cake pan. I like to line mine with parchment paper or foil for easy removal.
5 from 2 votes

Coffee Cake with Coffee Recipe

By: Dorothy Kern
Make a coffee cake with coffee for breakfast! This easy streusel coffee cake has coffee in the cake, the crumble, and the icing! It’s moist and perfect for brunch or dessert.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
A slice of crumb cake with a thick layer of cinnamon streusel topping and a light drizzle of icing, served on a white decorative plate.
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Ingredients

Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons (25g) packed brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon instant espresso powder, (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Cake:

  • 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • ¼ cup strongly brewed coffee or espresso,, cooled (see note)

Streusel:

  • ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
  • ¾ cup (93g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder, (see note)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, (57g), melted and slightly cooled

Coffee Icing:

  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee or espresso,, cooled

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Make the filling by whisking brown sugar, cinnamon, espresso powder, and flour in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Make the cake by first whisking the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir or mix melted butter with brown sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, then add milk, cooled coffee, and dry ingredients. Stir until smooth (may have a few lumps).
  • Pour about ⅔ of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan and spread into a thin layer. Top with filling. Drop spoonfuls of remaining cake batter on top and spread to a thin layer to mostly cover.
  • Make the streusel by whisking brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and instant espresso powder in a medium size bowl. Add melted butter and stir with a fork until crumbly. Spread streusel over cake batter in pan.
  • Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Cool before making icing.
  • Remove cooled cake from the pan using the foil overhang. Carefully remove foil and transfer to serving plate.
  • Whisk powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon cooled coffee, adding more coffee as needed to get icing that will drizzle. Drizzle over cake.
  • Slice and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for several days or freeze for up to a month.

Notes

  • To strongly brew the coffee: use half as much water as you would normally with your normal amount of ground coffee.
  • If using a Keurig, brew a 4-6 ounce cup.
  • Alternately, use ¼ cup hot water + 1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder for the cake and do the same for the icing, just use 1-2 tablespoons. The added instant espresso powder is to add even more coffee flavor. You can omit, or use instant coffee instead.
  • Whole milk is preferred for a moist cake, but 2% may be used, or nondairy.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 201IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

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

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Step by Step Photos

A glass bowl filled with flour sits on a white countertop. The flour is piled in the center, forming a small mound.
  1. ​Whisk dry ingredients in a small bowl.
A glass bowl filled with light brown, finely crushed graham cracker crumbs sits on a white surface.

2. Whisk sugar, ground cinnamon, flour, and instant coffee powder in a separate bowl for the filling.

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A glass mixing bowl containing a thick, caramel-colored mixture sits on a white surface, with a checkered kitchen towel partially visible in the bottom left corner.

3. Make the coffee cake batter by stirring melted unsalted butter with brown sugar, then mix in egg and vanilla in a large bowl.

A glass bowl filled with thick, light brown banana bread batter sits on a white countertop; a bit of batter clings to the sides of the bowl.

4. Add milk, coffee, and the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

A square baking pan lined with crumpled aluminum foil holds a thick layer of creamy, light brown batter spread evenly on top. The pan sits on a white surface.

5. Place about half to 2/3 of the batter in the bottom of a 9×9-inch prepared pan.

A square baking pan lined with crumpled aluminum foil, filled with an unbaked dessert topped with a crumbly brown mixture, sits on a white countertop.

6. Place the filling in the middle of the cake, top with the remaining batter.

A clear glass bowl filled with a coarse, crumbly brown sugar mixture sits on a white surface.

7. To make the crumb topping, stir together the melted butter with the sugar, cinnamon, flour, and instant espresso. Sprinkle streusel mixture on top of the cake.

A square baking pan lined with crumpled aluminum foil, filled with an unbaked crumble mixture, viewed from above on a white surface.

8. Once the cake is baked and cooled, make the coffee frosting by whisking powdered sugar and coffee. Drizzle over the cake.

Favorite Coffee Cake Recipes

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 2 votes

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107 Comments

  1. I have always wondered why Coffee Cake isn’t made with coffee. I’m so glad that conundrum is solved 🙂 And this recipe looks like a winner. Perfect along side a cup of coffee for an extra jolt of caffeine.

    Reply

  2. I have actually wondered that so many times that now I almost always add coffee to our coffee cakes. It just makes more sense that way 🙂 I am loving all the caffeine goodness you have in this ooey gooey looking cake! Perfect way to wake up in the morning!!!

    Reply

  3. Love that there is not 1, not 2, but 3 layers of coffee in this!! I need this EVERY morning! Ha! It looks great Dorothy!

    Reply

  4. this IS prefect Dorothy! coffee is the ONLY thing that keeps me together in the mornings – and coffee in cake, well that is just pure genius!!

    Reply

  5. I never really thought about the missing coffee in coffee cake. I especially like the idea of chocolate milk throughout the cake. I bet this is great for breakfast!

    Reply