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Buttermilk Coffee Cake topped with a heaping layer of buttery cinnamon crumb topping is a cake that any cinnamon-lover is certain to love.
I recommend stirring this together today and enjoying a slice after dinner tonight and again tomorrow morning with a cup of coffee or tea.
Buttermilk Coffee Cake
I absolutely love coffee cake. Given my choice between pretty much any other cake and coffee cake, you can bet that a coffee cake piled with an abundance of cinnamon streusel is likely to be my first choice.
And knowing just what buttermilk can do for a batch of pancakes, a homemade syrup, or biscuits, this coffee cake needed to happen.
While buttermilk can often add a slight tang (that I love) to baked goods, I don’t really taste that here. But, it absolutely contributes additional moisture and creates a lovely texture for this cake.
Easy Buttermilk Cake
This is a very simple cake to stir together. Stir together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter. (This butter grating tip is an awesome one to use for this recipe.) Stir it all together with the buttermilk and spread the batter in the pan.
Stir together the topping ingredients and sprinkle it over the top. I can typically pull this cake together and get it in the oven in less time than it takes my oven to heat.
Cake Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- cinnamon
- baking soda
- butter
- buttermilk
Topping Ingredients
- butter
- light brown sugar
- cinnamon
- chopped pecans
Buttermilk Coffee Cake Recipe
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8″ round or square pan with butter. (A pie plate will also work nicely for this recipe.) Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients and use a fork or pastry blender to mix until crumbly. (Little lumps are a good thing, don’t worry about making it perfect.) Add the buttermilk to the bowl and stir again to combine. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl or large glass measuring cup. Microwave for 1 minute, or until the butter has melted. Stir to combine. Add the pecans and stir again. Sprinkle topping over the cake batter.
- Bake for 35-38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Favorite Coffee Cake Recipes
Coffee cakes are at the top of my cake-love-list and you can add pretty much any streusel or cinnamon topped recipe to that list of loves.
Cinnamon Toast Cake has been a favorite of mine since childhood. That simple, but oh so delicious, cake inspired these Cinnamon Toast Bars.
This Layered Pumpkin Coffee Cake is one that I’ll be making now through the end of the year, pretty much any time I have an excuse for cake.
Blueberry Coffee Cake is a reader favorite year-round and will brighten any morning.
Fresh cranberries and a hint of lemon are combined in this incredibly moist brown sugar streusel Cranberry Coffee Cake.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup butter, very soft, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk
Topping Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" round or square pan with butter. (A pie plate will also work nicely for this recipe.) Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients and use a fork or pastry blender to mix until crumbly. (Little lumps are a good thing, don't worry about making it perfect.) Add the buttermilk to the bowl and stir again to combine. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl or large glass measuring cup. Microwave for 1 minute, or until the butter has melted. Stir to combine. Add the pecans and stir again. Sprinkle topping over the cake batter.
- Bake for 35-38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this yesterday. Very good but make sure you put something under it as mine overflowed a bit.
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the cake, Diana! I’m guessing that your pan was a little bit more shallow than mine. A drip pan underneath is never a bad idea though!
This is delicious and easy. I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect.
I’m so happy to hear that you loved the cake, Lori!
Sorry If I missed it – where is the coffee in the cake ?
There is no coffee in coffee cake. It is simply a cake that is often enjoyed alongside coffee or tea.
I just took this out of the oven. It smells great, but looks nothing like the pictures. The topping melted and pooled on top. Very flat. My husband is taking it to PA today for his dad’s 95 birthday. I hope it tastes good 🤞🏻
Hopefully it was delicious, Patricia. I’m not sure why it changed for you.
Does this not call for any eggs?
There are no eggs required in this recipe, Toni.
Easy recipe but I used an 8 x 8 square pan. It is taking longer than 38 minutes. Hopefully it will come out. Smells good.
Rosalie – I am sure it was delicious.
I’m a little confused in the above narrative you say to use cold butter using a grader but in the actual recipe you say to use very soft butter, which is it?
Great question, my apologies if it was confusing. Grating the butter is a good way to quickly get soft room temperature butter, which the recipe calls for. It is a hack if you are forgetful like me and don’t remember to get your butter out to soften in advance. Hope that helps.
My topping went to the bottom of dish an stuck like glue! Why? I followed recipe to a T. Tastes good just not on top like picture.
Without being in your kitchen – it is hard to troubleshoot what might have happened. I have never had that issue, Susan.
Great recipe , thank you , I made two of them ,👍
How fun! Thank you, Cheryl.
Delicious! I made this last weekend, and I’m making it again today.
Thank you, Melanie.
I followed this recipe to the letter, and I got goop. Very nice smelling goop, but goop nonetheless. I even cooked it longer than the instructions called for by 15 minutes. It still never became cake.
Hello! Did you happen to substitute/omit any ingredients from the recipe, or possibly change the cooking temperature? Sorry to hear the recipe didn’t turn out well for you; I haven’t had that result before.
Everyone, especially our grandsons LOVE this cake. Have made two now simple changes. I increased the recipe by 50% and put it into a 9″ springform pan. Looks really nice when it comes out. I increased the cooking time considering the increase in size. I also did up a simple crumble topping (brown sugar, flour, white sugar and butter) and 15 minutes prior to it coming out – sprinkled it on top. WOW, the combination of flavours and texture is delicious!! Thanks so much for this great, simple and full proof recipe.
You’re welcome, Marjorie. I’m happy to hear that everyone loved the coffee cake. Happy baking!
I have never tasted a more satisfying coffee cake. I did have a problem with the size of pan you recommended. I don’t have an 8 inch cake pan, so I used an 8 inch pie pan. It overflowed the pan on all sides and made a big mess in the oven. But like I said, it had the best taste ever! I’ll just change the pan next time. Thank you.
I’m glad that you loved the coffee cake, Deborah, and that you made the best of your baking situation. Hopefully it wasn’t too much of a mess. Enjoy!
I used an 8” round pan and batter cooked out over the top. Would definitely try a 9” pan next time. Cake is very good though, although a little too sweet for me. But wouldn’t stop me from making again!
Mess aside, I’m glad you enjoyed the cake, Rita. Hopefully your next attempt will be more to your liking. Happy baking!
Horrible recipe. Wrong from the start!! What a waste of my time and product
okaaay… want to give a little more info there, Julia? What made it a horrible recipe? What exactly made this cake, “wrong from the start?” And if it was, why on earth did you continue with the recipe? Based on all the other 5-star reviews, I’ll assume something went wrong in your kitchen. Did you substitute an ingredient or change the method somehow?
I’ve always loved cinnamon coffee cakes and for years I have made the same recipe. But now … THIS recipe is my favorite! It is SCRUMPTIOUS!!! My husband agrees, but says it’s EXCEPTIONAL! I’ve now shared this with my friends. And right now I think I’ll try making it with some fresh blueberries because I need to use them before it’s too late … although this original recipe is wonderful, as is! Thank you! A+!
YAY! I’m thrilled it’s a hit.
Great recipe for using leftover buttermilk, made it last weekend but all I had was very finely chopped nuts, just made it agin with coarse lay chopped nuts, can’t wait to have some with my morning coffee. Definitely a keeper in my recipe wheelhouse.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the cake, Becky!
I read some comments before making this, but decided to try it anyway. I cooked it exactly as directed
For my taste, it is just too rich. My topping also fell to the bottom. I ate the cake and left much of the topping behind.
Disappointing.
Hmmmm I’m not sure what happened with the cake, Marie. I’ve made this several times and it has turned out exactly the same. I do think there must be something in common with the others who haven’t had success with this cake. What size/shape pan did you use? You didn’t sub a single thing?
This is very similar to a coffee cake made by a bed and breakfast in Montana where I stayed frequently. When they reluctantly provided me the recipe, the one comment they made was NOT to use butter but to use melted stick margarine for a better result. I have been making it a Christmas tradition for over 20 years. Love it!!
I’m glad you like the cake so much. Thanks for the tip on the margarine, it’s good to know that works too.
HI. Read the comments prior to baking this cake. Dismissed some feedback because we’re pretty experienced bakers. As much as it was good tasting (a bit on the sweet side for me, but not my husband), the cake came out flawed. “Crumble” (topping) sank, so we had to invert the cake. This involved scraping the “crumble” off the bottom of the pan. Per the recipe, not sure why the butter was melted for the topping; different results may occur if the butter was cold and mixed with other ingredients. We followed the recipe, but ratio of cake to topping seems off; something about the chemistry is off here. All and all, we’re glad we tried the recipe.
Hmmmm, not sure why it turned out that way for you. I’ve made this a few times now, but now I’m thinking I need to re-test it. Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad you still enjoyed the cake and it tasted great!