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High Altitude Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

November 19, 2020 by Heather Smoke 6 Comments

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When there is something sweet served for breakfast – which happens on Sunday in our house – everyone rushes to the table to see what wonderful treat is awaiting. This high altitude cinnamon crumb coffee cake features a moist, slightly dense sour cream cake that’s spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I piled the cake with loads of buttery, crunchy crumb topping. Everything is better with crumb topping, and it’s a must for a good coffee cake.

Looking for more high altitude coffee cake recipes? You’ll love this pumpkin crumb coffee cake, banana bread coffee cake, and gingerbread maple coffee cake.

Closeup of cinnamon crumb coffee cake on a white plate.

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Why You’ll Love This Cake

Easy to Make. This is one of those recipes that’s perfectly uncomplicated, requiring nothing more than just whisking together wet and dry ingredients. It bakes up in about a half hour, and is ready to eat right away!

Delicious Warm or Cold. You can enjoy this coffee cake warm from the oven, or at room temperature. It’s even great days later!

Cake for Breakfast. What better way to get to eat cake for breakfast than with a buttery, crumb topped coffee cake?

The crumb topping on this cinnamon crumb coffee cake is as important as the cake itself! A generous amount of streusel crumbs sprinkled over the batter stays crunchy for days, and adds a great salty-sweet finish to this breakfast cake.

Ingredients

The Cake.

  • Unsalted Butter. Adds flavor and richness to the cake. I use unsalted butter so I can control the saltiness.
  • Dark Brown Sugar. Dark brown sugar adds sweetness, of course, but also moisture, and a subtle hint of molasses flavor.
  • Eggs. Add structure and richness.
  • Vanilla. Flavor.
  • Sour Cream. Moisture, richness and acidity. Use a full-fat sour cream.
  • All-purpose Flour. Provides structure to the cake batter.
  • Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavens the cake, making it rise.
  • Salt. Balances the sweetness.
  • Cinnamon + Nutmeg. A pinch of nutmeg nicely complements the cinnamon, which is our featured spice.

The Crumb Topping.

  • Granulated Sugar + Dark Brown Sugar. A blend of sugars makes a really nice flavor in this sweet streusel topping.
  • All-purpose Flour. Absorbs the butter, making the crumb topping crumbly.
  • Cinnamon + Nutmeg. Flavor.
  • Salt. Balances the sweetness.
  • Unsalted Butter. Richness, moisture and flavor.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Three pieces of cinnamon crumb coffee cake, piled on a white plate.

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray a 9×9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream.
  • Separately, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir together with a spatula, just until moistened. The batter will be thick.
  • Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Topping

  • In a bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter and toss together with a fork until moistened and crumbly. Sprinkle over the cake batter.
  • Bake the cake on the center oven rack for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool for 10-15 minutes, and serve warm.
Cinnamon crumb coffee cake, cut and arranged on a copper and marble serving board.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bake this cake the night before?

This cake stays so moist, that to save time in the morning, I will often bake the cake at night to serve the next morning. Simply re-warm pieces for a few seconds in the microwave, and they’ll be soft and warm with that just-baked texture that’s simply irresistible.

That said, this is a quick recipe to mix up, and only bakes for 30 minutes. So if your family can wait a half hour for hot, fresh-from-the-oven coffee cake, then bake it first thing in the morning. Your house will smell just incredible.

How long does this cake stay moist?

Leftover coffee cake should be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days to keep it soft and moist.

Can I use vegetable oil instead of melted butter in the cake batter?

Yes, that works just fine.

Closeup of cinnamon crumb coffee cake.

You Might Also Like

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    Gingerbread Coffee Cake
  • A piece of blueberry buckle coffee cake with a bite taken.
    Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake
  • Three pieces of orange sour cream coffee cake, stacked on a white plate with a pink linen napkin.
    Orange Sour Cream Coffee Cake
  • Espresso coffeecake muffins, piled on a white platter.
    Espresso Coffee Cake Muffins

Favorite Products


Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!

Closeup of cinnamon crumb coffee cake on a white plate.

High Altitude Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Heather Smoke
This buttery cinnamon crumb coffee cake has loads of crunchy streusel on top of a moist sour cream coffee cake.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

4.80 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings9

Ingredients
 

Cake

  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Crumb Topping

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray a 9×9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream.
  • Separately, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir together with a spatula, just until moistened. The batter will be thick.
  • Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Topping

  • In a bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter and toss together with a fork until moistened and crumbly. Sprinkle over the cake batter.
  • Bake the cake on the center oven rack for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool for 10-15 minutes, and serve warm.

Notes

  • Leftover coffee cake should be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Make this cake ahead by baking it the night before!  Warm up pieces by microwaving for 15-20 seconds on 50% power for a just-baked texture.
Keyword Cinnamon, Coffee Cake, Crumb Cake, High Altitude
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Filed Under: Breakfast

Previous Post: « Santa’s Workshop Christmas Cake
Next Post: High Altitude Flourless Almond Cake (GF) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Noey

    September 23, 2021 at 11:12 am

    Hello! Do you use a glass or metal pan? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Heather

      September 26, 2021 at 4:35 pm

      I usually use ceramic pans.

      Reply
  2. Patty

    May 27, 2022 at 7:23 pm

    4 stars
    Good cake but mine came out a bit dry – every oven is different I should have tested it at 22-23 minutes. I plan to try again, doubling the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Thank you for posting this recipe! I’m at 5900 feet and new to high altitude baking.

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      May 27, 2022 at 7:47 pm

      If your oven runs hotter, then it could have gotten over-baked, which would dry it out more. Also, be sure you’re measuring your flour correctly, using the “spoon and sweep” method, where you lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off the top. If you use your measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the bag, it will get packed in, measuring too much flour and resulting in dry baked goods.

      Reply
  3. Susan

    December 5, 2022 at 7:46 pm

    Looking at making this Christmas morning! Could I make it in a 9×13 pan?

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      December 5, 2022 at 10:31 pm

      Yes, you can double the recipe to bake it in a 9×13 pan.

      Reply

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I'm Heather, and welcome to my Colorado kitchen, where you will find high-altitude tested recipes for beautifully photographed cakes, baked goods and sweets. I believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home, and everyone is welcome in mine. So stay a while, sip a cup of coffee, and bake something delicious with me!

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