This buttermilk coffee cake just melts in your mouth. It’s topped with a delicious crumb topping and is ready in just an hour. It makes the perfect weekend breakfast treat.
This recipe was made famous in my family by my Aunt Kathy. Every time we go to her house (or even sometimes when she visits us) she makes this coffee cake. I have no idea where she got this beloved recipe from, but in our house, it seems to make its way around the family written down on a well-loved piece of paper. I figured it was time we immortalize this bad boy through the magic of the internet. 😉
Oh, and if you want something savory to pair with this coffee cake, try my millionaire’s bacon recipe. Your taste buds will thank you!
Why You’ll Love This Buttermilk Coffee Cake
- It only takes 10 minutes to put together before you pop it in the oven. Perfect for a weekend breakfast treat. (Plus clean-up is a breeze.)
- You most likely have the ingredients in your kitchen already.
- It’s very versatile. Feel free to add raspberries, blueberries, or cranberries to the mixture to give it a burst of fruity flavor.
- Easy to transport. This baby has traveled across state lines and still tastes moist and delicious.
Baking Tips
Butter: For the cake, you will want your butter at room temperature. It makes it easier to blend with the sugar and other wet ingredients. However, for the crumble, your butter can be a little harder (but not rock hard) as you don’t want it to melt in your hand when you are making the crumble. Quick tip for softening butter quickly: put a glass bowl in the microwave for 90 seconds and then place the warm bowl over the cold butter. In about 5 minutes, your butter will be softened.
Buttermilk: Real buttermilk always makes cakes taste light, fluffy, and everyone’s favorite word … moist. But a lot of times I don’t have buttermilk in my fridge. So I just put some lemon juice in a cup of almond milk (or any type of milk will do) and it still turns out great. (Check out my chocolate cake recipe that also uses buttermilk.)
Cake batter: This is a super easy method where you combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients (plus sugar) in another. I always mix my butter and sugar together first until light and creamy before adding the other wet ingredients.
Crumble: I halved the original recipe for the cake, but I’ve kept the original proportions for the crumble. I’m a big crumble fan (I think it’s the best part) so, feel free not to use the entire amount if you want the ratio of cake to crumble to be thinner.
Can’t get enough crumble? Check out this strawberry and apple crumble recipe (which uses the same topping) or this blackberry and apple crumble that adds oats and cinnamon to the topping.
Frequently Asked Questions about Coffee Cake
Cover with foil or plastic wrap and store in a cool place. The coffee cake will keep for about a week. Or, you can wrap the coffee cake in plastic wrap and then foil and place it in the freezer. It will store for up to a month. Thaw completely before eating.
This recipe is a plain buttermilk coffee cake recipe, however, you can add any type of fruit or flavoring you would like to coffee cakes. If including fresh fruit, such as cranberries, raspberries, or blueberries, lightly coat them in flour first so they evenly disperse throughout the cake. Other ideas to include: Freeze-dried fruit powder (raspberries, strawberries, etc.), jam, cinnamon and nutmeg, Nutella, etc.
Coffee cake is called coffee cake simply because it pairs well with your cup of coffee in the morning and is typically eaten in the morning for breakfast.
While both are cakes and made with similar ingredients, what makes a cake a “cake” is the sweetness level and topping. Cakes typically have a glaze or are frosted with buttercream. Coffee cakes however are topped with a crumble or streusel.
In the US, coffee cake generally does not contain coffee. However, in the UK and other countries, coffee cake is a cake flavored with coffee and usually not eaten for breakfast (but no judgment here if you do).
Streusel is a mixture of flour, sugar, and fat that creates a crunchy, sweet topping. Sometimes cinnamon or other spices are included to give it a kick. This recipe is made with a basic flour, sugar, and butter mixture. It sounds like a simple, old-fashioned coffee cake, but it is honestly the best part about this buttermilk coffee cake recipe.
Buttermilk Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 1 8×8 baking dish
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
For the Crumble
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9×9 or 8×8 baking tin. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until creamy. Then add the vanilla, egg, and buttermilk. Mix until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Spread cake mixture into greased pan.
- Make the crumble: Cut butter into the flour and sugar with either a fork or rub between your fingers. The goal is to create a crumble texture so it shouldn't be super fine crumbs. It tastes delicious if there are bigger chunks of butter in the crumble.
- Sprinkle crumble on top of the cake mixture in the baking tin.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
