Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
This old-fashioned cinnamon coffee cake is baked in a Bundt pan, full of cinnamon swirls, and topped with a simple cream cheese icing. Easy and delicious!
Over the last couple of years, I’ve invited all of you to send me your very favorite recipes, and send you did! I’ve received hundreds of recipes from you lovely readers, and I have enjoyed baking and cooking my way through them. As is usually the case when I’m poring over tons of recipes, I’m naturally drawn to any that came from a mom or grandma or that have a long family history. Which brings us to this fabulous cinnamon coffee cake!
This recipe was sent to me by Joanna, who had previously shared it on her own blog. She said that both her mom and grandma used to make this, and it was a Christmas morning tradition. Family recipe and holiday traditions? Totally speaking my food love language!
Can we talk about Christmas traditions in August? Because I am SO READY to embrace cooler weather and everything it entails. Bring on fall and the holidays!
This cake, as you might imagine, was ridiculously easy to make. A simple butter and sour cream batter comes together easily and layers with a cinnamon-sugar filling. I loved how high the cake rose and how regal it looked when I turned it out of the Bundt pan.
Don’t Bundt cakes just have this air of totally simple and no-fuss but super elegant all at the same time? There’s a crazy ying and yang going on there, and I just adore them.
Joanna’s cake did not include any icing, and in truth, it is totally delicious on its own, but I just couldn’t stare at a naked cake and not put SOMETHING on it. It’s in my baker’s blood. I thought a really simple cream cheese glaze would be perfect – it’s not overpowering, but kind of gives it that cinnamon roll vibe, which, hello, is never, ever a bad thing. It’s a great little addition, but if you prefer to skip it, I think you could even serve the plain cinnamon coffee cake warm and not need to cool it completely.
I served this cake for Sunday dinner and it was a massive hit, there were lots of second and third helpings happening, so it’s a total winner with my family. I hope you enjoy this as much as Joanna’s family has, and as much as mine did!
And now I totally have to ask – do you have a Christmas breakfast tradition? I want to hear all about them!
Do you see that chunk of cake off to the right that I dug into?
While I was snapping this photo, a certain rosy-cheeked toddler came ambling in from outside and swiped it right off the plate. He polished it off in a split second and declared, “good! good!” so it also has Joseph’s seal of approval ;-)
One year ago: No Bake 5-Ingredient Granola Bars
Two years ago: Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart
Five years ago: Peach Strudel
Six years ago: Honey Fig Scones
Seven years ago: Lemon Bar
Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons (2.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 1½ cups (340.5 g) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1½ cups (345 ml) sour cream
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking soda
- 1½ tablespoons (1.5 tablespoons) vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, very soft
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons milk
Equipment Used
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard 12-cup Bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing until just combined after each.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and baking soda (it will start to fizzle and foam!), then add it to the cake batter and fold it in with a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Make the Cinnamon Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until completely combined.
- Bake the Cake: Place one-third of the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle half of the cinnamon filling over top of the batter. Cover with another third of the batter, then the remaining cinnamon filling, then finally the remaining batter. Smooth into an even layer.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Cream Cheese Icing: In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until completely combined, then stir in the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of the milk. Add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time to get the desired consistency; for me, 4 tablespoons was the sweet spot of being thick like I wanted, but still dripping a bit down the sides of the cake.
- Drizzle the cream cheese icing over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Waiting for it to come out of the oven and very skeptical. Both batter and filling were very thick – batter not pourable at all and filling was creamy so impossible to “sprinkle”. Anyone else have thick batter? Also not much “fizzing” when mixing sour cream and baking soda.
Awhhh. Look how cute little Joseph looks. This one gonna make. I adore all things bundt and I have everything (except flour lol). How did I ever run out of flour?! This cake looks lovely and bet it’s so good w the cream cheese and the frosting.
Your cinnamon coffee cake looks lovely, and I can’t wait to try it. I love the way you have used the cinnamon as a filling and the cream cheese frosting, to give the cake more flavour and added texture.
Hi Michelle!
I made this cake recently and it is amazing!! We love anything with cinnamon and this hit the spot. We have friends coming in a week or so and this coffee cake will be great for the morning with our coffee. 👍
Can I use part sour cream and part nonfat greek vanilla yogurt? i don’t have enough sour cream.
Could I use nonfat greek vanilla yogurt for some of the sour cream. I don’t think I have but about 3/4 c. of sour cream.
Hi Jana, I think that would work just fine!
This looks so good. I made cinnamon rolls last year at Christmastime for friends and neighbors, but I might try the bundt this year – same wow factor, maybe a little less work and mess. Yum.
I’m considering making this cake for my bunco group. How far in advance can this cake be made? If I make it a day in advance of serving it, will it still taste fresh? Thanks for your help!
Hi Gigi, Yes, definitely, I have made it the day before, just wrap it well in plastic wrap once it has cooled, and it will stay fresh!
This looks amazing and sounds like a wonderful tradition that everyone looks forward to! My bundt pan doesn’t get enough use….but I think I’ll have to pull it out for this! :)
My mom made this cake except she put nuts in the cinnamon filling and didn’t put icing on it. Can’t wait to try this version. Speaking of Fall, I had pumpkin ravioli for dinner tonight.
I can’t remember when we first started this Christmas tradition but it has to be at least 25 years ago or so. I make home made ham, egg and cheese on English muffins….tastes SO much better than the fast food kind! In recent years, I’ve added a cheddar hash brown casserole. Both are huge hits in our family!
Your children are adorable!
This looks fabulous– I’m thinking this will need to make it to my “bake- soon” list.
Joseph’s endorsement adds to the review! When I was a child we had a sweet bread a family friend baked for us each Christmas morning. I’m so sad I never got the recipe. Now we have quiche and coffe cake or waffles at a Christmas brunch.
Cake looks great! Embracing the colder weather – not so much for this New England girl. I would love it if summer would stay another 10 months! I know I need to move :-)
He is so adorable. We make this coffee cake too, but I’ve never put it in a bundt pan and I really like the idea, always better with icing too.
I totally need to try this now! Sounds delicious!
Michelle, that looks like such a simple but delicious bundt cake. I find bundt cakes so elegant, very often they are my go to cakes for a get together. Bless him, Joseph seems to really be enjoying his little treasure. He is so fortunate to have a Mum who is such a good baker.
This cake looks so lovely! I’m going to have to try this soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
This looks amazing! Do you have another icing suggestion since I don’t like cream cheese icing? Thanks Michelle.
Hi Ellen, You could leave it plain or do a simple powdered sugar/milk/vanilla extract icing.