This is the best cinnamon streusel cake you’ll ever make! Moist and tender, with a sweet, crumbly streusel topping, this delicious cake is the perfect treat for fall, but it’s a great snack year-round, as well.
When fall rolls around, my baking bug is fully activated. I’m telling you, my kitchen gets a workout baking up tons of delicious fall desserts.
Of course, all the major players are in my recipes. You’ll find apples, pumpkin, sweet potato, and so much cinnamon. This classic, warm spice works well in apple dishes like caramel apple empanadas and pumpkin treats like these pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Looking at all my recipes, it occurred to me that it was time to make cinnamon the star instead of the supporting flavor, which is why I made this delicious cinnamon streusel cake.
It’s so moist and tender, with a delicious cinnamon swirl inside and cinnamon streusel topping on the outside. I love serving this as a breakfast, snack, or dessert. You can’t go wrong!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Basic Baking Ingredients: Both the cake and topping use simple baking ingredients found in any kitchen or grocery store.
- Easy: This is a very easy recipe that even beginners can make with no problems.
- Super Moist and Tender: Adding sour cream to the batter creates a cake that’s incredibly moist and tender with a fantastic crumb.
- Classic Fall Flavor: Every bite of this cake is full of sweet cinnamon flavor.
- Customizable: You can easily tweak this cake with different flavors to make it your own.
- Versatile: This is the perfect treat for brunch, an afternoon snack, dessert, and potlucks.
- A Great Make-Ahead Option: This is a freezer-friendly cake, so feel free to make a double batch and save some for later!
Ingredients
I’ve included all the ingredients you’ll need to make this cake right here, but you can find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter, room temperature
- Sour cream
- Milk
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Brown sugar
Variations
- Sour Cream: You can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for a cake with the same texture and flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: Add milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips to the cake batter for a pop of chocolate flavor that works well with the cinnamon.
- Nuts: Chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds add great crunch and an earthy flavor. Experiment with other nuts, as well. They all work!
- Muffins: Make the recipe exactly as called for. Then, divide the batter equally between muffin cups, adding the center filling in the same way you would for the cake. Be aware that you will need to reduce the baking time for muffins.
- Gluten-Free: Use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for a version of this cake perfect for mixed company.
How to Make Cinnamon Streusel Cake
The overview of this recipe is listed here, but you’ll find the exact instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar for the middle layer of the cake.
- Mix the dry streusel ingredients in a medium bowl. Then, use a fork or pastry cutter to mix the butter into it until crumbly.
- Combine the dry cake ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla.
- Mix half the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, followed by the sour cream and the remaining dry ingredients.
- Pour half the batter into a prepared 9×5 loaf pan. Then, sprinkle the cinnamon swirl mixture evenly over the batter and top with the remaining batter.
- Sprinkle the top with the streusel and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and enjoy!
Tips
- Bring your cold cake batter ingredients to room temperature for more complete mixing and to avoid overmixing and excess gluten production.
- Cube the butter for your cinnamon layer, then leave it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to mix. This ensures the butter is as cold as possible, resulting in a better mix.
- Mix your batter until the ingredients are just combined, meaning everything is moistened. Overmixing will create a dense, tough cake.
- If you use a dark loaf pan, check your cake for doneness about 5 minutes earlier than usual. Dark pans bake faster.
Cinnamon Streusel Cake FAQ
The amount of streusel topping is the main difference between a streusel cake and a coffee cake. Coffee cake can be made without a streusel topping or with a very thin layer of it. Streusel cake, also known as crumble cake, on the other hand, makes the topping the star of the show with a heavy layer.
Streusel is added before baking. It’s a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and flour, so it must be baked to achieve its beautiful color and delicious flavor.
Yes, you can! This is a freezer-friendly recipe that lasts for up to 3 months when stored properly. To freeze the cake, wrap the entire loaf in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Or, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags.
More Delicious Cinnamon Recipes
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Cinnamon Streusel Cake
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter
For the Center
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
For the Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and prepare a 9 x 5 baking pan by spraying with a non stick cooking spray.
For The Streusel Topping
- To make streusel topping, combine cinnamon, flour, brown sugar, and butter in a medium-sized bowl.
- Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the mixture. Set aside.
For The Center
- In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.
For The Cake
- Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.
- Using a stand or hand mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and well combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat mixture in between each egg. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
- Next, add half of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream, and finished with the last of the flour mixture. Make sure to mix well in between each addition.
- Now, pour half of the batter into your prepared pan.
- Evenly sprinkle the center mixture over cake batter and top with remaining batter.
- Sprinkle top of cake batter with streusel topping.
- Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Notes
- Store at room temperature for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Wrap a whole cake in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Bring your cold cake batter ingredients to room temperature for more complete mixing and to avoid overmixing and excess gluten production.
- Cube the butter for your cinnamon layer, then leave it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to mix. This ensures the butter is as cold as possible, resulting in a better mix.
- Mix your batter until the ingredients are just combined, meaning everything is moistened. Overmixing will create a dense, tough cake.
- If you use a dark loaf pan, check your cake for doneness about 5 minutes earlier than usual. Dark pans bake faster.
Nutrition
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