Think of a delicately moist coffee cake with a cinnamon swirl and a crunchy, sweet streusel on top. That’s what we’re making today.

If the first thought that comes to your mind when you think of coffee cake is dry-crumbly-use-up-a-week's-worth-of-saliva-in-one-bite-cake, then think again. No, no, no. Coffee cake is supposed to be sweet, but not quite as sweet as regular cake, flavorful, and with a beautifully dense crumb. That's fancy talk for moist. But for the mental care of some readers who have an avid dislike for that term, I tried to avoid using it. But I still did to explain myself. Just can't win.

Oh, and for some people who may be confused, there is (most often) no coffee involved in the batter. The final product, however, pairs beautifully with a mug of coffee. Hence the name. (Speaking of words we don't like...mug? No thanks. It's like your mouth was too lazy to talk - "mmmm" - then made a huge effort and ended up with "ug." Mmmmmmug.)

On to more delicious sounding, looking, and tasting things!!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Serves 9-12

Ingredients:

For the Cake

1/2 cup / 112g oil
1/2 cup / 100g sugar
1/4 cup / 50g brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup / 122g plain yogurt
1/2 cup / 119g milk
2 cups / 240g all-purpose flour

For the Cinnamon Swirl

1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

For the Streusel

1/3 cup / 67g sugar
1/4 cup / 30g all-purpose flour
1/4 cup / 23g rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp / 28g butter, melted

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 177°C. Greased 8x8in / 20x20cm square baking pan, or 8in / 20cm round cake pan.

Make the Cake

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat oil, sugars, baking powder, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Beat in egg.
In a separate small bowl mix together yogurt and milk.
Add a third of the flour to the oil mixture, mixing until almost combined. Add half of the yogurt mixture. Continue adding flour and yogurt mixture to oil mixture until everything is just combined.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan, spreading all the way to edges; set other half aside.

Make the Cinnamon Swirl

In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.
Sprinkle evenly over batter in pan.
Pour remaining batter over cinnamon filling and use a spatula to gently spread to edges.

Make the Streusel

In another small bowl, combine sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until crumbles form.
Evenly distribute crumble over batter in pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Jenny's Notes:

Watch that bake time. Toothpicks are your best friend. I was testing this recipe using my Italian oven that didn't like to bake things on the bottom, so you may need less time.
REALLY like coffee cake? Double this recipe and put in a 9x13 inch pan or two cake pans. You can always freeze one pan!
Don't have plain yogurt on hand? You can also use sweetened yogurt and reduce sugar by 1/4 cup / 50g, or try Greek yogurt, fresh ricotta, sour cream, or mascarpone. The dairy options are endless!!!! I really liked fresh ricotta in this recipe.