Cream cheese coffee cake is a moist and tender coffee cake filled with a layer of decadent cream cheese. This coffee cake with cream cheese is topped with a classic buttery, crunchy streusel that is the perfect complement to the creamy filling. Make this classic cream cheese filled coffee cake for a wonderfully delicious weekend of holiday breakfast or brunch.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore a delicious coffee cake recipe. My Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Banana Coffee Cake, Blueberry Coffee Cake, Buttermilk Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Streusel Muffins and Maple Pumpkin Coffee Cake are just a few I love from the blog. This blueberry coffee cake with sour cream is filled with the coziest flavors and textures. If you’re a fan of decadent breakfast dishes or just love a wonderfully delicious streusel topped cake paired with your coffee, this recipe is for you.
- Layers of flavors and textures. From the soft and fluffy vanilla cake, layered with the sweet, tangy and creamy cheesecake filling to the sweet and buttery streusel, this sour cream coffee cake will delight your senses.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. This homemade cream cheese swirl coffee cake tastes like you just bought it from a bakery, but is so simple to make. Simply make the streusel, mix up the sour cream coffee cake and cream cheese filling, assemble, bake and enjoy.
Ingredients
This recipe for cream cheese crumb cake coffee cake requires a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.
Streusel Topping and Cream Cheese Filling
Gather all purpose flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and butter. For the filling gather cream cheese and granulated sugar.
Coffee Cake
Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
These cheesecake coffee cake are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions to make this cake if you need them.
- All purpose flour: To make this coffee cake gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill and measure based off of weight (240 g) versus cup for cup.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These both act as leaveners in this coffee cake.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: This cream cheese sour cream coffee cake recipe calls for granulated sugar and light brown sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make this cake refined sugar free.
- Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt. Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Sour Cream: This ingredient is standard in the classic coffee cake. However, a thick and creamy greek yogurt works well in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Cream Cheese Filling: Use a full fat block cream cheese such as Philadelphia cream cheese. Mascarpone cheese is a good substitute for the cream cheese. To make the cream cheese filling richer, thicker and a bit easier to spread, mix 1 egg into the filling.
Variations
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake: Add up to 2 cups blueberries tossed in 1 tablespoon of flour into the coffee cake batter. Prepare the rest of the recipe as written.
- Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake: Zest 1 full lemon into the cream cheese filling. Zest 1 full lemon and add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) into the coffee cake batter. Top the lemon cream cheese cake with lemon glaze.
- Lemon Glaze: Top the creamy cheese coffee cake with a tart lemon glaze. Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g) with 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) lemon juice until smooth. Pour over the warm coffee cake and enjoy.
- Vanilla Glaze: Top the coffee cake with a vanilla glaze. Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g) with 1 teaspoons (5 ml) vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons milk. Pour over the warm coffee cake and enjoy.
How To Make
Learn how to make cream cheese coffee cake in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt for the streusel topping. Using a fork, mix in a couple tablespoons (30 ml) of melted butter at a time until a sand like texture develops.
- Make the cream cheese filling by mixing the softened cream cheese with sugar until well combined. Set aside at room temperature while making the coffee cake.
- In a medium bowl whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. On low, cream in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Alternating dry ingredients and sour cream, mix in ? of the dry ingredients into the wet, followed by ½ of the sour cream. Repeat until all the ingredients are just combined.
- Evenly spread ½ of the prepared coffee cake into the prepared pan. Top the cake batter with all of the cream cheese filling.Top the cream cheese filling with the remaining coffee cake batter. Top the coffee cake batter with the streusel.
6. Bake the coffee cake for 50 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the creamy coffee cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool the coffee cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Cool the coffee cake for another 30 - 60 minutes. Top with powdered sugar or a glaze, slice and enjoy!
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Parts of these coffee cake can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the streusel topping according to the recipe directions and place it in an airtight storage container and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the coffee cake.
- Store: Place the slices of the cream cheese coffee cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Make sure the creamy cream coffee cake is completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the cream cheese filled coffee cake is to let it sit out at room temperature for at least two hours or overnight in the fridge. Enjoy at room temperature or microwave the coffee cake slice for 20 - 30 seconds for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy, moist and tender coffee cake.
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Use the baking times as a guide. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a guide. As a general rule, when the coffee cake becomes fragrant, it’s a good idea to start checking. Begin checking on the coffee cake at the minimum baking time. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
FAQs
No, the name “coffee cake” implies that this type of cake is perfect when served with coffee.
Yes, homemade cream cheese coffee should be stored in the fridge. Just like with cheesecake or other cream cheese filled desserts, this coffee cake needs to be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese filling.
Both types of cake are made with the same basic ingredients such as flour, butter, eggs and sugar. The biggest difference between the cakes is how they are topped. Regular cakes are topped with frosting, while coffee cake is typically topped with streusel or crumb topping.
Other Cream Cheese Recipes to Try
If you try this Cream Cheese Coffee Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
Ingredients
Coffee Cake Streusel
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 - 8 tablespoons (85 - 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
Coffee Cake
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside for now.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt for the streusel topping. Using a fork, mix in a couple tablespoons (30 ml) of melted butter at a time until a sand like texture develops. There will be a few bigger crumbs, but most should be smaller pieces. Place the bowl in the fridge until the coffee cake is ready for topping.1¼ cups (150 g) all purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 6 - 8 tablespoons (85 - 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- Make the cream cheese filling by mixing the softened cream cheese with sugar until well combined. Set aside at room temperature while making the coffee cake.8 oz. (226 g) cream cheese, room temperature, ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- In a medium bowl whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined. Set aside for now.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. On low, cream in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Alternating dry ingredients and sour cream, mix in ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet, followed by ½ of the sour cream. Repeat until all the ingredients are just combined.2 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 3 large eggs, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, room temperature
- Evenly spread ½ of the prepared coffee cake into the prepared pan. Top the cake batter with all of the cream cheese filling. Top the cream cheese filling with the remaining coffee cake batter. Top the coffee cake batter with the streusel, making sure to break any extra large pieces.
- Bake the coffee cake for 50 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the creamy coffee cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool the coffee cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Gently release the ring of the springform pan. Cool the coffee cake for another 30 - 60 minutes. Top with powdered sugar or a glaze, slice and enjoy!
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