Go Back
Several pieces of coffee coffee cake stacked on a wire rack, with a cup of coffee next to them.
Print Recipe
4.62 / 26 votes

Coffee Cake with an Espresso Swirl

This moist coffee cake gets a caffeine boost from the ribbon of espresso swirl running through it and finished with a crumbly brown-butter streusel topping.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 503

Ingredients

For the brown butter streusel

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup plus 1 heaped tablespoon light brown or superfine sugar, (or just blitz granulated sugar in a blender until finely ground but not powdery)
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (4 ½ ounces) unsalted butter

For the espresso swirl

  • ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 3 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or more to taste
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the sour cream coffee cake

  • 1 ½ sticks plus 1 teaspoon (6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
  • 1 ½ cups superfine sugar (or just blitz granulated sugar in a blender until finely ground but not powdery)
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup sour cream, preferably full fat
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the streusel

  • In a medium bowl, mix the flour, light brown or superfine sugar, and salt.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring frequently. The butter will melt, sizzle, splatter, and then start to foam. As it foams, little golden brown flecks will start to appear. Before these flecks burn, remove the pan from the heat.
  • Immediately pour the butter over the dry ingredients, using a fork to stir until it all clumps together. You’re looking for a mix of fine crumbs and big chunks. Stash the bowl in the freezer while you prepare the swirl and cake.

Make the espresso swirl

  • In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, espresso powder, and cinnamon.

Make the sour cream coffee cake

  • Crank the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking pan and line it with parchment paper long enough to overhang the 2 long sides of the pan.
  • Beat the butter and sugar In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, until light and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
  • Add the vanilla to the butter mixture and mix briefly to combine. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until fully combined before adding another. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream, starting and finishing with the flour.

Assemble the cake

  • Spoon 1/2 of the cake batter in the prepared pan, spreading it in an even layer. This is a thick batter, but persists. It's worth it.
  • Sprinkle it with the espresso swirl. Dollop small spoonfuls of the remaining batter on the swirl, covering as much of it as possible before gently spreading it with a spatula so that all of the swirl mixture is covered.
  • Crumble the streusel on the batter in an even layer. Bake until the cake is lightly browned at the edges, wonderfully aromatic, and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

Cool and serve

  • Let the coffee cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Use the parchment paper handles to gently lift the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Cut into squares and serve. (You can keep the coffee cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 327mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g