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Make-ahead cinnamon coffee cake in a large rectangular pan, with two squares cut out, beside two cups of coffee and a bowl of drizzle with a spoon.
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4.82 / 11 votes

Make-Ahead Cinnamon Coffee Cake

No brunch should take place without a coffee cake. Serving a warm cake in the morning often means getting up before the sun, but letting the batter chill overnight keeps the early alarm silent. Because the batter rests in the baking pan, there’s no pressure to perform a dive into the bakeware cabinet before enjoying the first cup of coffee.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time9 hours 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 574

Ingredients

For the coffee cake

  • 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the baking dish
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the baking dish
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the nut crumble

  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons (2 oz) melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the drizzle icing

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the coffee cake

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugars, beating well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  • In a small bowl, combine sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Allow each addition to be fully incorporated before continuing.
  • Butter and flour a 13-by-9-inch (33-by-23-cm) baking dish. Pour the batter into the dish, cover tightly, and chill 8 to 24 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Let the batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make the nut crumble

  • While the chilled batter comes to room temperature, in a medium bowl, stir together all of the nut crumble ingredients.
  • Sprinkle the batter with the nut crumble. Bake in the preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Make the drizzle icing

  • In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk until glossy and looks like satin ribbons when a spoon is lifted from the bowl.
  • Drizzle the icing over the cake and serve.

Notes

  1. Storage--Leftover cake can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
  2. Individual portions--For a quick snack or dessert, freeze individual slices of the cake, well-wrapped in plastic.
  3. Substitutions--If nut allergies are a concern, leave the nuts out of the crumble. The topping will be more like a streusel, but it will be every bit as delicious.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 262mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 38g