Copycat Starbucks Cinnamon Coffee Cake

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Copycat Starbucks Cinnamon Coffee Cake

This Starbucks Coffee Cake copycat is soft, buttery, and loaded with cinnamon streusel. It’s just like the bakery version—but even better homemade! Shared from The Everything Restaurant Copycat Recipes Cookbook by Kelly Jaggers.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coffee cake, copycat starbucks, starbucks

Servings: servings

Author: Lori Lange

Ingredients

CAKE:

¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (Add ½ teaspoon almond extract for additional flavor, if you'd like)
2¼ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

STREUSEL:

½ cup packed light brown sugar
⅔ cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE:

Preheat the oven to 325℉ and spray an 8x8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and vanilla and stir well.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add ⅓ of the sour cream mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed for 10 seconds. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed for 15 seconds. Repeat with the remaining sour cream mixture and flour mixture, ending with the sour cream mixture.

FOR THE STREUSEL:

In a separate medium bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix with your (clean) fingers until the mixture resembles damp sand.
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the streusel mixture, then spread the remaining batter over the top. Evenly spread the remaining streusel over the top.
Bake 60 to 70 minutes until the center of the cake springs back when gently pressed. Cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.

Notes

TIPS:

1. Use room temperature butter and eggs.
Cold butter won’t cream properly, and cold eggs make the batter dense. Set everything out 30 to 60 minutes before baking.

2. Cream the butter and sugar long enough.
You want it light and fluffy, not just mixed. This builds structure and keeps the cake from turning heavy.

3. Don't skip sifting the flour mixture.
Sifting ensures the cake has that fine, bakery-style crumb instead of a coarse texture.

4. Mix only until combined after adding dry ingredients.
Overmixing develops gluten, which results in a tough cake. Stop mixing as soon as the batter looks uniform.

5. Keep the butter cold for the streusel.
Warm or softened butter melts too quickly and makes the topping greasy instead of crumbly.

6. Don’t overwork the streusel.
It should look like damp sand + small pebbles, not a paste.

7. Press the top streusel lightly into the batter.
Just a gentle tap so it adheres while baking but still stays crumbly.

8. Bake low and slow: 325°F is key.
This is how you get that soft, tender Starbucks-style crumb instead of a drier, faster-baked cake.

9. If the streusel begins to brown too quickly:
Tent lightly with foil during the final 15 minutes.

10. Cool completely before cutting.
Warm cake crumbles and looks messy.
Cool cake = clean coffee shop slices.

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