✔ Updated · step photos, calories and the big-crumb streusel trick
This copycat Starbucks cinnamon coffee cake is a soft sour cream cake with a cinnamon sugar ribbon and a thick, crumbly streusel lid. It's the slice I always eye in the pastry case, baked in one 9×13 pan.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Make the streusel with melted butter and chill it while you mix the batter. Melted butter gives you the big, chunky crumbs, and chilling keeps them from sinking into the cake.
Why You'll Love This Coffee Cake
- Big streusel crumbs, about as much topping as cake, just like the café squares.
- Soft and moist, thanks to a full cup of sour cream in the batter.
- Feeds a crowd, with 16 squares from one pan, and it keeps for days.
What Makes the Starbucks Cinnamon Coffee Cake So Good?
Three layers do all the work: a buttery, tender sour cream cake, a thin ribbon of cinnamon brown sugar through the middle and a really generous streusel on top. The café squares are almost half topping, and that's the bit everyone fights over.
My copycat-style version keeps those proportions. The trick is a streusel made with melted butter, which clumps into big crunchy pieces instead of sandy crumbs.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Room-temperature dairy. Soft butter, eggs and sour cream blend into a smooth, fluffy batter. Cold sour cream makes the butter seize into little lumps, so I set everything out 30 minutes ahead.
- Don't overmix. Once the flour goes in, mix on low just until it disappears. Overmixing makes the cake tough instead of tender.
- Spread the top layer gently. Dollop the second half of the batter all over the cinnamon sugar and spread it with an offset spatula. It feels fiddly, but it stops the swirl from smearing into a muddy streak.
- Trust the toothpick, not the timer. Ovens vary, and the thick streusel hides how the cake underneath is doing. Check at 40 minutes, then every 3 to 4 minutes. If the streusel browns too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the top.
- Let it cool. I know, it smells incredible. But a 30-minute rest lets the crumb set, so the squares cut cleanly and the streusel stays on top.
Copycat Starbucks Cinnamon Coffee Cake
16
servings20
minutes45
minutes370
kcal1
hour5
minutesA copycat Starbucks cinnamon coffee cake: a soft, tender sour cream cake with a ribbon of cinnamon brown sugar through the middle and a thick layer of big, buttery cinnamon streusel crumbs on top. Baked in a 9×13 pan and cut into 16 squares.
Ingredients
- For the Streusel
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the Cinnamon Swirl
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- For the Cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
Directions
- Prep the Toppings
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan and line it with a parchment sling.
- For the streusel, stir the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together, then pour in the melted butter and mix with a fork until it forms damp clumps. Squeeze some into bigger pieces and chill it while you make the batter.
- For the swirl, mix the 1/3 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Make the Cake
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with a mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Beat in the sour cream. On low speed, add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk, and mix just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick.
- Spread half the batter in the pan and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon swirl mixture. Dollop the remaining batter on top and gently spread it to the edges with an offset spatula.
- Scatter the streusel evenly over the top, keeping the big clumps whole.
- Bake
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before lifting out and cutting into 16 squares.
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Starbucks Coffee Cake Calories
Nutrition databases list a slice of the café cinnamon coffee cake at about 330 to 380 calories (check the Starbucks app for the current figure). A square of this homemade version is about 370 calories when you cut the pan into 16. Cut it into 24 smaller squares and each one drops to about 250 calories.
More Starbucks Bakery Copycats
Pair a square with my copycat Starbucks caramel macchiato, then try the Starbucks-style banana bread or gingerbread loaf. Short on time? My Bisquick coffee cake is a quick shortcut. The full collection is in my Starbucks copycat recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a Starbucks cinnamon coffee cake?
Nutrition databases list a slice of the café cinnamon coffee cake at roughly 330 to 380 calories, but recipes change, so check the Starbucks app for the current number. A square of this homemade version, cut 16 from a 9×13 pan, comes out around 370 calories.
Is there coffee in coffee cake?
No. Coffee cake is named for what you eat it with, not what's in it. It's a cake made to go with a cup of coffee, usually with a crumbly streusel topping and a cinnamon swirl. You can add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the swirl if you'd like a coffee flavor.
Why did my streusel sink into the cake?
Usually the streusel was too warm and soft, or the batter was too thin. Use melted butter, then chill the streusel while you make the batter, and keep the batter thick by measuring the flour carefully (spoon it into the cup and level it).
How do you store coffee cake?
Keep it covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The streusel softens a little over time; 10 seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in a 300°F oven perks a square right back up.
Can you freeze coffee cake?
Yes. Cool it completely, cut it into squares, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour, or warm a square in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
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