![Chocolate Layer Cake](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/27/multimedia/27cakerex-plzm/27cakerex-plzm-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Coffee and Cream Coffee Cake
![Coffee and Cream Coffee Cake](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/04/02/dining/em-coffee-cream-coffee-cake/em-coffee-cream-coffee-cake-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
- ½cup/50 grams old-fashioned oats
- ⅓cup/75 grams light or dark brown sugar
- 1tablespoon espresso powder (or instant espresso)
- ¼teaspoon baking powder
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10tablespoons/140 grams cold unsalted butter (1¼ sticks)
- 12ounces/340 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
- 1large egg
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2½cups/320 grams all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons espresso powder (or instant espresso)
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks), at room temperature
- ¾cup/165 grams light or dark brown sugar
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- 3large eggs
- 1tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾cup/180 milliliters coffee, cooled
- ½cup/120 milliliters sour cream
- Confectioners’ sugar, as needed for finishing
For the Streusel
For the Cream Cheese Filling
For the Coffee Cake
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the streusel: In a medium bowl, stir the flour, oats, brown sugar, espresso powder, baking powder and salt to combine. Cut the butter into tablespoon portions and drop it into the bowl. Mix with your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture is thoroughly combined and comes together to form large clumps; set aside.
- Step 2
Make the cream cheese filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl well, then add the egg and mix until fully incorporated. Transfer filling to a medium bowl and clean out the mixing bowl.
- Step 3
Make the coffee cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Line the edge of the pan with 2 strips of parchment paper cut to the height and diameter of the ring, then spray the ring again. (This helps prevent the cake from sticking and makes it easier to unmold.) Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Step 4
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to combine. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer), cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix, scraping the bowl well after each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- Step 5
Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. With the mixer running, gradually pour the coffee into the mixture in a slow, steady stream, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Step 6
Add half of the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed to combine. Add the sour cream and mix to combine, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well to ensure the mixture is homogenous.
- Step 7
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle half of the streusel over the surface of the batter. Dollop the cream cheese mixture by the heaping tablespoons all over the surface of the batter, keeping it about an inch away from the sides. Spoon it over as evenly as you can, but don’t try to spread it once it’s on top of the batter.
- Step 8
Pour the remaining batter over the cream cheese and gently spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining streusel on top. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cake springs back slightly in the center when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, checking it at about 1 hour and 20 minutes, then baking another 10 minutes if necessary. If your streusel is becoming too dark before the cake is done, loosely cover it with foil.
- Step 9
Run a thin knife around the outside edge of the parchment paper ring to loosen it from the edge of the pan. Cool the cake for 20 to 30 minutes inside the pan, then remove the outer ring of the pan and the parchment paper and let cool completely. If desired, gently loosen the cake from the base and transfer to a platter, or simply leave it on the base to serve. Garnish with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
This cake was delicious and very large. It will feed an army. Making it for a party of two during quarantine was a blessing and a curse.
Had very successful results with these tweaks (thanks to prev posters) 1. Reduce flour in streusel to 1 cup 2. Double the cream cheese filling recipe and do two layers: cake, cream, streusel, cake, cream streusel 3. Reduce sugars to 2/3 cup each for cake 4. Use a 10" angel food tube pan and place on a sheet pan. Zero problems with timing or overflow. My cake was done at 1 hour, 20 min., and I rotated the pan midway.
10 minutes in the oven and it’s already overflowing. I would recommend a 10” springform instead of a 9”.
Don’t drop as you’re putting it in the oven.
Used a 9.5" pan. Make sure to have the parchment come up the side at least 1 over the pan. Cut both sugars by 1/4 cup in the cake - perfect sweetness for us. Made the streusel in a food processor because it's easier. Decreased flour in the streusel by 1/2 cup as others suffested. The time was pretty much spot on for me - 1:20 at 375.
I would recommend doubling the cream cheese filling and do cake, filling, cake, filling with the streusel in between each layer. It’s a bit dry and the filling is super good way to try balance it out!
This has a delicious coffee and cream flavor but is rather dense. The streusel topping is too flour-y so when I make it again I will cut back on the flour and add a bit more brown sugar. My cream cheese dollops made more of a ribbon than gooey bobs as pictured here. Very pretty when sliced but it would be best for a group as it yields a rather tall cake. Mine took 1:50 at 350 degrees.
After reading the other notes, I decided to add just a bit more cream cheese, 1/4 C. I also only had an 11 inch springform pan, so that’s what I used. Baked it for 1 hr. and 15 min. and it came out perfectly.
This is pretty good, but as others have commented, it takes much longer to bake - mine took 1:50 at 350 degrees. Make this recipe when you have some time. Didn't experience any overflow; I cut the parchment paper 1.5 inches above the pan. Reduced to a cup of flour for the streusel, and I'd cut it down even more next time - still too much. However, the streusel itself was tasty. This cake is at its best when you get a good bite with the cream cheese - of which I thought there could be more.
Made this for Easter, overall I would make it again! The parchment paper I cut to stand about 1.5 inches above the rim, otherwise I think it would have bubbled over. Listened to the comments and decreased the flour in the streusel but about 1/2 a cup and increased the brown sugar by about a 1/4 cup and it was a good balance. Cook time was a tad longer, about 1:45 in total. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
Made this for my quarantine birthday and followed the recipe exactly. Way too much flour in the streusel, causing the cake to be dry do to half of the floury streusel being sprinkled into the cake. I'm not a huge fan of overly sweet desserts and this was still not sweet enough. The cream cheese filling was delicious. I definitely like the idea of this cake, but it needs adjustments.
I'm not one to read reviews in advance of trying a new recipe--now I wish I had before I invested the time, effort, and ingredients into making it. I followed the recipe as written. "Total Time: 2 hours" HA! It took me nearly that long to get the cake ready to put in the oven. I nearly cut the extra parchment paper that extended above the rim of the pan and was SO glad that I didn't. The cake is unbelievably dry. What a disappointment. Deleting this one from my Recipe Book.
For something so delicious before it hits the oven (the dough is amazing!), this cake comes out very bland, dry and - boring. No hint of coffee the next day, no moistness from the cake. Had higher hopes.
After reading the notes below, I made this cake in a 10” springmold pan, with a pan under it to catch drips. It dripped. A lot. The streusel sank into the cake, and even though my cake tester came out clean, the inside of the cake was about the consistency of fudge sauce which never firmed up. It was a delicious pudding, in a cake ring. I might try it again, but not soon.
Entire recipe reduced by 2/3 works well in a 9” spring form tube pan
Agree that flour should be reduced to 1 cup for the stressed as ot was too dry and there was too much of it. Otherwise delicious
Omigosh! Ever wonder why people call 'coffee cake' coffee cake?! This one finally earns its name! And who doesn't love the flavor of coffee ice cream? Tastes heavenly! I reduced sugar by 1/2 cup and didn't have enough cream cheese, so used some cottage cheese. I also used only one cup flour in streusel. Did not have sour cream, so used yogurt and milk with a tad bit of vinegar instead. I used a food processor for both streusel (first), then cream filling (no washing between). Everyone loves it!
I should have read more of the notes before I bothered. I didn’t have the “overflow” issues others talked about, but the cake came out really dense. I also don’t think the flavors are good enough to bother trying this one again.
I tackled this yesterday, following the recipe meticulously, hoping it would be better than it was. IF I made it again I would halve the streusel and only put it on the top (too much butter seeps into the cake batter when streusel is added as indicated in the recipe). I halved the recipe and used a 7" springform pan, with parchment at least 1/2" above the rim of the pan. It took 1.5 hours at 350 degrees. It looked fabulous, tasted okay, but the cake texture was off (definitely not dry).
The cake sunk horribly and cracked in the middle. Needed 1 hour and 50 minutes at 350 for the middle to firm up. Good flavor, streusel top is nice and crispy, cake part is dry.
"...with 2 strips of parchment paper cut to the height and diameter of the ring..." should this be "height and circumference" instead?
Halved the recipe except for the cream cheese mix, reduced flour in the streusel and sugar in the cake per some comments (I also find most cake recipes too sweet). Baked 1hr 10min in a 9in springform pan. It rose to about 3/4” from the top so would have overflowed as a full recipe. Could have reduced bake time to an hour as the edges were a bit overbaked. Otherwise pleased, especially with the doubled cream cheese filling ratio, which I layered in twice. Big cake, even as half recipe.
I made this cake following a couple of suggestions (angel food cake pan and less flour in the streusel). While everyone liked the flavor in particular with the cream filling, I don’t see the point of adding the streusel to the batter. It was a weird oaty texture and made the cake heavy in my opinion. The cream filling was delicious but next time I would put it only on top of the cake as it sunk quite a bit, almost to the bottom.
I ended up having to bake this for 1 hr 45 min covered with foil. Super fun coffee cake recipe.
I only put half a cup of flour and 8 tablespoons of butter in the streusel and it was still a lot. Didn’t have sour cream so used crème fraiche and ricotta cheese. No cinnamon but added equal amounts of cocoa with the espresso powder. Delicious cake. Huge.
Question: Do we think this cake could be frozen after baking for later use? Or would that just make the cream cheese filling all grainy?
Advertisement