Thick Cream Cheese Coffee Cake has a layer of cheesecake and is topped with a crunchy Cinnamon Streusel. You’ll love the moist texture with ribbon of cream cheese!
If you love coffee cakes, our sour cream coffee cake is also delicious. or give our blueberry buckle a try, bursting with blueberries in every bite!
Why This Coffee Cake is Best
I love coffee. Maybe I may have mentioned this once or twice on the blog?
From dalgona coffee to pumpkin cream cold brew, I love a cup of joe!
I’m not much of a breakfast eater though. Unless of course it involves some sort of pastry or baked good. Then I’m all. over. it.
And to be honest, this Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is one of my favorites, with it’s thick filling and crunchy streusel topping!
Similar to our streusel bundt coffee cake, today’s recipe has a moist texture, and I’ve added in a layer of cream cheese and topped it with a generous helping of cinnamon streusel.
- FOUR layers of deliciousness – cake, filling, streusel and glaze
- Makes a BIG batch that’s perfect for sharing with a crowd
- Or make TWO smaller coffee cakes – one for now, one for later
Be sure to try our chocolate chip coffee cake next. So good and easy (and also makes two cakes).
Ingredient Notes
- Flour – You’ll need regular all-purpose flour for today’s coffee cake. Be sure to measure the flour correctly.
- Butter – I use and prefer unsalted butter for my baking, but salted will be fine. Omit half of the kosher salt if using salted butter.
- Sugar – The cake and filling uses regular granulated sugar while the streusel on top calls for both granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- Vanilla – Make sure to use real vanilla extract (NOT imitation). Try my homemade vanilla extract for amazing flavor in your baked goods!
- Buttermilk – This adds to the rich and tangy flavor. You can make your own buttermilk if needed.
- Cream Cheese – Be sure to buy the block cream cheese, not the tub. And it needs to be softened at room temp for at least 15 minutes for this recipe.
Easy Instructions
Step 1. Prep the pans. Grease and flour your 13×9 baking dish. I use homemade cake release, but a baking spray works too! Or make this recipe in two 9-inch cake pans (same oven temperature and bake time).
Step 2. Make the cake batter. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Beat in softened butter until mixture is crumbly. Add in eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and beat until fully combined and fluffy.
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Step 3. Make the cream cheese filling. Beat the cream cheese with sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
Pour the cream cheese filling over the coffee cake batter. Top with the remaining coffee cake batter.
Step 4. Make the topping. Mix the sugars with cinnamon and salt. Add in the butter and combine fully.
Add the flour and mix with your hands until fully combined.
Sprinkle the topping all over the cake.
Step 5. Bake and cool. Bake the cake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for about 45 minutes, until fully cooked. Cool completely and serve.
Tips and Tricks
- You can use a 13×9 baking pan or two 9-inch cake pans. They will use the same oven temperature and baking time.
- Be sure to let the butter and cream cheese soften at room temperature before you make this recipe.
- Use an offset spatula to smooth the first layer of cake batter into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
- The second layer of cake batter that goes on top of the sprinkled streusel can just be spooned on. It doesn’t need to be spread out.
- Cool the cake completely before you slice it. It’s hard to be patient, but this allows it to set up properly.
- For added delicious flavor, whip up an easy icing to drizzle over the top!
Recipe FAQs
Once cooled, store the coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature. It’s best enjoyed within 3 days.
It can also be stored in the refrigerator to extend its shelf life. It will keep for up to 1 week.
Yes, it freezes great! Place slices of the cake in a ziploc freezer bag. Label and date the bag then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and enjoy!
You can make this cream cheese coffee cake in one 9×13 pan or in two 9-inch round cake pans. The baking time and temp are the same.
More delicious breakfast cake ideas
- No matter the time of year, this Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake is always a huge hit at our house!
- Make a quick and easy batch of this Cinnamon Coffee Creamer to go along with your coffee and cake! It’s a treat, and perfect to keep on hand.
- I love banana muffins! Especially these delicious Cinnamon Glazed Banana Streusel Muffins!! Perfect for a weekday breakfast, weekend brunch, or after dinner treat!
- Love streusel? You’ve got to try this homemade Instant Pot Apple Crisp with it’s ridiculous amount of streusel on top! PERFECTION!
- Delicious Cinnamon Swirl Zucchini Bread recipe tastes like a coffee cake with a cinnamon glaze. Two freezable loaves!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section below!
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Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
For the Filling:
- 2 packages cream cheese, softened 8 ounce each
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
For the Streusel:
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- For the cake, grease and flour a 13×9 baking dish and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt on low until combined. Beat in softened butter until mixture is crumbly. Add in eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and beat until fully combined and fluffy! Pour half the batter into baking dish, spreading evenly.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Pour over batter. Top with remaining half of cake batter.
- For the topping, mix sugars with cinnamon and salt. Add in butter and combine fully. Add flour and mix with hands until fully combined.
- Pour crumb topping over batter, sprinkling with hands until evenly distributed.
- Bake cake in a 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes, until fully cooked. Cool completely and serve.
Notes
- You can use a 13×9 baking pan or two 9-inch cake pans. They will use the same oven temperature and baking time.
- Be sure to let the butter and cream cheese soften at room temperature before you make this recipe.
- Use an offset spatula to smooth the first layer of cake batter into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
- The second layer of cake batter that goes on top of the sprinkled streusel can just be spooned on. It doesn’t need to be spread out.
- Cool the cake completely before you slice it. It’s hard to be patient, but this allows it to set up properly.
- For added delicious flavor, whip up an easy icing to drizzle over the top!
- Once cooled, store the coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature. It’s best enjoyed within 3 days. It can also be stored in the refrigerator to extend its shelf life. It will keep for up to 1 week.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
I committed to making this recipe and then realized more than 1/2 way through that I was using 3 1/2 sticks of butter in one recipe!! Holy Smokes I’ve never done that before and eating it I’m telling my family I will never be making it again because this is way too much butter (and sugar!!)
Also, I started making the crumb topping with the 1st and 2nd cups of flour and stopped. I think a 3rd cup of flour would have ruined the crumb topping.
cut the pieces small.
Cinnamon deliciousness! This looks fantastic!
Hi! If I made this a day ahead, would I need to refrigerate since it has cream cheese in it?
I would cover tightly and refrigerate if it makes you feel better. Personally I don’t, but that’s me 🙂 The cream cheese is cooked and stabilized!
Coffee Cake! sound interesting
I’ve bake it for an hr – and it still doesn’t appear fully cooked.
Anyone else having this problem?
I also found 45 minutes was insufficient for this recipe to be done. I did make a mistake in the cake recipe—I added 3 cups of flour instead of 2 1/2 cups. I thought the batter was too thick and then found out why! I am letting the cake cool and then will see if it is done. A small knife comes out clean but the center jiggles!
3c flour in the streusel? That’s more than in the cake batter is this correct?
Can Margarine be substituted for butter?
Just want to make this coffee cake and it’s delicious… yum!! The only question I have for making it. Do I need to cook it for 1hour and 15 minutes ? is 325°the right temp? Going to make it on my bestie’s birthday.
Like one other commenter who sounds like they actually made the cake, I also had trouble with the timing on the bake. Mine was in the oven probably for close to 1 hour and 30 minutes total as well. The problem was that the center just would not set, but by the time it finally did, the streusel got really dried out and the edges were tough and overbaked. The center was good, but the cake is so thick and high, and large, that the timing was very difficult to get right.
Cant’ wait to try this recipe! I
Someone needs to start a trend for recipes where there are separate threads for comments. One thread for SERIOUS questions and comments pertaining to the recipe itself. I want to know if you made it and if it was good or not and any issues or adaptations that were made. I don’t want to weed through the “that looks yummy” comments to find out if a recipe is worth making.
The other thread of comments would be for the “oh it looks yummy” and other such comments that one takes the time to make for what ever reason I’m not sure why.
Most of my recipes don’t have this many comments, but if there is a serious question, I usually try to address them as soon as possible!
I agree. “Looks yummy” doesn’t help me at all. sorry
3c flour in the streusel? That’s more than in the cake batter is this correct?
Just made the coffee cake and it’s delicious… yum!! Only question I had after making it is, I had to cook it for 1hour and 15 minutes before it was done… is 325°the right temp?
All I want from christmas this looks good that coffee looks yumm!:) <3
going to snow tomorrow…i’m going to make this recipe! i love my keurig! coffee and coffee cake is the best
i was debating on purchasing a keurig, I have such bad luck when it comes to coffee pots. its a family joke, I just can’t keep them working six months. but now that I read about yours, I just have to have one and pray that it will work for me forever. I love ice coffee in the summer and did not know about the kcups. so now I will bake that coffee cake today and go shopping for a keurig. love your site! thank you
If you haven’t bought the Keurig yet, you might want to look into the Ninja Coffee Bar. It’s my new favorite coffee appliance. I love that you can still make an individual cup of coffee, but with less environmental waste. It uses grounds instead k-cups! Plus it makes THE BEST iced coffee 🙂
I LOVE my ninja coffee maker. Best coffee and iced coffee. I’m spoiled from it, and now think coffee shops don’t compare. I made your coffee cake for a school veterans function. Everyone loved it, including my 12 year old son. I just made it again today for him. I did bake at 335• because my oven can be off and I added 5 minutes. It’s so good. Thank you.
Has anyone made this cake my is in the oven for 1 he and 30 min and not done
Hmm, sounds like maybe your measurements may have been off, or that your oven temperature might not be correct? Sorry it’s not working!
I have made this numerous times and it’s never done in 45 minutes. I follow the recipe to a T. You’re not alone!
So what did you end up doing??
I’ve been craving something decadent with cinnamon and I needed to use my cream cheese before I move in the next couple of weeks. I stumbled upon your recipe last night and decided to make this earlier today. I just ate a slice and wowza is it good!
Oh Sarah, thanks so much for stopping by with the sweet comment. So glad you loved the recipe. Good luck with your move 🙂
I made your recipe a couple of days ago. We are a family where everyone loves their coffee. This recipe had the honor to be our family’s superbowl snack! Guess what? Everyone has nothing but praises for it. I’m passing the credit to you now :). Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
I’m so happy to hear it!!! This is one of my favorite coffee cakes 🙂
Hi. Can this cake be frozen for a few weeks after it is baked? thanks!!!!
It sure can!! ENJOY!