Brown Sugar Coffee Cake Recipe

Riddle us this: what kind of cake pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee? Coffee cake, of course. And this common pairing is why it's called coffee cake, since there's actually no coffee in the cake itself. Now, let us tell you... this isn't your Grandma Ruby's ordinary coffee cake. This cake is moist, with a perfect butter flavor, and a wonderful brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa filling swirled throughout the cake. Once you make this coffee cake, you may never attempt another coffee cake recipe again.

Before You Get Started Making Brown Sugar Coffee Cake

Measure/Weigh all of the ingredients

Generously butter and flour a bundt pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake Ingredients And Amounts (Yields 1 bundt cake)

For The Cake

3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp (10g) baking powder

1 tsp (5g) baking soda

1/2 tsp (3g) salt

3/4 cups (170g) unsalted butter - softened at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar

1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract

3 (150g) eggs

2 cups (454g) sour cream

For The Filling

3/4 cup (165g) packed dark brown sugar

1 tbsp (8g) cinnamon

1 tbsp (7g) cocoa powder

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake Step-By-Step Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2) In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set it aside.

3) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer) combine softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes).

4) With mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (about 30 seconds).

5) Add the dry ingredients from Step 2, alternating with the sour cream. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Put the batter aside and make your filling.

6) For the filling, in a bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Stir or whisk together well.

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake Assembly

1) Butter and flour the bundt pan well.

2) Spoon about 1/4th of the batter into the bundt pan and then sprinkle 1/3 of the filling. Repeat that process until you have four layers of batter and three layers of filling.

3) Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4) After removing the bundt pan from the oven. Turn the pan over onto a cooling rack while the cake is still warm. If the cake doesn't remove easily, give the bottom of the pan a few taps with a spoon to help remove the cake.

5) Brew up your favorite cup of coffee and enjoy.

Brown Sugar Coffee Cake Sweet Notes

We like to use a pastry brush to apply softened butter into all the crevices of the bundt pan. It's important to grease the bundt pan well for easy removal

Sprinkle the bundt cake with some powdered sugar before serving

Add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling if you want to add some crunch to your cake

Store coffee cake covered at room temperature for 3-4 days

Recipe adapted from Sweet Secrets