Tangy Yogurt Coffee Cake
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
A moist, crumbly coffee cake with a tart yogurt twist and cinnamon streusel topping. Swapping half the milk for buttermilk adds tang and lifts the crumb. The streusel mixes dry and crumbly, topping the cake in generous layers. Butter and sugars creamed light and fluffy, eggs added slow, flour alternating with dairy keeps the batter light but structured. Oven preheated to 345°F; baking until toothpick comes out with few moist crumbs not wet. Resting after baking key to settle flavors and ease slicing. Streusel cinnamon aromatic, slightly salty to balance sweetness. Adapted ingredients for depth and moisture, tips on substitutions and spotting doneness from a cook who’s tested many versions.
Prep:
25 min
Cook:
58 min
Total:
83 min
Servings:
16 servings
#American
#Breakfast
#Baking
#Coffee Cake
#Yogurt
#Buttermilk
#Streusel
#Cinnamon
Had to get the tang right. This cake—never quite got it with all milk. Yogurt and buttermilk combo does the trick. Butter and sugar beat light and fluffy; sugar’s not just sweet, it’s structure and crust. Flour and milk applied alternately; get the timing right or crumb gets heavy or gummy. Streusel? Cold butter, dry mix; crumbly not paste. Layering keeps textures distinct, batter doesn’t fully cover streusel on purpose. Oven cues important—golden browning with that cinnamon nut aroma says stop. Resting post-bake crucial; slicing right away turns crumb to mess. Tried substitutes, swapped milk with buttermilk and Greek yogurt for moisture with bite. Learned butter temperature impacts streusel texture. Long bake, slow cool, breadier crumb than quick cakes. Familiar coffee cake with my own tweaks.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 1/4 cups milk whole or 2%
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
About the ingredients
Soft butter for creaming, but not melted or overly warm; this traps air. Yogurt tang and moisture; can swap for sour cream but yogurt’s lighter, less fat. Buttermilk adds acidity to work with baking powder, gives better rise and tender crumb. Milk can be any fat %, but whole or 2% preferred for richness. Eggs stabilize batter, add moisture and richness; temperature matters for emulsion, so room temp eggs always. Flour sifted to avoid lumps, and too much flour toughens cake. Streusel butter must be cold for crumbly texture; if warm, mix becomes paste and bakes dense. Cinnamon and salt balance sweetness and add aroma. Substitutions: swap brown sugar with coconut sugar or maple syrup but expect texture shift; reduce liquid slightly with syrup. Use gluten-free flour blend for GF but lower rise and crumb will be more delicate.
Method
Batter Preparation
- Preheat oven to 345°F with rack in middle position. Butter or grease a 9x13 pan generously; no scraping corners later.
- Cream softened butter with sugars in stand mixer on medium until light, pale, and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Listen for change in sound as air gets whipped in.
- Blend in salt, baking powder, and vanilla extract; mix well but avoid overbeating to keep tender crumb.
- Add Greek yogurt and buttermilk, blending until smooth and shiny. Tang from yogurt is key here; buttermilk adds balance and tenderness.
- Add eggs one by one, pausing to scrape bowl edges. Each fully mixed before next. Don’t rush; eggs emulsify and stabilize batter structure.
- Alternate flour and milk additions, starting and ending with flour. Mix low and slow or flour will toughen the cake. Stop as soon as no streaks remain.
Streusel Assembly
- Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt in bowl. Cut cold butter into chunks adding to dry mix. Use pastry cutter or two forks to break butter into crumbly mix. Should be uneven clumps about pea-size, no butter melting. If topping feels wet, chill 10 minutes.
Layering and Baking
- Spoon half the batter into the pan; spread evenly with offset spatula. Cramping or lumpy surface fine, just level-ish.
- Scatter half the streusel over batter. Don’t press down; keep airy clumps.
- Spoon remaining batter on streusel carefully—won’t fully cover, best left patchy for contrast.
- Top with rest of streusel generously. Slight pressing is okay but keep crumbs loose for texture contrast.
- Bake 55-60 minutes. Watch color: golden atop, edges pulling from pan, streusel deepening in cinnamon aroma.
- Insert toothpick near center; expect moist crumbs attached, not raw batter. Resist overbaking; dry cake no fun.
- Let cool in pan 15-20 minutes. Aroma will deepen, crumb settle. Cool further before slicing to avoid crumble falling apart.
Storage & Serving Tips
- Wrap leftovers tightly to preserve moist crumb; streusel loses crunch after 24 hours, so best fresh.
- Reheat slices briefly for softer butter notes and fresh aroma.
- Great with coffee or tea; yogurt makes it hold up well as breakfast or snack.
Cooking tips
Greasing pan well prevents sticking and stress at removal. Creaming butter and sugars incorporates air—longer beat, fluffier crumb; don’t skimp. Adding dry after wet in stages ensures even mixing, prevents overmixing or pockets of flour. Yogurt and buttermilk give tang and react with baking powder for lift. Eggs one at a time ensures full incorporation for batter stability. Streusel: use cutters or forks to keep butter cold and in pea-sized bits. Overmix makes paste. Layer half batter then streusel then rest batter then streusel for texture contrast and visible layers. Batter won’t fully cover streusel—this intentional. Visual cues dominate bake: edge shrinkage, golden top, cinnamon scent. Toothpick should emerge with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Resting cake lets moisture redistribute and streusel set to avoid crumble fall-apart. Slicing best with serrated knife; clean slices vs. torn crumb.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Cold butter key for streusel crumbly texture. Warm butter melts too fast, mix goes paste-like and bakes dense. Cut into chunks first. Use pastry cutter or forks. Clumps pea-size—not uniform crumbs but no big chunks. If wet, chill 10 mins, important for layering contrast and crisp topping.
- 💡 Add eggs one at a time; scrape bowl edges between each. Slow addition stabilizes batter, emulsifies fats with dairy. Skip rushing or batter falls apart. Flour alternates with milk; start and end with flour. Mix low speed—overmix toughens crumb. Watch flour dust settle. Batter shiny, smooth signals ready.
- 💡 Oven signals matter. Preheat to 345°F—not lower or crumb collapses. Bake 55-60 mins. Check color: golden top, edges pulling from pan. Cinnamon streusel smell deepens—aroma strong means bake approaching done. Toothpick test crucial: few moist crumbs cling but no wet batter. Overbake dries crumb, lose moist bite.
- 💡 Rest cake 15-20 mins in pan before slicing. Crumb needs settling or slices crumble. Cool longer for cleaner cuts, use serrated knife to avoid tear. Wrap leftovers tight; streusel loses crunch after 1 day. Reheat slices short time to soften butter notes. Keep moist but no sog.
- 💡 Milk substitutions shift moisture and texture. Whole or 2% preferred for richness. Buttermilk adds acidity for rise and tender crumb; yogurt provides tang plus moisture but lighter fat. Sour cream can swap for yogurt—use less for moisture. Brown sugar swap with coconut sugar or maple syrup changes texture, lowers rise; reduce liquid slightly with syrup.
Common questions
Why add eggs one at a time?
Eggs stabilize batter structure. Add slow. Emulsifies fat and dairy. Skip speed or batter breaks. Beats done texture. Not random.
How to know when streusel is ready to bake?
Look for pea-size clumps not butter mix paste. Cool butter must stay solid. If crumbs too soft or wet, chill 10 minutes. Smell cinnamon but no melting butter smell.
Cake edges pull from pan early?
Good sign oven hitting right temp. Means crust firming, crumb setting. Not drying yet. If too early and dry, oven hot or too low moisture. Adjust timings or temps next bake.
How to store cake best?
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or air-tight container. Keeps crumbs moist; streusel crisp lost after 24 hours. Refrigerate if warm kitchen; cover prevents drying. Reheat slices briefly restores softness.
