This cinnamon cream cheese coffee cake combines tender sour cream cake with a sweet cinnamon cream cheese filling and plenty of buttery cinnamon crumbs. It’s a wonderfully cozy cake for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.
I first shared a version of this coffee cake way back in 2012, and the combination of cinnamon, cream cheese, and crumb topping has remained a favorite. This version really leans into everything I love about it: a soft sour cream cake, a generous cinnamon cream cheese filling, and plenty of buttery crumbs on top.
Recipe update: I’ve revisited this longtime favorite to make the cake softer and more flavorful, with a more generous cream cheese filling and crumb topping. If you’ve made an earlier version, you’ll notice a few changes to the recipe and method.
Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Layers of texture. Soft, tender cake, a creamy cinnamon-spiced filling, and a generous layer of buttery crumbs make every bite a delight.
- Big cinnamon flavor. Cinnamon runs through the cake, cream cheese filling, and crumb topping, so you get plenty of warm spice without it being overwhelming.
- Perfect for sharing. Bake in a 9×13-inch pan, this coffee cake makes plenty for a weekend brunch, holiday breakfast, or whenever you need a sweet treat for a crowd.
Key Ingredients
Here are a few notes about the ingredients that make this cinnamon cream cheese coffee cake so good. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and quantities.
- Cream cheese – Use full-fat, block-style cream cheese for the filling. Let it soften before mixing so the filling will be smooth and easy to spread.
- Sour cream – This adds richness and moisture to the cake while helping create a soft, tender crumb.
- Brown sugar – You’ll use this in both the cream cheese filling and crumb topping. Its deeper flavor is a great match for the cinnamon.
- Cinnamon – There’s cinnamon in every part of this cake — the cake itself, the cream cheese filling, and the crumb topping — for plenty of warm spice throughout.
- Almond extract – Just a small amount gives the cake a little extra depth without making it taste strongly of almond. If you prefer, you can omit it and add a little more vanilla instead.
How to Make Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
There are three components to prepare, but each one is straightforward. Once they’re ready, it’s just a matter of layering everything in the pan.
Make the crumb topping.
Combine the dry ingredients, then stir in the butter until crumbs form. Refrigerate the topping while you make the filling and cake batter. Keeping it chilled helps those crumbs hold their shape in the oven.
Mix the cream cheese filling.
Beat the softened cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy, then add the vanilla and cinnamon.
Make the cake batter.
After creaming the butter and sugar and adding the eggs and extracts, alternate adding the dry ingredients with the sour cream and milk mixture. Keep the mixer on low and mix only until combined for a soft, tender cake.
Layer and bake.
Spread half of the batter in the pan, followed by the cream cheese filling and remaining batter. Sprinkle the chilled crumbs generously over the top. Bake until the center is set and a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs rather than completely clean.
Tips for Success
- Use ingredients at the right temperature. Softened butter and cream cheese will mix more smoothly, while room-temperature eggs and sour cream will incorporate more easily into the batter.
- Don’t over-mix the cake batter. Once you begin alternating the flour and sour cream mixtures, use low speed and mix just until everything is combined. This helps keep the cake soft and tender.
- Take your time with the layers. The batter is fairly thick, so dollop the second portion over the cream cheese filling before gently spreading it. That’s easier than trying to push a large amount of batter across the soft filling.
- Keep those crumbs cold. Refrigerating the topping while you prepare the rest of the cake helps the crumbs keep their shape instead of melting into the cake as it bakes.
- Don’t wait for a perfectly clean tester. A few moist crumbs are what you want. The center should look set, but baking until the tester is completely clean can leave the cake drier than intended.
How to Store
Refrigerator: Because of the cream cheese filling, store this coffee cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should keep well for up to 4 days. For the best texture and flavor, let it come closer to room temperature before serving.
Freezer: Wrap individual slices well and place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a couple of hours at room temperature.
A Coffee Cake Worth Sharing
There’s something especially inviting about a big pan of homemade coffee cake, and this one has a little bit of everything I want in one. Whether you’re making it for a special brunch or just because you’re in the mood to bake, I hope you’ll enjoy this updated favorite as much as I do.
More Coffee Cake Recipes
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the cream cheese filling:
- 8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup (67 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cake:
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ¼ cups (284 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk, at room temperature
Instructions
To make the crumb topping:
- Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the butter, and mix until crumbs form. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling and cake batter.
To make the cream cheese filling:
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside.
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. If you like, line the pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Combine the sour cream and milk in a small bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with two portions of the sour cream mixture. Mix just until combined.
To assemble and bake:
- Spread half of the cake batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the batter, and spread gently to cover.
- Spoon the remaining cake batter over the filling, and spread gently to cover.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top.
- Bake 38 to 42 minutes, or until the center is set and a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool before serving.
Notes
- Optional nuts: Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumb topping.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- Recipe update: This longtime reader favorite has been updated with a softer, more flavorful cake, more cream cheese filling, and a more generous crumb topping.
93 Comments on “Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake”
The recipe takes a lot of bowls and counter space but it’s very worth it. The cake is tender and moist, the topping is crunchy, the swirl plentiful and tasty. Great cake!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, Kris!
On second thought I will probably move it down to four stars just because the cake got a lot more crumbly after it cooled (it was sooo good warm from the oven). I’d definitely be up for trying this again but next time I’d put something in to make it hold together better. It was delightful how light and fluffy it was but really it was too crumbly with most slices of the fork breaking into two pieces.
This worked out just I had hoped! I saw some other comments that the cake got a little dry after a couple days, and that adding the sour cream last was difficult. So I baked it for only 40 minutes and added the sour cream alternately with the dry ingredients. Worked great. You could even bake it less than 40 minutes if you want to try that.
Hi All! I have made this twice & it didn’t last! My landlord & his wife loved it with there morning coffee! Can I incorporate an apple layer in the middle or will that mess the cake up? I think I will try! I made without cream cheese & added real salted butter with my filling & walnuts! Had to use my big stainless steel skillet! Go figure real salted butter seems to add the moistness to the bottom of my skillet I couldn’t it didn’t even stick! WOW Great cake no matter what way you dress it up! Apples cinnamon & walnuts with that salted rich buttery taste has won this family over! Thank You For Sharing Such A Recipe That Reminds Me Of Someone’s Grand Mother’s Kitchen! Keep Baking Those Warm Heartening & Sweet Smelling & Homes Being Filled & Shared With Love!
I’m glad you enjoyed the cake, Karen! The addition of apples might work, but they will add a good bit of moisture which can alter the outcome.
This is very good!
I’ll have to agree that this cake is much too dry and the flavor is a bit lacking. It can also be that I have a sweet tooth like it’s no one’s business. Haha!. Coffee Cake is usually more dense, also. The topping is marvelous, though. I made a double batch because I love crumb topping, so the cake tastes better when it’s accompanied by the topping. I also used candied pecans and a little extra salt. I am in no way a baker but I think more cream cheese filling would make it perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe! I love your page!!
Thanks for your feedback, Kelli!
I made it this morning. Like others had suggested, I doubled my cream cheese ingredients. Also, I ended up doubling my butter amount for the topping because the consistency wasn’t right. It turned out delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Made the coffee cake and thought the cake portion was dense and too thick. I also thought the cake portion was too plain in flavor. I would add cinnamon to the cake portion of the recipe. The middle section needs to be thicker for more additional flavor to the coffee cake. I would try to make each portion of the coffee cake the same thickness to balance the flavor otherwise I thought to cut the cake portion in half and out the balance of the recipe into an 8×8 inch pan. I would play around with the batter too to not add the sour cream at the very end because the batter could be dense from over mixing it at the end. Love making new recipes. Tasted great when we warmed it up to eat
Can this be made the day before it will be consumed?
Sure! Just keep it tightly covered.
Made it for my work crew for a coffee break. They went crazy over it. I of course had to test it first. It was the best coffee cake I ever made, moist and tasty my new go to coffee cake. THANKS 😊
That’s so great to hear, Carolyn! 🙂
Hello I’m about to make this for the first time and my family and I are huge cream cheese lovers.. would it hurt to add more cream cheese to this recipe?
Delicious! I substituted plain 2% yogurt for the sour cream… didn’t even measure it that carefully… it might have been just a bit more than 1 1/4 C since I was emptying the carton. I used walnuts because that was what my neighbor had! (I discovered I was out of any kind of nuts!) Cooked in a dark glass dish and it was finished in 40 minutes. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Barb!
do you cover this with foil to cook it or no?
That isn’t necessary.
I made this for Easter brunch at my church yesterday. It turned out nice and moist and delicious. I did double the topping and the cream cheese mixture. For the batter I put half in the pan, covered with the cream cheese mixture and then cover that with the rest of the batter, then the topping. I didn’t “swirl” the cream cheese mixture because that never turns out right for me. Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’m glad to hear you liked it, Cathie!
Hi Jennifer…can’t wait to devour this…has all ingredients that I like. I used 2 extra large eggs…hope it’s ok. Also baked in a glass dish and it took a bit longer than 45 mins….close to 50.
Hi, Janice. Glass pans can give you varying results. Sometimes you have to adjust the temperature and baking time to get the same result as with a metal pan.
I made this last weekend and it was EXCELLENT! I did what some suggested and doubled both the crumb topping and the cream cheese swirl. It was nice and moist and reminded me of an Entenmann’s cake! A keeper of a recipe for sure!
I think you should call it coffee cake because the batter is so tight and stiff that you better have had your coffee before you make it! I think my guns just grew!! LOL
My son and I just made this for brunch. We didn’t have sour cream so we used 1 cup plain yogurt and 1/4 cup vanilla. We all thought it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe idea.
I’m glad you liked it, Sheila!
I made this today for dessert…I had to sneak a taste before serving. ☺️ I didn’t have sour cream, so I substituted with 1 1/4 Cups of plain yogurt and a teaspoon of baking soda mixed well…I was worried it wouldn’t work, but it was great! The cake came out super moist! I actually doubled the cream cheese mix and the crumb topping (because who doesn’t love excess cinnamon?) and that, too, was fabulous! I’ll definitely make this one again! Thanks for the recipe!
Yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream. Good improvising! Glad you liked it!
This was such a delicious coffee cake: even though I messed up the recipe!😂 I didn’t want to waste cream Cheese so I used the whole package (8 oz) but didn’t double the rest of the swirl ingredients, so the mixture was quite thick and wouldn’t “swirl.” So I just spread it on like icing! It came out really good and there was a cream cheese taste with every bite!😍 Thank you for sharing!
I’m always a fan of more cream cheese! 😉 I’m glad you liked the cake!
I’ve never written a review, but I absooutely have to for this one. This cake is insanely delicious!! I doubled the topping because that’s my favorite part, and added fresh blueberries from my backyard. I can’t get enough of it!!!
Thanks for letting me know you liked it, Kelly. I love the addition of blueberries!
This is an Amazing recipe! I did as others suggested and doubled both the cream cheese layer and the crumb topping. It was a real hit for my summer BBQ. I’m a decent baker and thus is a definite addition to my favorite desserts. Thank you!
That’s great to hear, Dawn!
I had to add at least a full cup of milk to make this batter even close to useable. I doubled the cream cheese and added an egg to make it more like a cheesecake filling. Topping appears very sparse. I should have doubled that as well. It baking now so we will see how it turns out…
Just made it. I doubled every ingredient of the cream cheese swirl thanks to the comments I read plus who doesn’t love more cream cheese? It turned out good but not great, the cake part was dry in my opinion and my husband. Flavor was good, sweet but not too much. But definitely if I do it next time I will do just 2 cups of flour instead of 3. Cake batter was very thick so I think that is why it didn’t turn moist like other comments I read. Last thing that I would change is to melt the butter of the crumbles part so the top can be more even.
All I can say is ,this is not a cake for beginners. A lot of work and my batter was thick and it was hard to mix in the cream cheese mix. Won’t be making this again
I followed the directions however my cake batter was extremley dry and not the right consistency for a batter. I added 1 cup of milk which may have been omitted in error ? The batter would not have filled my 9 x 12 pan without being thinned out.
That’s exactly what I found. Batter was way too thick and made extremely dry cake.
My daughter and I made the cake for dessert tonight. Family loved it!
The down fall of this recipe is that it is time consuming and very messy.
We will definitely will make it again.
Can I prep this the night before and bake it in the morning? I’m bringing it for Christmas morning and I want it to be nice and fresh! Thanks!
Hi, Sara. I’m not sure the leavening will work as well if you wait that long to bake it. You can always bake in advance and then put it in a low heat oven (250°F or so) for a few minutes to warm it up.
Outstanding!
Making this for my sister in laws birthday breakfast. My house is smelling incredible! I already put it in the oven and realized i forgot to add the sour cream!!!! Which is a must for all cake recipes. I hope it will take good. Did this happen for anyone else? 🙁
HI,
I made this amazing recipe for church coffee hour. My husband is the taste tester, tough job. He loved it, and I know everyone else will too. It is a thicker batter, but spreads out just fine. Great recipe, wouldn’t change a thing!
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I made this cake for Mothers Day Brunch. I was very pleased with how it turned out but I think next time I make it I will double the cream cheese swirl. The 4 oz. just didn’t make much and it it is such a nice addition that you might as well just use the whole block.
I made this and did not care for it at all. Found the cake part very bland. Won’t make it again.
I made this today and the batter was the consistency of biscuit dough. Is it supposed to be this thick or is the recipe supposed to have milk?
Hi, Cindy. Coffee cake batters are usually quite a bit thicker than a standard cake batter to give them their usual dense texture.
My better came out more like a dough, did not spread evenly. Yes, sifted everything. But it looks good, and hope it tastes good!
Hi,
Since there is sour cream in the cake, does it have to be refrigerated? I made this cake today for Christmas tomorrow!
Thanks!
Tara, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated unless it won’t be eaten within a few days.
Another right-on recipe, Jennifer! I absolutely adore cinnamon, and this cake certainly delivers. The only thing was that it sank just a tad while it was cooling. Sooooo gooooooood!!!!!
Made this the other day and it honestly tasted like it came from a mix. It was ok. Not great. Would not make again
Anyone know how many calories are in a serving of this delicious coffee cake???
Happen to know how many calories are in a piece? It was delicious!
I made this coffee cake on Sunday, for a co-worker’s birthday. Let me just say….wow! I was impressed with how well it turned out. The batter got a little too stiff for me to work with, even when alternating the flour mixture with the sour cream, so I added a 1/2 c. of buttermilk, and that did the trick for me. This cake was amazing. Everyone raved about how flavorful and moist it was. This recipe is a keeper.
Question, instead of sour cream, could you use buttermilk for your recipe? I’ve used buttermilk in a diff recipe for coffee cake and it turned out great! I’m a little nervous to use the sour cream. Lol.
Sandra, I think buttermilk will work. But, don’t be afraid of sour cream! It’s one if my favorite additions to a cake.
are the nuts optional? i would love to make this, but some of my friends are allergic to nuts.
Hi, Madeleine! With very few exceptions, nuts are always optional.
I made this this in a nine inch springform pan and it presented well and tasted even better. This is definitely one of my favourite recipes going forward.
Melissa, you can certainly do that. You’ll need to decrease the baking time a bit. If you read Wendi’s comment above, she explains how she successfully made these as muffins. Enjoy!
is it possible to make this cake in muffin form?
Just curious…. why is the sour cream added after the dry ingredients? It seems to make the whole mixing process quite laborious. Is there anyway we can add it after the eggs?
The coffee turned out pretty good, especially the topping which is delish. I was surprised that the cake part of it dried out within a day or so, given the amount of butter and cream in the cake.
Danica, as an alternative, you can alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. When I’ve made this, it didn’t dry out quickly, so I’m not sure what is different with yours.
I followed the recipe exactly.
The next time I make this I would add a touch of orange zest for the cake batter.
I also put mine in muffin tins.
If you do use muffin tins (I didn’t use the paper inserts) put less cake batter in the bottom. Filling it 1/2 full, then cream cheese (forget knifing it in, just layer it on top), then the crumble mixture. Do not overfill because the crumble mixture melts. Then when you pull it out of the oven as it cools into a solid the sugar will become crumbly.
You can leave the little cakes in the muffin tin for a few minutes but you should remove them or the cake will become soggy.
I made a full batch and put half of it in the freezer in an air tight container for those unexpected guests.
Thanks Jennifer! My sister & I are hosting a very last minute baby shower brunch, and are looking for simple convenient food, so I think I will give these a try!
Shawn, it’s worth a shot! I would decrease the baking time and check on them after 30-35 minutes. The liners shouldn’t affect the baking time.
Can I turn this into muffins? If so, would I need to adjust the cooking time? I’d also like to use muffins liners, would that affect the outcome?
this looks so good,Im always looking for a good cinnamon coffee cake,Im getting ready to make it now.Hope it turns out as well as it looks:)
In the words of a former Idol judge, “it was just okay for me.” I felt the crumb topping was sufficient. But the cake itself was dry. And my cream cheese swirl completely disappeared into the cake, so there was no moist cream cheesy layer to moisten the bite.
Lol.. that’s totally new for me. Thanks! It turned out awesome. We slapped loads of nutella on top, but i’ll try coffee tomorrow morning. Thanks Jen!
Hi there, I’m just wondering why is this called coffee cake but I don’t see coffee as one of the ingredients? am I missing something? actually this cake is baking in my oven as I type this.. 😉
S, coffee cake is called that because it’s often eaten with a cup of coffee. Enjoy the cake!
This is really far quicker and easier to put together than it appears. You will go through a lot of measuring spoons, bowls, and such, so make sure your dishwasher is ready for that. But, once you take a bite, you’ll know it was worth every dirty bowl.
I baked this cake for Easter this year – the coffee cake duties usually falling to my mother or grandmother – love ’em to bits but theirs were always a bit on the dry side – this recipe was wonderful and will become a new Easter tradition! Just love your blog! Thanks!
Just made this for Easter morning breakfast! It’s bit denser than I’m used to coffee cake being but still really, really, good (and able to be made from my bare-bones pantry). Bravo!
Thanks!! Just making sure since I’m taking it up to church the night before!
I’m going to make this for our Easter breakfast at church! Just one question, does it have to be refrigerated due to the cream cheese? Thanks!!
Julie, I don’t refrigerate something with this small amount of cream cheese that’s baked into the cake if it’s going to be eaten within a few days.
Looks so delicious,want to taste it very much,thanks for your sharing,see you again.
Look at that crumb on top! Yum. Looks soo tasty.
Looks awesome! Yummmm!
It looks so delicious. Loll. 🙂 I’m really pleased to see the image of Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. It is really full of taste. Definitely I will try it today/tomorrow. Thanks for this allocation. 🙂
Now this I’ve got to try!!! Looks delicious
I don’t like coffee at all but I guess i could just substitute it with chocolate!!
If you read the ingredients…there’s not actually coffee in it. It’s just called coffee cake b/c it goes nicely with coffee for breakfast or brunch.
What a delicious coffee cake – soft moist and creamy cheese-y 😀
Thanks!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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I thought the coffee cake was a little dry. Need to double the topping in order for it to look like the picture. Also would suggest doubling the filling just wasn’t enough either topping or filling to satisfy us.
I agree with Chris! Made this today. It is very yummy but definitely not enough cream cheese filling or topping. Will double the next time I make it!