Espresso Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe

Coffee cake has something of a misleading name, because despite featuring the word "coffee," there's not typically any coffee actually baked into the cake. (It does pair awfully well with a cup of coffee, though, so we can give it a pass.) This espresso crumb coffee cake recipe from developer Jessica Morone lives up to its name, however, as it quite literally puts the coffee into coffee cake by way of espresso powder. Perfect for those who love that rich coffee flavor and won't settle for simply pairing coffee cake with a cup on the side, this recipe adds a jolt of flavor to the tried-and-true breakfast treat.

Though there's technically a subtle difference between coffee cake and crumb cake (it's all in the streusel), this recipe effortlessly marries the two, all while providing that distinct boost of espresso flavor. The espresso powder works in two parts here — you'll add some to the coffee cake itself, then you'll add even more to the streusel-like crumb topping. That means double the espresso, double the flavor boost, and if you choose to enjoy a slice with a cup of coffee in the morning (which we highly recommend that you do), then that's a coffee triple threat (or triple treat).

There are two components at play in this coffee cake: the cake itself and the crumb topping. For the cake, you'll need all-purpose flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, salt, baking powder, softened butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream. For the topping, you'll need brown sugar, granulated sugar, espresso powder, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, and cold butter.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smooth.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Do not overmix.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, salt, and butter.

Pulse until large crumbs form.

Spoon the crumb topping over the batter in the pan and then gently press it into the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

• Homemade Horchata Iced Coffee Recipe
• Copycat Starbucks Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso Recipe
• DIY Deluxe Pistachio Latte Recipe
• Homemade Cafe Latte Recipe
• Maple Chai Recipe

Much as a shot of espresso contains a very strong, concentrated amount of coffee (especially compared to a plain old cup of joe), espresso powder packs a distinctly stronger punch in a baked good than, say, instant coffee or finely-ground coffee. In fact, when it comes to determining whether you should use instant coffee or espresso in your baked goods, it comes down to how potent you want that coffee flavor to be. Morone specifically opts for espresso powder here because, despite including such small amounts of it, the potent coffee powder packs a distinct flavor punch.

So, the question remains: do you have to use espresso powder in this recipe? The short answer is no, and if you're looking for a classic coffee cake with no actual coffee flavor, then you can skip the espresso powder in both the cake and crumb topping altogether. Otherwise, if you simply don't have espresso powder on hand, you could use finely-ground regular coffee or instant coffee, but note that the coffee flavor won't be quite as potent. You could also mix a little cocoa powder into the cake batter to help play up the rich coffee flavor even more. We don't recommend using brewed coffee as it might make the cake batter too thin. 

Coffee and espresso powder aside, there's plenty of room to switch up this recipe otherwise. For starters, you can opt for even more warm spices in the cake or crumb topping. As is, Morone just adds cinnamon to both for that touch of sweet warmth, but other spices like nutmeg, ginger, or even a dash of cloves would work beautifully here. If it's fall all year-round in your household, bust out the pumpkin pie spice mix and add some to the cake for that perfect autumnal touch. Nuts would also add a lovely texture to the cake, so consider adding chopped pecans, walnuts, or even hazelnuts to the mix.

Chopped nuts would also make a great addition to the crumb topping, much as they do in this crumbly hazelnut coffee cake recipe. And if you can't get enough of that coffee flavor, upgrade your baked good with a rich coffee glaze. Making a coffee glaze is as simple as replacing the milk (or called-for liquid) in a regular glaze recipe with fresh-brewed coffee. Simply drizzle the coffee glaze over your baked (and slightly cooled) espresso coffee cake, and you've got one absolutely java-ed up treat.

• Whiskey Caramel-Glazed Coffee Cake Recipe
• Cinnamon Peach Coffee Cake Recipe
• Apricot Buttermilk Coffee Cake With Streusel Topping Recipe
• Blueberry-Lavender Coffee Cake Recipe
• Gluten-Free Almond Coffee Cake Recipe
• Vegan Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe