Mini Coffee Cake

All the delicious layers, textures, and flavor of a classic coffee cake... but make it mini! This adorable mini coffee cake is made in a 6" cake pan and comes out perfectly buttery, moist, and tender. The cake batter has a perfect little cinnamon swirl running through the center and the whole thing is topped off with a crisp crumble and simple powdered sugar icing.

mini coffee cake layers

This adorable little cake packs QUITE a few layers - but don't worry, they're all SO easy to make! This cake features layers of moist sour cream cake, cinnamon sugar swirl, crumbly streusel topping, and a drizzle of icing on top (although you could even serve it plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar if you prefer). Each layer adds it's own flavor, texture, and pizzaz to this beauty!

how to make mini coffee cake

Since this cake involves making 4 separate components, I really wanted each one to be as easy to make as possible, require very few ingredients, and require VERY little effort. As always, you can find the full recipe details towards the bottom of this post, but here's a quick little look at how each layer is made:

1. Crumbly streusel: This layer needs a few minutes in the fridge to set so we're starting with it. So by the time the rest of the layers are prepped, it should be perfect to use! The streusel topping is made by first mixing together flour, sugars, and cinnamon to roughly combine. Melted butter is then mixed into the dry ingredients and then it's all good to go into the fridge! It's really so easy to make, but the crumbly, crispy texture of the baked streusel is seriously INCREDIBLE.
2. Cinnamon swirl: Next up we have the cinnamon sugar swirl. Making this involves mixing together cinnamon and sugar. That's ALL! It makes for such a pretty swirl in the center of the cake batter and adds delicious flavor.
3. Sour cream cake: The last component we need to make before layering and baking is the cake batter. Since we already got a bowl dirty for the streusel and another one for the cinnamon sugar, I really wanted the cake batter to come together in one bowl. The best way to do that is to use one of my favorite methods for making cake batter: reverse creaming! More on that below. But essentially, all you need to do to make the cake is whisk together dry ingredients, mix in butter and oil, then mix in all the remaining wet ingredients.
4. Simple powdered sugar icing: While this cake is perfectly delicious as is, I really love adding this 2 ingredient icing on top of coffee cakes whenever possible! You just need to whisk together powdered sugar and milk or water to make the icing and then drizzle it on top of the cake. It adds some sweetness and I just think it looks really nice as well!

reverse creaming method

Like I mentioned above, this sour cream cake batter is made using the reverse creaming method. This not only makes the whole process easier, but it also gives the cake a lighter and fluffier texture!

The traditional creaming method involves creaming together sugar with fat (usually butter) and then slowly layering the cake batter on top of that base. On the other hand, reverse creaming is... well, reversed! Instead of creaming butter and sugar together, we're mixing the butter directly into the dry ingredients.

With this method, the fat coats the flour which prevents gluten development (and it's overworked gluten that typically causes cakes to end up dense, tough, and dry). The result is a cake that's so fluffy, spongy, and moist, and one that's just overall easier and more fail-proof.

how to line your baking pan

If you happen to have a 6" springform pan, then this is a great recipe to bust it out. But I know that's not a very common cake pan to keep around, so you can use a regular 6" pan - but prepping it will be a little different. You can see a visual of what I'm about the explain in the photos below, but let's take a look at how to prep the pan to make it super easy to get the cake out once it's baked.

To prep your pan for the mini coffee cake, you'll first need to cut 3 pieces of parchment paper. 2 of the parchment pieces should be cut into long strips that are about 2" wide and about 14" long (or long enough to go across the bottom and up and over the sides of the pan with a little extra overhang). The last piece of parchment paper that you'll need is just a regular round cutout to cover the bottom of the pan and fill in any gaps. This is what the pieces should look like:

When it comes to actually lining the pan, start by generously greasing the bottom and sides of the pan. I personally like to use softened butter just because I feel like the parchment paper sticks much better to it. Once that's done, lay one of the long strips across the bottom and up and over the sides of the pan. Next, lay the second strip up and over the sides of the pan but forming a perpendicular, cross shape with the other strip. Finally, plop the parchment round on top of both strips to cover the bottom of the pan. See below image for a visual:

This may seem excessive, but it really makes for the easiest unmolding of the cake once it's baked. Because of the streusel topping, you can't just flip the cake over or it'll all fall off. So this is the best alternative!

more tips

• Measuring the flour: I almost always make this tip number 1 and it's because it's SO important. It's important to measure the flour carefully to make sure the cake doesn't come out too dry. A food scale is always the best way to measure for accurate results, but if you're using cups, never scoop the measuring cup directly into your bag of flour. This will pack it in and will leave you with more weight per cup. Instead, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the cup so it's not too tightly condensed.
• Layering the cake: Once all of the cake components are ready, you can start layering! There's not much to this process: start with half of the cake batter, top with cinnamon sugar followed by the remaining cake batter and finally the streusel. The only thing to keep in mind when laying the cake batter over the cinnamon sugar is to be careful not to disturb the cinnamon swirl. The best way to do this is to drop smaller scoops of the cake batter on top, trying your best to be as even as possible. Don't pour the batter all in one spot otherwise it'll displace the cinnamon sugar and will make it very difficult to spread out.
• Baking and cooling: This is a TALL cake so it needs a bit of time in the oven. To tell when it's ready to come out, the surface should be evenly puffed and a skewer inserted into the center should come out mostly clean with a few moist cake crumbs. Once it's baked, it needs to cool in the pan for 45 minutes. This helps set the sugars and fat, allowing you to easy pull it out in one piece. It's also the perfect time to ice the cake as it's not too hot nor too cold!
• Icing and serving: Speaking of icing, I mentioned that the 45 minute mark is the perfect time to ice the cake. If you ice it while it's too hot, the sugar will simply melt and disappear. The cake is best served warm, so waiting for too long will leave you with a cool cake. But this cake can still be served at room temperature if you prefer and it's still perfectly delicious.

check out these other recipes!

• Small Vanilla Cake
• Small Chocolate Cake
• Apple Coffee Cake
• Brown Butter Maple Crumb Cake
• Blueberry Crumb Cheesecake
• Coffee Cake Cheesecake

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

Print

Enjoy!

---

Old Recipe:

Ingredients:

For the crumb topping:

• ⅔ cup (80g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
• ⅓ cup (67g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup (½ stick / 60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

For the cinnamon swirl filling:

• ⅓ cup (67g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (* see notes)

For the cake:

• ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup (½ stick / 60g) unsalted butter, cubed
• ⅓ cup (80mL) buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 6x2 inch round cake pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper leaving a bit of parchment hanging up the sides to make it easier to pull the cake out. Lightly flour any areas in the pan that aren't covered by parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Make the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients and mash together with a fork until well combined. The mixture will be crumbly. Set aside.
3. Make the cinnamon swirl filling: In a medium bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients, and mix together until well combined, and you no longer see any large clumps of brown sugar. Set aside.
4. Make the cake: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine.
5. Add your cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a fine, crumbly mixture.
6. Add your buttermilk, egg, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined and relatively smooth. A few clumps in the batter is normal.
7. Layer the coffee cake components in your prepared cake pan. Start by spreading half of the cake batter evenly in the pan. Sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar filling. Spoon over the remaining batter and carefully spread it to cover the filling completely - try not to spread it too much or you won't have a distinct swirl. Top with the crumb topping.
8. Bake the cake in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean of any batter (it may have some melted sugar on it - that's fine!) If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil to slow the browning and continue baking until cooked through.
9. Cool the cake in the pan until it reaches room temperature before slicing and serving! (Optional) Drizzle with a simple powdered sugar icing.

NOTES:

* Cocoa powder helps give the coffee cake a distinct swirl in the center. It won't add a chocolaty flavor, but it will add an earthy and slightly bitter undertone that just takes the cake's flavor to a whole other level! You can leave it out if you'd like, but the center swirl will be lighter in color.