Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe

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This easy Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe is perfect for brunch, breakfast, or as a food gift. No need to fight over the biggest slice; all of these walnut-studded cinnamon coffee cake muffins are equally-sized and over-the-top delicious.

Coffee cake muffins in a basket on a wooden serving tray.


 

If you like the cinnamon streusel that comes on top of fruit pies and crisps, you’ll love these bakery style, walnut-spiked muffins.

The batter itself is swirled with cinnamon and ginger, and then the streusel stars in the middle and as a topping on the muffins. That way, you get to enjoy the crunchy nuts, warm cinnamon, and sweet brown sugar in different spots for layer upon layer of flavor.

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for coffee cake muffins.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Butter: You’ll need 9 tablespoons total; 4 cold to cut into the streusel mixture, plus 5 softened for the cake batter. Cold butter usually softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature (much longer if frozen). To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Gently press on the butter with your finger, and if it still feels too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
  • Walnuts: The nutty flavor and crunchiness makes the streusel irresistible. Pecans would also work wonderfully.
  • Sour cream: In addition to the butter and oil, 1 cup of sour cream is key to score a super-tender and moist cake texture. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt can also do the trick.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper liners and coat with nonstick spray. To make the topping, in a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a course, buttery crumb mixture. Stir in nuts; set topping aside.
A bowl of streusel topping.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Set aside. In another large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the wet ingredients: sugar, butter, and oil, until light and fluffy. Beat in large eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. 
A bowl of dry ingredients next to a bowl of batter with a whisk in it.
  1. Stir in sour cream. Add to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Batter should be lumpy.
Coffee cake muffin batter in a glass mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.
  1. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each one-third full. Top with half of the topping, the remaining batter, and the remaining crumb topping. 
Twelve coffee cake muffins before being baked in a muffin tin.
  1. Bake until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Twelve coffee cake muffins on a cooling rack.

What is the best muffin pan?

When I bake my muffins, I always reach for my USA Pan 12-Cup Nonstick Muffin Pan. My muffins always come out easily and I like that it has a large overhang, so I can easily grip it with an oven mitt without squishing them. You can get it at Amazon for $29.95, and I also rounded up the best muffin pans if you’re looking for another option for your fluffiest muffins ever.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes 16 regular-sized, bakery-style muffins, ideal for a breakfast buffet, a weekday breakfast with yogurt or eggs, or in a basket as a food gift for a host, new parent, or neighbor.
  • Storage: Store these muffins at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
  • Freezer: Coffee cake muffins can be cooled and wrapped in 2 layers of plastic. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
  • Mix-ins: Stir dried blueberries, cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, or more nuts into the batter before layering with the cinnamon sugar topping.
  • Glaze: Make a simple Powdered Sugar Icing for your muffins. In a medium bowl, add 2 cups powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add water or milk (start with 3 tablespoons) until you reach your desired consistency to drizzle.
  • Chocolate Chip Muffins: Learn the secret to homemade Chocolate Chip Muffins that beat anything you can buy. These muffins are soft, tender, and not too sweet – just a perfect ratio of muffin-to-chocolate.
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: Homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins can play triple duty as a brunch menu addition, snack recipe, or spring dessert idea. 
  • Morning Glory Muffins: This moist muffin recipe is packed with carrots, apples, pineapple, raisins, coconut, and walnuts.
  • Pumpkin Muffins: Learn how to make Pumpkin Muffins from scratch, then discover how to turn this easy breakfast recipe into dessert!
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins: Celebrate spring withStrawberry Rhubarb Muffins. Crowned with a crumbly brown sugar-cinnamon streusel, this bakery-style muffin recipe might just make you fall in love with mornings again.
Blueberry muffins on a cooling rack.
My bakery-style Blueberry Muffins come topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel that takes their flavor over the top. Skip the coffee shop version; these homemade Blueberry Muffins can be yours in just 45 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a coffee cake muffin made of?

Coffee cake muffins get their spice from plenty of ground cinnamon and a touch of ground ginger. A crunchy streusel topping (made with more cinnamon butter, and walnuts) mimic the topping of regular coffee cake.

How do you soften butter?

Cold butter usually softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature (much longer if frozen). To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Gently press on the butter with your finger, and if it still feels too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power. Avoid melted butter if at all possible.

Bonus brunch baked goods

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Coffee cake muffins in a basket on a wooden serving tray.

Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe

This easy Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe is perfect for brunch, breakfast, or as a food gift. No need to fight over the biggest slice; all of these walnut-studded cinnamon muffins are equally-sized and over-the-top delicious.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 16 muffins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 301
5 from 15 votes

Ingredients 

For the topping:

For the muffins:

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper liners and coat with nonstick spray.
  • To make the topping, in a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts; set topping aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. In another bowl, beat sugar, butter, and oil, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. 
  • Stir in sour cream. Add to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Batter should be lumpy.
  • Spoon half of the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each one-third full. Top with half of the topping, the remaining batter, and the remaining topping. 
  • Bake until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Butter: You’ll need 9 tablespoons total; 4 cold to cut into the streusel mixture, plus 5 softened for the cake batter. Cold butter usually softens up in about 30 minutes when left out at room temperature (much longer if frozen). To soften butter in the microwave, cut each stick of butter in half, unwrap, and place on a microwave-safe plate. Then cook the butter at 10% power for 1 minute. Gently press on the butter with your finger, and if it still feels too firm, cook for another 40 seconds at 10% power.
  2. Walnuts: The nutty flavor and crunchiness makes the streusel irresistible. Pecans would also work wonderfully.
  3. Sour cream: In addition to the butter and oil, 1 cup of sour cream is key to score a super-tender and moist cake texture. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt can also do the trick.
  4. Yield: This recipe makes 16 regular-sized muffins, ideal for a breakfast buffet, a weekday breakfast with yogurt or eggs, or in a basket as a food gift for a host, new parent, or neighbor.
  5. Storage: Store these muffins at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 muffinCalories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 183mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 317IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

  1. Just made your Coffee Cake Muffins and they were amazing. I have been a baker for most of my life, over 45 years and I keep only the best recipes I can find. Yours will definitely be going into my collection. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

    1. Hi Candy, I don’t see why not! They may take longer to bake, so I would keep an eye on them. I hope you enjoy them! – Meggan

  2. I have 2 questions. First is can I dub almond flower for all purpose? Second is could apples be added to the batter somehow?
    Marlene

    1. Hi Marlene! I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour. Looking at other recipes it looks like they also use Tapioca or Coconut flour in addition to the almond flour, which makes me think the almond flour may be too dense to substitute 1 to 1. Apples would be delicious in this! I haven’t tried that either with this recipe, but I would fold in some peeled and cubed apples after mixing in the flour mixture in step 4. Sorry, and I hope this helps! – Meggan

  3. Hello Meggan! Merry Christmas (nearly)!!

    I always used to think ‘coffee cake’ was actual coffee flavoured. In the UK we have ‘coffee and walnut cake’ which is a delicious coffee flavoured cake with walnuts and a coffee frosting.

    Very popular and delicious, but these muffins sound absolutely delicious too – and really easy.

    I may just be making a batch of these this Christmas! :-)
    P.S. I was thinking of you the other day. I think Benjamin will soon fit in the shorts and t-shirt you got him!!! When we wear them for the first time, I’ll send you a photo xx