These tender, fluffy coffee cake muffins are filled with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar and topped with a crumble topping. It’s an easy muffin recipe your whole family will love.
This Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe is the Best!
If you enjoy classic coffee cake, you will love the muffin version! They are easy to make and family-friendly.
This easy coffee cake muffin recipe is made into muffin cups so they are ready in under 30 minutes.
Warm, fluffy coffee cake muffins are topped with a delicious crumb topping. It’s a mini version of your favorite coffee cake.
This easy recipe is great any time of year. They make perfect breakfast treats and go great with hot chocolate or a warm cup of coffee.
What makes a coffee cake a coffee cake?
Interestingly, the coffee cake does not contain actual coffee in its ingredients. Rather than coffee in the cake, it gets its name because it is often eaten with a cup of coffee.
There are things that make a coffee cake recipe different from a standard cake.
Standard cakes are often frosted or glazed, while coffee cakes are topped with a streusel mixture.
Another common difference is the interior of the cake. Most traditional cakes include layers with filling between. Rather than layers with filling, the coffee cake has a layer of cinnamon sugar mixed throughout.
Cinnamon Crumb Muffin Ingredients
Streusel Topping Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- brown sugar (both light and dark brown sugar work in this recipe)
- ground cinnamon
- unsalted butter
Muffin Ingredients
- all purpose flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- salt
- ground nutmeg
- milk
- egg (you’ll want to use large eggs)
- unsalted butter (melt butter and cool to room temperature)
- vanilla extract
Coffee Cake Muffin Substitutions
If you’re looking for a fall-inspired flavor, you can replace the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice with sugar.
For a gluten-free option, replace the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour brand.
How to make Coffee Cake Muffins
Making the best coffee cake muffins is easy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. I prefer this method rather than using liners. The muffins tend to stick to paper liners. They come out smoothly from the muffin pan when just using a nonstick spray.
- Combine all of the cinnamon streusel ingredients in a small bowl. Mix with two forks or your fingers until you reach a crumb/sandy consistency. Set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter (melted butter that has been brought to room temperature), and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients (flour mixture) and gently stir until combined. You do not want to over-mix.
- Place a spoonful (about 1 tablespoon) of the muffin mix in each prepared muffin cup. Top with 1 tablespoon of streusel mix for the cinnamon sugar layer. Top with another spoonful (about 1 tablespoon) of muffin mix. Top with remaining streusel.
- Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
How to serve Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins
Coffee cake muffins are delicious any time of day, but the best way is with a hot cup of coffee in the morning!
Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins storage
Coffee cake muffins need to be stored in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze these muffins?
These muffins can be frozen. Allow the muffins to cool completely.
Once cooled, place the muffins in a single layer inside a freezer-safe zip-top bag.
Next time you want a coffee cake muffin, just pull one from the bag and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
Coffee Cake Muffins Recipe FAQ
Both the baking powder (helping the muffins to rise) and trapped air from mixing (that expands when baking) makes the muffins light and fluffy.
Most people prefer the taste of muffins that have been made with butter, but the two are interchangeable. If you want a softer muffin, you can use oil.
The secret to fluffy moist muffins is making sure to use eggs and not over-baking them.
Muffin batter often contains less sugar and less fat than a typical cake batter.
More Favorite Muffin Recipes
More Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Easy Coffee Cake Muffins
Ingredients
Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4-5 TBSP cold unsalted butter cut into tiny pieces
Muffins:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 5 TBSP unsalted butter melted & brought to room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with non stick spray. I prefer this method rather than using liners. The muffins tend to stick to the liners and they come out smoothly when just using non stick spray.
- Combine all streusel ingredients in a bowl. Mix with two forks or your fingers until you reach a crumb/sandy consistency. Set aside.
- In a separate, large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir until combined. You do not want to over mix.
- Place a spoonful (about 1 tablespoon) of the muffin mix in each prepared muffin cup. Top with 1 tablespoon of streusel mix. Top with another spoonful (about 1 tablespoon) of muffin mix. Top with remaining streusel.
- Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these for my daughter’s 4th birthday breakfast and they were a HUGE hit. She asks me to make them all the time now (and this was a year ago lol) When we make them they don’t last more than a day. I love that the recipe is easy to follow and a great one to let the kids help with.