This super moist Cinnamon Roll Swirl Coffee Cake is worth making from scratch! Rich, moist coffee cake is swirled with a cinnamon roll filling and topped off with a simple glaze. This cake is to die for!
The first time I made a cinnamon swirl coffee cake was years ago. My sister has posted a recipe she called Honey Bun Cake on her blog. (That’s right, blogging is a family thing for us!). It was absolutely delicious, just like she said. I’ve made it several times since. Hers uses a cake mix and I wanted to give you a “from scratch” version since that’s more my style.
Now, before anyone gets mad about me calling it a coffee cake, let’s get one thing straight: coffee cake doesn’t have any coffee in it and it isn’t supposed to! It’s called coffee cake because it is meant to be served up with coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker, but the sweetness of the cake is supposed to be a good balance to the dark flavors of coffee.
This cake is amazing! It is super moist, and thick, and decadent….everything a coffee cake should be. The batter is quite thick, much thicker than a cake mix so don’t be surprised by that. That’s exactly how it is supposed to be.
You have a couple of different options for the cinnamon swirl. You can simple swirl it in up top like I’ve done here, or you can layer it by pouring half the batter into the pan, doing a swirl layer, then the remaining half of the batter and another swirl layer. Feel free to do whichever works best for you.
This cake stays good for about 3 days before it starts to dry out. Make sure you cover it after it has been sliced into, otherwise it will dry out immediately. Store at room temperature.
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy some of my other cinnamon recipes like my Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins or my Cinnamon Roll Twist Bread. You may also enjoy some of my other cake recipes like my Most Amazing Chocolate Cake or my Most Amazing White Cake. Both of those are super popular, and for good reason!
Watch the video below where I walk you through every step of this recipe. You can check out my entire cooking show over on YouTube.
Cinnamon Roll Swirl Coffee Cake
- 1½ cups butter, softened
- 3 cups white sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar using a hand mixer until creamy. Then mix in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract until combined. Beat in 3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.
- Make the topping in another mixing bowl by whisking together melted butter, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Spoon in globs over the top of the cake batter. Then use a butter knife to swirl it into the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in another bowl. Drizzle over the cake while it is still warm.
Stephanie says
It’s called Crumb Cake at our house!
Gail McIntosh says
can this be made in a bundt pan?
Rachel Farnsworth says
In theory it can. It would require a longer baking time though.