Copycat Costco Kirkland Signature Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
There are quite a few reasons to love Costco, and any avid shopper is well aware of all a given warehouse has to offer. Maybe you have a large family and enjoy the opportunity to buy in bulk, or maybe you're in it solely for the Costco food court (or the free samples!). Or maybe you specifically go to Costco for its treasure trove of baked goods, including Costco-brand bakery cookies, various cakes and cheesecakes, and of course, the beloved and ever-popular Kirkland Signature cinnamon coffee cake.
In the event of sold-out sweets or misplaced Costco cards, it's always good to have a backup option on hand, and nothing really beats a freshly scratch-made baked good. Recipe developer Patterson Watkins has come through with her copycat version of the Costco treat, and it's one that just might have you reimagining the way you enjoy coffee cake. "This copycat Costco version uses a pretty classic poundcake base paired with a cinnamon streusel topping and filling," Watkins says. "While the streusel topping bakes up crisp and golden, the filling melts and melds into the buttery cake."
The result is a sweet treat that, as Watkins puts it, "is just a great everyday cake, an anytime of day cake." Best of all, Watkins says, the cake is a lot of fun to make, "It was a joy making and munching on this one," and you can customize this recipe to make all sorts of coffee cake shapes and sizes, resulting in a homemade baked good that might just be even better than the Kirkland one.
Gather the ingredients for this copycat Kirkland Signature cinnamon coffee cake
You'll start this recipe by making the cinnamon crumb, which consists of brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chilled unsalted butter. For the cake batter itself, you'll need even more unsalted butter, but make sure this butter is softened. You'll also need granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, flour, salt, and baking soda. Finally, you'll make an icing to drizzle on top, which consists of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Step 2: Prepare loaf pans
Line two loaf pans with parchment paper and generously spritz with cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 3: Begin making the crumb topping
To make the crumb, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
Step 4: Add the cold butter
Add the cold butter cubes to the bowl and, using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the dry mix, forming small pea-sized crumbles.
Step 5: Refrigerate the crumb topping
Cover and refrigerate the crumb until ready to use.
Step 6: Begin making the batter
To make the batter, place softened butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Step 7: Beat the butter and sugar
Beat until fluffy.
Step 8: Whisk in the eggs
Add the eggs, one at a time, to the bowl. Whisk each until blended before adding the next.
Step 9: Mix in the sour cream and vanilla
Once all the eggs have been incorporated, add the sour cream and vanilla to the bowl, and whisk to combine.
Step 10: Whisk together the dry ingredients
Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 11: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in batches, whisking until blended before adding the next batch. The batter should be smooth and moderately thick, not runny.
Step 12: Transfer some batter to loaf pans
Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans, filling each halfway full, and spread it out evenly.
Step 13: Top the batter with crumbs
Divide half of the crumb mixture between the pans, sprinkling it in an even layer.
Step 14: Top off each pan with the remaining batter
Top the crumb layer with the remaining batter, spreading it out evenly.
Step 15: Poke holes in the batter
Dunk the end of a spoon into the batter-filled pans, about 6 to 8 times, making sure to 'puncture' all the layers. (This will help create that marbled look in our cake).
Step 16: Top the cakes with remaining crumbs
Top evenly with the remaining crumb mixture.
Step 17: Bake the coffee cakes
Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until cooked through and golden-crispy on the top.
Step 18: Set the cakes aside to cool
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 19: Make the icing
Once cooled, make the icing by placing the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
Step 20: Whisk to combine the icing
Whisk to combine. (Add more milk or powdered sugar if your icing is too thick or too thin).
Step 21: Ice, slice, and serve the coffee cake
Remove the coffee cakes from the loaf pans, loosen or remove the parchment paper, and drizzle with icing. Slice and serve.
What pairs well with coffee cake?
Copycat Costco Kirkland Signature Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
Our copycat Costco cinnamon coffee cake recipe has a buttery poundcake base and a sweet cinnamon streusel topping, and it's as fun to make as it is to eat.
Ingredients
- For the cinnamon crumb
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- For the cake batter
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- For the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line two loaf pans with parchment paper and generously spritz with cooking spray. Set aside.
- To make the crumb, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the cold butter cubes to the bowl and, using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the dry mix, forming small pea-sized crumbles.
- Cover and refrigerate the crumb until ready to use.
- To make the batter, place softened butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Beat until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, to the bowl. Whisk each until blended before adding the next.
- Once all the eggs have been incorporated, add the sour cream and vanilla to the bowl, and whisk to combine.
- Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in batches, whisking until blended before adding the next batch. The batter should be smooth and moderately thick, not runny.
- Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans, filling each halfway full, and spread it out evenly.
- Divide half of the crumb mixture between the pans, sprinkling it in an even layer.
- Top the crumb layer with the remaining batter, spreading it out evenly.
- Dunk the end of a spoon into the batter-filled pans, about 6 to 8 times, making sure to ‘puncture’ all the layers. (This will help create that marbled look in our cake).
- Top evenly with the remaining crumb mixture.
- Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour or until cooked through and golden-crispy on the top.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, make the icing by placing the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
- Whisk to combine. (Add more milk or powdered sugar if your icing is too thick or too thin).
- Remove the coffee cakes from the loaf pans, loosen or remove the parchment paper, and drizzle with icing. Slice and serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 767 |
| Total Fat | 40.8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 24.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 183.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 94.2 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.5 g |
| Total Sugars | 61.3 g |
| Sodium | 121.1 mg |
| Protein | 8.0 g |
What changes can I make to this copycat cinnamon coffee cake recipe?
In true Costco fashion, this recipe yields a bulk-size of coffee cake servings — we're talking two full loaves, or 12 total servings. Of course, you aren't necessarily limited to that traditional loaf format, and you could switch things up by making this coffee cake using a Bundt pan instead. If you go this route, make sure you have an extra stick of butter and extra flour on hand to prepare the pan, and really get into all those crevices, nooks, and crannies with the butter. Then sprinkle the pan with flour, shake out the excess, and proceed with the recipe.
Another option is to bake the coffee cake in a 13x9-inch casserole dish. If you go this route, you can more easily cut the finished product into square pieces as opposed to slices. Prep the pan with parchment paper and cooking spray, build the cake layers as written, then bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.
If you aren't interested in switching up the shape of your coffee cake, then taking a more convenient box mix route may be more your speed. Watkins recommends using two boxes of pound cake mix in lieu of the homemade batter, but don't fill your loaf pans quite as high, as box mix tends to rise more than homemade cakes (aim to fill them about ¾ full). "As a safety precaution, place your loaf pans or bundt on a large baking sheet just in case you have batter dribbles," Watkins adds.
What are tips for softening butter in a pinch?
If you've ever geared up to make a cake recipe only to realize that you forgot to soften the butter, you certainly aren't alone. This pesky but necessary task has hindered many a baker, and Watkins is no exception, describing the common oversight as her "culinary crux." Luckily, there are a few ways to soften butter in a pinch. One of the quickest ways to soften butter is to fill a glass with hot water, dump the water out, then invert the glass over a standing-up stick of butter.
Otherwise, you can follow Watkins' tried-and-true butter softening hack, though it does require an oven that has vent grates on the back (which, fortunately, most do). "I find that the center grate usually produces the most heat," Watkins says. "I'll place my to-be-softened butter on a small plate near this venting space while I wait for my oven to preheat." This method takes about 15 to 20 minutes and requires some rotating here and there, but it's great if you still have prep work to do in the meantime.
If all else fails, the microwave can yield softened butter quickly, but you'll need to be careful to avoid melting the butter. Make sure your microwave is on a low power setting, then place the stick of butter inside and zap it in 10-second intervals (keep it in the wrapper so long as there's no foil). Rotate the stick in between intervals, and after about 30 to 45 seconds, you should have softened butter in a pinch.