Classic Coffee Cake With A Twist Recipe

Depending on who you ask, enjoying a piece of cake for breakfast isn't always acceptable. And while we fully support being able to eat cake at any time of day you please, there is a way to get around this social norm. Enter: coffee cake.

Coffee cake is the perfect solution for when you want to enjoy a moist, tender crumb with a delicious flavor for breakfast, or even as an afternoon snack. And while we're huge fans of a traditional coffee cake ladened with cinnamon and sugar, we decided it was time to kick this classic up a notch.

This funfetti coffee cake is the perfect way to start your day on a high note, with plenty of rainbow sprinkles mixed into the batter, as well as the streusel topping. With notes of vanilla, it tastes like a sugar cookie-meets-slice of vanilla cake, and you won't even miss the frosting. Whip up this funfetti coffee cake in under an hour as the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of a new day.

Gather the ingredients for this coffee cake recipe

To get started on making this funfetti coffee cake, you'll want to first gather all of your ingredients. For this coffee cake recipe, you'll need, ¼ cup of white sugar, ¾ of a cup of brown sugar, 6 tablespoons of softened butter, ½ a cup of sour cream, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, 1 ⅓ cups of flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ a teaspoon of baking powder, ½ a teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of hot water, and ¾ of a cup of your favorite rainbow sprinkles.

To make the streusel topping for this coffee cake, you'll need an additional ½ of a cup of brown sugar, 4 tablespoons of melted butter, ¾ of a cup of flour, ¼ of a teaspoon of salt, and ¼ of a cup of sprinkles.

Cream the butter and sugar and add the eggs

Once your ingredients are rounded up, it's time to start baking. First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is warming up, you'll want to cream the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add in the white sugar and brown sugar first, and then use a hand mixer to cream the butter mixture.

Once the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar are creamed and fluffy, it's time to add in the sour cream. Mix in the sour cream, and then mix in the eggs. Finish this step off by mixing in the pure vanilla extract.

Finish the coffee cake batter and add the sprinkles

Once all of the wet ingredients are combined, the next step is finishing the coffee cake batter with the remaining dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until the mixture is just combined, and then mix in the hot water. Be sure not to overmix the batter to avoid a coffee cake that's too dry.

Once the batter is prepped and ready, add in your favorite rainbow sprinkles. It's best to utilize a larger sprinkle option such as rainbow jimmies for this recipe, as opposed to sanding sugar or nonpareils. However, it's all up to you! Get creative with your sprinkle choice for a fun, rainbow treat.

Prepare the streusel topping for the coffee cake

To make the streusel topping for the coffee cake, grab another mixing bowl. Add in half a cup of brown sugar, 3/4 cup of flour, and quarter of a teaspoon of salt. Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, and then pour the melted butter into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix the streusel mixture with a large fork until clumps form, and then add in the extra quarter of a cup of sprinkles.

Bake the coffee cake

Once the batter is made and the streusel is ready, it's time to combine all of the prepared components to make your funfetti coffee cake. Prepare an 8-inch square cake pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Use a spatula to spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Next, sprinkle the funfetti streusel topping over the batter, pressing down just slightly. Bake the funfetti coffee cake for 35 minutes until the middle is fully set. Once finished baking, remove the coffee cake from the oven to cool before serving.

Classic Coffee Cake With A Twist Recipe
5 from 47 ratings
Coffee cake gets a fun upgrade with the addition of sprinkles. This twist on the classic recipe works equally well as a dessert or breakfast offering.
Prep Time
15
minutes
Cook Time
35
minutes
Servings
9
slices
coffee cake with sprinkles on plate
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • 1 ¼ cup brown sugar (divided for streusel topping)
  • 10 tablespoons butter, softened (divided for streusel topping)
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups flour (divided for streusel topping)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt (divided for streusel topping)
  • 3 tablespoons hot water
  • 1 cup sprinkles (divided for streusel topping)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream ¼ cup of white sugar, ¾ of a cup of brown sugar, and 6 tablespoons of softened butter with a hand mixer.
  3. Mix in the sour cream, and then mix in the eggs and the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine 1 ⅓ cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and ½ a teaspoon of salt.
  5. Gradually mix the dry ingredients mixture into the wet ingredients until the batter comes together. Mix in the hot water and ¾ cup of sprinkles.
  6. Prepare an 8-inch square cake pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Use a spatula to spread the batter into the prepared pan.
  7. To make the streusel topping, combine the ¾ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Mix to combine, and then pour 4 tablespoons melted butter into the bowl. Mix the mixture with a large fork to combine until large clumps form, and then mix in ¼ cup sprinkles.
  8. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter, pressing down just slightly.
  9. Bake the funfetti coffee cake for 35 minutes until the middle is fully set. Once finished baking, remove from the oven to cool.
Nutrition
Calories per Serving 465
Total Fat 16.6 g
Saturated Fat 9.9 g
Trans Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 76.1 mg
Total Carbohydrates 74.6 g
Dietary Fiber 0.9 g
Total Sugars 47.9 g
Sodium 296.2 mg
Protein 5.2 g
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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