Coconut Coffee Cake is an easy soft and moist cake that’s perfect to serve for breakfast or grab as a snack. This amazing breakfast cake is so soft and moist because of the addition of sour cream. It’s bursting with fresh coconut flavors throughout and topped with a sweet crumble topping.
If you love coconut recipes, try my coconut banana bread and coconut doughnuts.
Table of Contents
Coffee cake is the greatest food invention because it allows us to eat cake for breakfast!
Yes, you heard me right, you can eat cake for breakfast! This soft, moist, and flavorful coffee cake is the perfect companion for your morning cup of Joe or an afternoon snack. This is one of the best baking recipes for the weekends and special brunches.
Coffee cake is super easy to make and the texture is absolutely perfect. It’s soft and moist because of the use of sour cream. Sour cream makes ALL the difference in baked goods, much like in my strawberry muffins.
If you love coconut, you’ll be a huge fan of this cake because there is coconut worked into the cake and into the crumble topping. The crumbled streusel topping is really what brings the whole cake together. You get the bite of a soft cake with a crunchy sweet topping. Texture and flavor heaven!
Ingredient Notes and Tips
Sour cream – use regular full fat sour cream! this is pretty much the most important ingredients in a coffee cake and I highly recommend that you do not substitute it. This is the key to the best texture.
Flour – All purpose flour works great. Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of dunking the cup into the bag! Then, cut the excess at the top with the back of the knife to level. When you dunk the cup, you really pack the flour into the cup.
Eggs – They’ll need to adjust to room temperature before using. Let them sit on the kitchen counter for about 30-45 minutes.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Make sure that both of these are not expired! In order for your baking soda and powder to be potent, you need to use them within 6 months of opening the containers.
Brown Sugar – you can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. The difference between the two is in the amount of molasses added, dark brown sugar containing more, of course.
Coconut flakes – use sweetened coconut flakes or you can also make your own if you wish. Note, that if you want to make your own, they will be unsweetened, so you may need to add more sugar. (For the process to make your own coconut flakes, check out my coconut banana bread recipe.)
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How To Make Coffee Cake
Preheat the oven to 350F° degrees and grease a 9×9 baking dish well.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl. Add vanilla and sour cream. Beat until well combined.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until just mixed. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and fold in the coconut, until incorporated throughout (1).
Spread the batter in the prepared baking dish evenly (3).
How to Make Crumb Topping:
In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, coconut flakes, and flour. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated evenly. Pour in melted butter slowly and carefully while fold it in with a large fork.
You will want to be careful so you don’t overmix. Streusel should look like large crumbs (2) and not paste.
Spread the crumble topping over batter evenly (4). Bake for 55-60 minutes and do a toothpick test in the center to make sure it’s done (5). Cool to room temperature before cutting.
Recipe FAQs
I get questions and comments about this all the time, asking me why it’s called a coffee cake when there is no coffee in it?! No, this cake is not supposed to have coffee in it. It is actually named “coffee cake” because it is a breakfast cake that is meant to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee. Think along the lines of banana bread, muffins, doughnuts, etc.
Both cakes have a similar texture and both have a crumb topping. Although, the main difference between the two cakes is the amount of said crumb topping. Crumb cake, as you may have guessed by the name, has a very thick layer of streusel topping. Almost half the thickness of the cake is the crumb topping. Coffee cake usually have a thin layer of toping.
Coffee cake if best served warm with a cup of coffee or tea. Of course, you can serve it any time of the day, whether it’s morning, afternoon, or a midnight snack. If you want to bump up the coconut flavor, drizzle some coconut syrup on it.
You can also serve with along other baked good and savory brunch recipes for a special weekend or a holiday brunch. It’s great along side of muffins, quick breads, and many pastries.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storing at room temperature – If you know you’ll eat it within a couple of days, you can easily store the bread at room temperature for 2-3 days. Make sure to cover it airtight so it doesn’t dry out.
Longer storing – to store the coffee cake for longer, store it in the refrigerator. Make sure to store in an air-tight container. In the refrigerator, it should be good for 5-7 days. You can always reheat the individual slices in the microwave, for 5-10 seconds at a time.
Freezing – Cool your coconut coffee cake to room temperature before freezing. (You can transfer it into an aluminum baking pan.) You can also take the whole cooled coffee cake out and of the baking pan and wrap it in couple of layers of aluminum foil first and then in plastic wrap. Wrapping it in a couple of layers, will prevent freezer burn. Label and place it into the freezer for 2-3 months.
If you wish, you an slice the cooled coffee cake and wrap individual slices to freeze.
Thaw the coffee cake on the counter top. Individual slices will just take a few minutes to thaw but the whole coffee cake will take 30-45 minutes.
More Sweet Recipes To Try
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Coconut Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Coffee Cake:
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup full fat sour cream room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Crumble:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F° degrees and grease a 9×9 baking dish.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add vanilla and sour cream. Beat until well combined.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed until just mixed.
- Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and fold in the coconut, until incorporated throughout.
- Spread the batter in the prepared baking dish evenly.
Crumble Topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, coconut flakes, and flour. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated evenly. Pour in melted butter slowly and carefully while fold it in with a large fork.
- You will want to be careful so you don’t overmix. Streusel should look like large crumbs and not paste.
- Spread the crumble topping over batter evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes and do a toothpick test in the center to make sure it’s done. Cool to room temperature before cutting.
Video
Notes
- Storing at room temperature – If you know you’ll eat it within a couple of days, you can easily store the bread at room temperature for 2-3 days. Make sure to cover it airtight so it doesn’t dry out.
- Longer storing – to store the coffee cake for longer, store it in the refrigerator. Make sure to store in an air-tight container. In the refrigerator, it should be good for 5-7 days. You can always reheat the individual slices in the microwave, for 5-10 seconds at a time.
- Freezing – Cool your coconut coffee cake to room temperature before freezing. (You can transfer it into an aluminum baking pan.) You can also take the whole cooled coffee cake out and of the baking pan and wrap it in couple of layers of aluminum foil first and then in plastic wrap. Wrapping it in a couple of layers, will prevent freezer burn. Label and place it into the freezer for 2-3 months.
If you wish, you an slice the cooled coffee cake and wrap individual slices to freeze. - Thaw the coffee cake on the counter top. Individual slices will just take a few minutes to thaw but the whole coffee cake will take 30-45 minutes
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in May 2015.
Ben says
Fantastic cake. My wife loved it too. (I do the cooking and baking.) She said “Make sure you do not lose that recipe!” I didn’t change the recipe at allbut I didn’t follow the order of what goes in when – I seldom do.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Ben! I am so glad you and your wife liked it!
Michelle says
How do you make the fresh coconut flakes? We bought a coconut for fun but now I don’t know what to do with it. This cake sounds so yummy but I assume it needs to be dried somehow?
LyubaB says
Hi Michelle, I have not made homemade coconut flakes but I did find a recipe online that may help you. https://www.lowcarb-nocarb.com/homemade-coconut-shreds/
Melanie says
Do u think this would work in a pampered chef bundt pan or possibly my mini loaf bakers?
LyubaB says
Hi, Melanie!
Yes, you could but the cooking time would change you should check the mini loaf pans after 18 minutes to see if done.
Sohrab says
Hi, I am going to cook it. However, I did not understand how much sugar do we want for the cake and where is the coffee powder?
P.S. I love coconut too.
lyuba says
Hi Sohrab!
There are different amounts of sugar in the actual cake and in the crumble topping. It’s divided in the recipe. For the cake, it’s 1 cup white granulated sugar.
There is no coffee powder. The name “coffee cake” is actually the type of cake, it describes that it is a morning cake that’s great to go with your morning coffee. It doesn’t actually have coffee in it.
I hope you will like it even without coffee 🙂
Connie says
I forgot to include the baking time for the 9×13: 30 min. I just wanna say again this recipe is sooooo yummy!! The look on my hubby’s face was priceless when he took a bite….heavenly! Thx again!
Connie says
I started getting out the ingredients and realized I didn’t have sour cream or unsweetened coconut flakes! I’m so thankful for the Greek yogurt question! I used vanilla Greek yogurt. I also used regular sweetened coconut flakes because that’s all I had in the pantry. I baked it in a 9×13 casserole and cut the time because I needed more squares. This is delicious! Thanks so much for making my coconut addiction worse! 😉
Lyuba says
Thank you, Connie! I’m glad you liked it!
lisa j.h. says
The cake is in the oven. smell of coconutty heaven in here.
lisa j.h. says
I’m a coconut fan all the way. N the love of coffee. Question. I have yogurt instead of sour cream. Will it make a differnce in it if I use the yogurt? Thank you Lisa
lyuba says
I”m sorry I didn’t see your question earlier! It’s not ideal but you can substitute full fat Greek yogurt or full fat plain yogurt. Neither has the fat content of sour cream, but I don’t think the difference would be too noticeable. I’ve never substituted sour cream for anything in coffee cakes because of the large amount that goes in there but I’d be interested to find out.
Let me know how it turned out!
Thank you 🙂
lisa j.h. says
This Cake Is AMAZING. Even though I used yogurt it still work and tasted very good. Hubby went on a crabbing trip with son and friend. They all loved it and asked for more when they got home. Thanks sharing this amazing cake. Its gonna take a take a trip to Florida from Oregon. My best friend there loves coconut. Thanks again Lisa J,H in Oregon.
lyuba says
I”m so happy it worked out well!! Yay 🙂
Melody says
Hi Lyuba!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! We love it!
I just writing a blog post on our Blog for share your recipe! I’ve included your like and your picture if you want to watch it! 🙂 http://www.cacafeblog.com/2016/01/21/recipe-coconut-coffee-cake/
Have a great day! Good Blog!
PS: If you want we will be happy to plan a partnership together you can send me an email at cacafesm@gmail.com
Best,
Lisa S says
Made this coffee cake Sunday, and it is so delicious. I have been craving coconut and this hit the spot. I could not find unsweetened coconut, so I used sweetened coconut & decreased the sugar as suggested & it was great! Tips are always so helpful. I look forward to your next coconut recipe.
lyuba says
I’m so glad you liked it, Lisa!!
I love coconut a little too much 🙂 and now, I’m craving something coconutty.
I shall make something soon!
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
Looks like a fabulous coffee cake! Loving all that streusel 🙂
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
This looks pretty darn good. I’ve never tried the International Delight coffee although we use their creamer. It would be very tasty during the hot summer months. I, too, love coconut anything. I can eat it just plain. I will certainly have to make this recipe. Thank you.
lyuba says
Thank you 🙂
I hope you’ll like my coffee cake and give ID coffee a try. I love it in caramel too 🙂