This buttermilk coffee cake is simple, soft, and packed with a thick cinnamon crumb topping. It’s the kind of cake you can mix together quickly and still end up with something that tastes really good straight out of the oven.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This cake has a really soft texture thanks to the buttermilk, and the top is loaded with a buttery cinnamon crumble that melts slightly into the cake as it bakes. I like this one because it’s not complicated at all, but it still has that classic coffee cake feel with a good balance of soft cake and crumb topping.

What You Will Need for this Buttermilk Coffee Cake

You’ll need all-purpose flour to build the structure of the cake, along with baking soda to help it rise.

Granulated sugar sweetens the cake, while cinnamon adds that warm flavor throughout.

Butter is mixed into the batter to give it richness, and it also forms the base of the topping.

Buttermilk is key here because it keeps the cake soft and gives it a light texture.

For the topping, you’ll use brown sugar for a deeper sweetness, more cinnamon for flavor, and chopped pecans for a bit of crunch.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup butter, very soft
• 1 cup buttermilk

Topping

• ¼ cup butter
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup chopped pecans

How to Make Buttermilk Coffee Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch round or square pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda and stir until everything is evenly mixed.

Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients and use a fork to work it in until the mixture becomes crumbly. It doesn’t need to be perfect, a few small lumps are fine.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until everything comes together into a thick batter. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter for the topping. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon until combined, then mix in the chopped pecans.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cake batter.

Bake for 35–38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Let it cool slightly before slicing. It’s good served warm or at room temperature.

Storage

Keep the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

More Coffee Cake Recipes

• Sour Cream Coffee Cake 
• Apple Coffee Cake
• Cinnamon Coffee Cake
•  Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake