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Cinnamon Crunch Yogurt Coffee Cake. Vanilla yogurt coffee cake swirled with sweet cinnamon and espresso CRUNCH. This middle layer of CRUNCH throughout the cake creates a perfectly gooey center. Then simply top the cake with the remaining CRUNCH and bake! This is such a delicious, perfectly moist, and light cake. It’s especially delicious when eaten warm! Each soft, sweet slice has a little cinnamon espresso crunch with every bite. It’s easier to make than you’d think! Everyone loves this special yogurt coffee cake!
This might feel like a slightly indulgent recipe for January. But as I’ve been saying, just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean we should ignore winter baking.
These bitter-cold, short winter days are some of the best of the year to cozy up in the kitchen and bake your favorite banana bread or chocolate-filled cookies! Life, especially in January, is a balance. You have to treat yourself too!
And when it snows here, which has been a lot this month, all I crave is a baking day.
I made this loaf cake during those laid-back days between Christmas and New Year’s. I was feeling a little sad that Christmas was over, but the snow was still falling, and I was left with the baking bug.
Something so comforting to me in the winter is the smell of cinnamon baking away in the oven. I just love it so much. So, I decided to start jotting down different ideas with cinnamon. When I read my list over, this cinnamon-heavy cake was just what I wanted to bake.
I decided to make a lighter variation with the thought of the new year and reducing the sugar. I made this cake a little more wholesome, using honey, plain Greek yogurt, and whole wheat flour.
This cake is just a little more special, thanks to the thick cinnamon and espresso crunch swirl. Yes, there’s a pinch of espresso powder in there, too…it actually is a coffee, coffee cake!
Here are the details
Ingredients – for the yogurt coffee cake
- salted butter
- honey – or you can use granulated sugar, but I like honey
- plain Greek yogurt
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- whole wheat flour – you could also use all-purpose flour
- almond flour – again, you can use all-purpose flour
- baking powder
Ingredients – for the cinnamon CRUNCH
- dark brown sugar
- cinnamon
- espresso powder
- salted butter
Special Tools
You need a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Or you can use a 9-inch bundt pan too. You’ll also need a mixing bowl.
Steps
Step 1: make the cake batter
Cream one stick of room-temperature salted butter with the honey. Then add eggs, vanilla, and plain Greek yogurt. Having your ingredients at room temperature allows for the best and most even mixing of ingredients.
The Greek yogurt is the secret here. The yogurt adds delicious flavor and gives the cake moisture. It’s such a wonderful addition to this sweet cinnamon cake. It provides a nice tangy balance!
Once all the wet ingredients have been mixed, simply beat in the whole wheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. You can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat and almond flour, but I love the flavor that both these flours provide. I find that the almond flour keeps the cake from becoming too heavy.
Step 2: make the cinnamon crunch
The cinnamon crunch topping consists of brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter mixed together until clumps form.
Step 3: create the layers.
Layer half of the batter into a loaf pan. Sprinkle a handful of the cinnamon crunch mixture over the batter. Spoon over the remaining batter, then cover the top of the cake with the remaining cinnamon crunch mixture.
1st layer – coffee cake batter.
2nd layer – cinnamon CRUNCH.
3rd layer – another layer of coffee cake batter.
4th layer – a very thick layer of cinnamon CRUNCH on top.
And then you bake – this coffee cake will take about an hour in the oven.
As the cake bakes, the cinnamon melts into the sugar and butter, becoming nice and gooey. At the same time, the cinnamon topping begins to caramelize, becoming crunchy.
So yummy!
I opted out of a glaze for this coffee cake to keep the sweetness down, but an espresso glaze would be over-the-top delicious if you wanted to try that! Yum!
Looking for other winter baking sweets? Here are a few to try:
5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake
Dirty Horchata Tres Leches Cake
Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake
Bursting Blueberry Cardamom Buckle
Coconut Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Cinnamon Crunch Yogurt Coffee Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cinnamon Crunch Swirled Coffee Cake
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 403 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup honey or granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 3/4 cup almond flour (or 1/2 cup all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Crunch
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter a 9×5 inch loaf pan.2. In a bowl, beat together the butter and honey until combined. Add the yogurt and vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. 3. To make the crunch. Mix the butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and espresso. 4. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with a 1/3 cup of the crunch mix, reserve the remaining crunch mix for topping. Evenly spoon the remaining batter over. Sprinkle over the remaining crunch mixture.5. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the center is just set. Remove and let cool for 30 minutes before cutting…or eat it warm with a smear of cinnamon butter. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 17, 2025
I’m a huge fan of yours, Tieghan, but this one didn’t work out for me. The bottom was burnt and the top was burnt. I liked the limited sweetness and the internal crumb texture and flavor, but the tablespoon of espresso powder needed to be offset with a little more sweetness. The espresso powder was like “POW!”, but not in a good way. I would make some adjustments if I made it again. There were some good suggestions in the comments for tweaking.
Hi everyone! For those who are frustrated that their cake sunk in the middle, I just want to say—it’s not you, it’s the recipe. The mix of almond flour and whole wheat flour doesn’t create a strong enough structure to support the weight of the batter and the cinnamon crunch topping, especially in the center. Without enough gluten to hold everything up, the middle of the cake is more prone to collapsing as it bakes and cools. The high baking temperature doesn’t help either, as it can cause the edges to set too quickly while the inside remains too soft. It’s a tricky balance, so please don’t feel like you’ve done anything wrong.
How do I make the loaf not so sunken in?
Hi Geoffrey,
You should be able to follow the recipe as written without any issues. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Thank you! It looks like yours is sunken in though, so how would mine not turn out that way from following your instructions?
Hi Teagan – I just wanted to follow up on my question before I try to bake this! Thanks!
This is normal for me, my cakes always have a dip! I don’t adjust for the elevation.
The cake will come out rounded for you.
Let me know if you have other questions! Have a great weekend!
I’m sorry but I’m a little confused because you always say that elevation doesn’t affect your baking. Why would you not adjust for it then?
I made this yesterday using Bob’s GF 1 for 1, turbinado sugar, and kept everything else the same (except timing of the topping). It mixed and baked beautiful. I waited until there was 25 minutes left before adding the topping. This kept my topping from burning. It rose, did not sink at all. The crumb was gooey in the middle and crunchy on top. A delicious quick “coffee cake” to make when you want something cinnamon-y.
Hey J,
Love to hear this! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment! Have a nice day:) xxT
I started the batter before noticing the low star rating and scrolling through comments for tips. I was worried I had made a mistake attempting this given all the negative reviews. However, I forged ahead using sugar, all-purpose flour, and even the whole 1 TABLESPOON of vanilla extract. I don’t have instant espresso powder so I used 1/2 Tbsp coffee extract instead.
Considering other bakers’ experiences, I decided to bake at 350* with foil on. After 30 minutes, the topping had settled down and the batter was still very runny. I removed the foil and baked for another 20 minutes. The toothpick test revealed no stickiness, so I took it out. After resting, it has not sunken and the crunch is all within the loaf (no crusty top, unfortunately). It is moist and quite sweet with all the brown sugariness. It tastes delicious! Given the burning reports, I would advise lowering your temp or keeping a close eye on it, and it sounds like whole wheat pastry flour is not a good idea. Good luck, HBH readers!
Thanks so much! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well! Thanks for sharing your notes on what worked best for you! xx
Let me start by saying I am a big fan of your cooking recipes, however this cinnamon crunch coffee cake was an utter fail. It was super dense and dry, not very flavorful or sweet and did not rise much, the topping burnt well before the cake was finished baking. And yes, I followed the recipe exactly. Baking is just not my “thing”
Hi there,
Thanks for trying this recipe and so many others, I’m so sorry to hear this one did not turn out for you. xx
Don’t give up on baking! These are just poorly written recipes – especially the baked goods. Cakes are not supposed to be sunken in like you see here. Try out ANY recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction where they’re actually tested, very well written, and come out delicious every time! You won’t see Sally gaslighting you by saying things like “all my cakes are sunken in” – no respectable baker would ever say that. Please don’t give up on baking due to a bad operator. There are good recipes out there and these just aren’t it!!
My loaf was pretty good! I would’ve liked it to be larger and a true crumble top. The top caramelized after 20 minutes in the oven. I used Greek gods honey Greek yogurt and probably a full cup of honey, it was perfectly sweetened like a true cake taste. I cooked it for 50 minutes and it was perfect. It’s late at night and I think I will really enjoy it in the morning with my coffee!
Hey Sabrina,
Amazing! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
This one did not work out for me… The cake batter turned out too bland and didn’t mix at all with the middle layer of crunch. The top layer of crunch burnt 🙁 maybe covering it with foil halfway through would had have been a good idea. Just a complete miss for me. I like cinnamon crunch pumpkin butter chocolate chip loaf way better.
Hi Katie,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, I’m so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Did anyone else’s burn on top? Besides that, my loaf was pretty sunken (should have known from the photos). That’s not a deal breaker, flavor and texture-wise though, these weren’t too great. My search for the greatest loaf cake continues!
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for trying this coffee cake and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love it. xx
This turned out perfectly; thoroughly enjoyed making on a snowy Sunday. Followed instructions to a T. Pulled out of oven at ~ 55min. We especially enjoyed the contrast of textures – the moist, delicious cake with the crispy, crunchy cinnamon top layer. Looking forward to enjoying a second slice tomorrow morning. The yogurt and the espresso touch made this something special. 🤓 and also – it’s not too sweet in a good way. Thank you for pushing me outside my baking comfort zone… again!
Thank you so much, Delia! Love to hear this coffee cake was enjoyed. I appreciate you making it and your feedback! xT
Mine sunk really really badly and had a weird flavor and texture. Not even my husband or kids ate it 🙁
Hi Marsha,
So very sorry to hear this! Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xx
No, I did not adjust the recipe.
Made this last night and enjoyed it with coffee this morning. Used the wheat flour and almond flour. I am no baker, and being a 62 year old male, I am good at following the recipe procedures. Ours was very light and just enough sweet/cinamon — I substituted the espresso for some Penzeys Hot Chocolate mix and you do get a hint of spiced chocolate.
Hi Bob,
So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a wonderful week! xx
Hi Tieghan!
Thank you for this recipe, it was delicious and loved by my family. I know different climates call for different baking, I’m always needing to make adjustments here in Tampa Florida. I used all purpose flour and the almond flour. I doubled up the strousel, we like a lot! I did change the baking to 350 and baked it for 40 minutes. I originally set for 30 and it needed 10 more minutes. I also use 350 for my rule of thumb. Next weekend I will make these again and individually in a jumbo muffin pan!
Thank you again, this was delicious!!!
Hi Pamela,
Fantastic! Thank you so much for making this coffee cake and sharing your notes on what worked well for you! So glad it was enjoyed by your family! xx
Hi! I’m reading comments to see how to avoid the sunken middle and see you mention that you don’t adjust for elevation. But don’t you develop at elevation? Shouldn’t they turn out correctly for you? I would think it would be near impossible to develop a recipe for sea level at an elevation and know it will work for others. Unless this recipe was taken from somewhere else?
Hi Tieghan! I’m not usually a baker but this sounds delicious! I’m also at a high elevation though, so how would I adjust to account for it to make sure my loaf comes out rounded? I would love to give this a try, thanks in advance!
The flavors of the cinnamon swirl were great but this didn’t come together that well. Even with tenting foil over the top for the last 20 minutes of baking, the top was a little burnt by the time the rest was baked through. I’d recommend baking with foil the whole time. I also found the cake part to be a little bland/not quite sweet enough unless you got a bite of the cinnamon in each fork-full.