Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

There is something very nostalgic and comforting about a simple, well made coffee cake, also sometimes called crumb cake.  I can't tell you how many muffins and cakes I made before deciding this Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake recipe was ready to be shared, but I can tell you that after all the trial and error bakes, this cake checks all the boxes of crumb cake perfection for me.  

I like for my coffee cake to be soft and moist, there has to be a ribbon of streusel through the cake and then more streusel - a good amount - baked right on top!  I ended up switching out some of the flour for corn starch which helps with a softer crumb, and added sour cream to boost the moistness.  The use of melted butter instead of oil gives it an extra richness and I made sure there was almost as much streusel as there is cake batter!

Coffee cake doesn't have any actual coffee in it.  It's named coffee cake because people like to eat this cake with a cup of coffee for breakfast, brunch, or any other gathering with friends.  The lack of frosting makes it much less sickly sweet than a regular cake and the perfect treat to have any time of the day!

Streusel Topping:

• 1-1/2 cups AP flour 
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Cake:

• 1-1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 11x7 or 9x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  
2. For the streusel topping, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together then stir in the melted butter with a fork till it resembles the texture of wet sand.  Set aside.
3. For the cake, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  
4. In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat until nice and smooth.  Beat in the sour cream.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until just combined.
6. Layer half of the cake batter in to the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle half of the streusel topping mixture over the top.  Layer the other half of the cake batter over that, and top with the remaining crumb mixture.  
7. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean.  
8. Cool, dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve!  

If you have any left over, make sure to keep it stored in an airtight container or on a plate that you can tightly seal with saran wrap so it doesn't get dry!