Coffee Cake with Streusel and Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
This soft and buttery coffee cake is layered with cinnamon streusel and finished with a tangy lemon cream cheese glaze — perfect for brunch, breakfast, or dessert.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35–45 minutes
- Total Time: ~1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 9–12 generous slices
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Cake:
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Unsalted butter, softened
Eggs
Whole milk or buttermilk
Vanilla extract
Lemon zest
Streusel Topping:
All-purpose flour
Light brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Cold unsalted butter, cubed
Pinch of salt
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze:
Cream cheese, softened
Powdered sugar
Fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest
Splash of milk (optional, to adjust consistency)
Instructions
Preheat & Prep Pan: Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease and line a 9-inch springform or square baking pan.
Make the Streusel: Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar.
Cream Wet Ingredients: Beat softened butter with eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest until creamy.
Combine Wet & Dry: Alternate adding milk and dry mix into wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Assemble Cake: Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel on top.
Bake: Bake for 35–45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool fully.
Make the Glaze: Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest, and milk (as needed) until pourable.
Glaze & Serve: Drizzle glaze over cooled cake. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Add jam swirls (raspberry or blueberry) for a fruity variation.
Mix chopped pecans or walnuts into streusel for crunch.
Swap lemon zest for orange or lime for a citrus twist.
Use gluten-free 1:1 flour with xanthan gum for gluten-free version.
Great as muffins—adjust baking time to 18–22 minutes.
