Jun 08 2026
RestaurantsWater St. CaféWarm Coffee Cake Recipe

Warm Coffee Cake Recipe

Inspired by Water St. Café
Time1h 10m
Serves12

vanilla cake layered, cinnamon sugar, brown butter streusel

Was this page helpful?

Help improve this recipe for others.

Send this recipe to your inbox.

We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.

Ingredients

Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Cake Ingredients

Cinnamon Sugar Layer

Brown Butter Streusel

Method

Preparation

  1. 1

    Preheat Oven

    Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

  2. 2

    Prepare Cinnamon Sugar

    In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon. Set aside.

  3. 3

    Make the Cake Batter

    In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup softened butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add 3 large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in 2 tsp vanilla extract.

  4. 4

    Combine Dry Ingredients

    In another bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with 1 cup milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

  5. 5

    Layer the Batter

    Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top.

  6. 6

    Add Second Layer

    Pour the remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar layer, then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top.

Brown Butter Streusel

  1. 7

    Prepare Streusel

    In a saucepan, melt 1 cup unsalted butter over medium heat. Continue to cook until the butter turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat.

  2. 8

    Mix Streusel Ingredients

    In a mixing bowl, combine the brown butter with 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Mix until crumbly.

  3. 9

    Add Streusel to Cake

    Sprinkle the brown butter streusel evenly over the top of the cake.

Baking

  1. 10

    Bake the Cake

    Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

  2. 11

    Cool and Serve

    Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm.

More from Water St. Café