Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake With Sweet Vanilla Icing

Whether you enjoy this coffee cake with a cinnamon sugar swirl and homemade sweet vanilla icing as a decadent breakfast with your morning cup of coffee or simply as a sweet treat any time of day, it’s definitely one delicious baked good!

Let’s be honest, this coffee cake recipe is probably considered more of a dessert rather than a breakfast item. But who am I to argue with the name of one of my late Grandma’s recipes? Even though I’m not a coffee person (or at least coffee that isn’t drowning in sugar and creamer), I still enjoy a slice of coffee cake now and again!

There are so many different recipes out there for coffee cake. Some have no toppings, some have a cinnamon crumble on top, some have a middle layer of cinnamon sugar, and some have it drizzled on top.

But for my recipe, I decided to take it up a notch and add swirls of cinnamon sugar with sweet vanilla icing to make it all the more decadent! You can definitely enjoy the coffee cake without the icing if you prefer.

If you aren’t a fan of sweet treats, then this recipe probably isn’t for you. But if you enjoy a little indulgence now and again, welcome and enjoy!

How To Make Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients

I’ve broken down the ingredients into three groups. First, there is the main part of the coffee cake batter. Next is the cinnamon sugar swirl mixture, and last is the sweet vanilla icing. It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but many of them are repeated and most are basic pantry staples.

If you prefer a thicker coffee cake, you can simply double the batter and cinnamon sugar swirl ingredients and create two layers of cake. Or, you can bake it in a 9 x 9″ or 8 x 8″ baking dish instead. (I’ll include directions for baking in smaller pans.)

We, however, enjoy a thinner coffee cake, so that’s why the recipe is written the way it is. As always, you can make this recipe your own!

Coffee Cake

• Granulated Sugar
• Shortening – You can substitute this for butter if you prefer, but I like to stick to my late Grandma’s original recipe and use Crisco shortening.
• Large Egg – Use an egg that is at room temperature.
• Milk – You can use 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk, or even half and half. We usually stick with 2% since that is what we drink. Avoid using skim milk if possible so you can take advantage of the extra flavor and fat in the other percentages.
• Flour – Any brand of all-purpose flour will work, but our favorite is King Arthur unbleached flour (Product Link: King Arthur, All Purpose Unbleached Flour)
• Baking Powder
• Salt

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

• Brown Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Melted Butter
• Cinnamon
• Water
• Chopped Nuts – This ingredient is optional and not one that we usually add. But if you are a fan of nuts in cookies and brownies, you will probably enjoy the addition.

Vanilla Icing (Optional)

• Powdered Sugar – Also called “confectioners sugar” depending on where you are located.
• Milk – Again, you can use about any type of milk for the icing. The higher the fat content of the milk, the richer the icing will be. Start with a small amount of milk and add more as needed.
• Vanilla – Use real vanilla as opposed to imitation if possible.

Instructions For Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

Start by preheating your oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 x 13″ glass baking dish and set it aside.

You can also bake the coffee cake in a 9 x 9″ or 8 x 8″ baking dish. I will note the changes that you will need to make to the recipe as we go along if you choose to go that route. Using a smaller baking dish will allow for taller, thicker coffee cake slices.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, shortening, and egg. Continue mixing until it is light and creamy (kind of like how you would cream together butter and sugar. Next, stir in the milk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined, then set the bowl aside.

Making The Cinnamon Sugar Swirls

In a smaller bowl, mix together the cinnamon sugar swirl ingredients until it is well combined. It should be a thicker consistency than the batter.

Take your greased 9×13 baking dish and add all of the coffee cake batter to the bottom. Smooth out the top if needed. (If you are using a 9 x 9″ or 8 x 8″ baking dish, skip to the “Baking In A Smaller Dish” step.)

Add blobs (technical term!) of cinnamon sugar swirl mixture in random spots on top of the coffee cake batter. It probably won’t look too pretty at this point. The goal is to have the cinnamon sugar mixture blobs spotted somewhat evenly across the batter. Just do your best here.

Use a knife to spread around the topping until the batter is mostly covered. Do not mix the topping in fully! It should look like little swirls or starbursts here and there with the coffee cake batter showing through. (See my pictures for an example.) It definitely doesn’t have to be perfect!

Baking In A Smaller Dish

If you are using a 9 x 9″ or 8 x 8″ baking dish, add half of the batter to the bottom of the greased pan. Take half of the cinnamon sugar swirl mixture and add blobs in random spots on top of the coffee cake batter.

Use a knife to spread around the mixture. Do not overmix the cinnamon sugar! You want to see the coffee cake batter coming through. It should resemble little swirls or starbursts of cinnamon sugar here and there.

Now pour the remaining coffee cake batter on top of that layer. Take the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture and drop blobs here and there on top of the batter. Again, use your knife to spread out the cinnamon sugar mixture to resemble swirls or starbursts. It doesn’t have to be perfect by any means! (See my pictures above for an example.)

Baking Directions & Icing

Bake the cinnamon swirl coffee cake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until it is baked through. A toothpick should come out clean if it is poked somewhere in a spot without the cinnamon sugar swirls. (The swirls might still be a bit gooey).

If using a smaller pan, the time will need to be increased by a few minutes. Start checking it after 20 minutes and every 2 to 3 minutes thereafter.

While the coffee cake is baking, make your vanilla icing. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add a little more milk if the glaze seems a bit too thick for your liking. If you are using a smaller pan, cut the icing recipe in half.

When the cinnamon swirl coffee cake is done baking, remove it from the oven. Allow it to cool slightly before adding the icing. (Otherwise, you will end up with a melted mess, which would still taste super delicious but won’t look as nice.) Enjoy with or without your morning cup of coffee!

Hungry for more delicious breakfast ideas? Try my Cinnamon Roll Muffins recipe, Old Fashioned Pancakes recipe, or Homemade French Toast recipe.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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