Lemon Coffee Cake + Video
This Lemon Coffee Cake is bursting with flavor from lemon zest and juice. It’s even topped with a lemony crumb streusel. Lemon lovers will adore this breakfast cake!
Lemon Coffee Cake
I altered my favorite blueberry crumb cake recipe and made it lemon flavored. The fine, moist crumb of this lemon coffee cake melts in your mouth, while the lemon infused crumble on top adds a slight crunch and boost of flavor.
It’s simple to make and works great for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea, or dessert.
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Coffee Cake vs Crumb Cake
Is crumb cake the same as coffee cake? Yes. Crumb cake simply has more streusel on top, whereas some coffee cakes may not have crumbs at all.
Still, I think most people associate that streusel-topped cake with either name, so I use them interchangeably.
Make the Lemon Streusel Topping
When making coffee cake or any other crumb cake, I like to make the streusel topping first, so it’s ready-to-go as soon as the cake batter is made.
*Full recipe and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
To make the lemon streusel topping:
- Place butter in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate and heat for 30-60 seconds in the microwave, until the butter is melted. Add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Mix with a fork to combine. Mixture will be clumpy. Chill streusel in the refrigerator until ready to top the cake.
Cold vs Melted Butter in Streusel – A typical streusel is made by cutting cold butter into the dry ingredients. Because I wanted the lemon juice to mix completely with the other ingredients, I used melted butter to help distribute it.
Simply refrigerating the prepared streusel until assembling the cake helps the melted butter firm back up. This helps the streusel keep its shape during baking, so that it doesn’t dissolve entirely into the cake.
Make the Lemon Cake Batter
After the streusel is made and chilling, it’s time to make the lemon cake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×9-inch square baking pan. (I like to use Baker’s Joy.) Set pan aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together until light and fluffy.
- Incorporate the eggs, one at a time.
- Then mix in the vanilla.
- Add half the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just incorporated.
- Add all of the buttermilk and lemon juice. Mix on low until just incorporated.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix on low until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.
Assemble the Lemon Crumb Cake
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Remove the crumb topping from the fridge and use your fingers to break up the streusel while sprinkling it evenly over the top of the cake batter. Keep some bigger clumps.
Baking and Serving
- Bake the lemon coffee cake at 375˚F for 40-45 minutes or until the cake springs back (doesn’t jiggle) when touched in the center. Do not over-bake. (You may try using a toothpick to test the center, but the streusel may scrape off any wet batter when lifted out of the cake. I recommend carefully doing the jiggle test with your fingers.)
- Allow the lemon coffee cake to cool, at least partially, before cutting and serving it. Dust the cake with powdered sugar or make a lemon glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice to drizzle over the top.
- Store cake covered tightly in the pan with foil or plastic wrap. Alternately transfer cake to an airtight container and store at room temperature up to 5 days. Nuke leftovers for 10-15 seconds in the microwave to soften the cake back up.
- Freeze slices of cake wrapped in plastic and placed inside of a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
More Lemon Desserts
If you loved this lemon crumb cake, then you might also like these lemon desserts:
- Lemon Cupcakes with oil
- Magic Lemon Pudding Cake
- Stovetop Lemon Curd or Microwave Lemon Curd
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Lemon Cream Pie Recipe
- Classic Lemon Bars
- Lemon Crumb Bars
- Lemon Brownies Recipe
If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!
Lemon Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Streusel:
- 4 Tbsp (57 g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour, stir, spoon & level
- ⅓ cup (68 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest, no white pith (about 1 lemon)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Lemon Cake:
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, stir, spoon & level
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, (1 stick); room temperature/softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest, no white pith (about 2 lemons)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (177 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice, room temperature
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Grease a 9×9-inch square baking pan. (I like to use Baker’s Joy.) Set pan aside.
- STREUSEL: Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate and heat for 30-60 seconds in the microwave, until the butter is melted. Add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix with a fork to combine. Mixture will be clumpy. Chill streusel in the refrigerator until ready to top the cake.
- CAKE BATTER: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest together until light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs, one at a time. Then mix in the vanilla.
- Add half the dry ingredients. Mix on low until just incorporated. Add all of the buttermilk and lemon juice. Mix on low until just incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix on low until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.
- ASSEMBLY: Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Remove the crumb topping from the fridge and use your fingers to break up the streusel while sprinkling it evenly over the top of the cake batter. Keep some bigger clumps.
- Bake the lemon coffee cake at 375℉ for 40-45 minutes or until the cake springs back (doesn’t jiggle) when touched in the center. Do not over-bake. (You may try using a toothpick to test the center, but the streusel may scrape off any wet batter when lifted out of the cake. I recommend carefully doing the jiggle test with your fingers.)
- Allow the lemon coffee cake to cool, at least partially, before cutting and serving it. Dust the cake with powdered sugar or make a lemon glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice to drizzle over the top.
Video
Notes
- Store cake covered tightly in the pan with foil or plastic wrap. Alternately transfer cake to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days. Nuke leftovers for 10-15 seconds in the microwave to soften the cake back up.
- Freeze slices of cake wrapped in plastic and placed inside of a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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Could I add blueberries to this recipe ? Without changing the recipe?
Yes, this is fashioned after my blueberry crumb cake recipe, so it should be just fine.
This did not work well in an 8 x 8 pan. Took forever and was still heavy but the flavor was good
The recipe is written for a 9×9-inch pan, but I’m glad it still tasted good.
Hi Amber! I plan to make this for Easter weekend but have only an 8×8 cake pan. Would you recommend adjusting the baking temp and/or time or just following the recipe as written? Thanks so much!
I would keep the same temperature, but it will likely take longer to bake. Make sure to carefully touch the center of the cake to make sure it doesn’t jiggle along with the toothpick test, because sometimes the crumb topping will pull off any wet batter making it seem done when it’s not. You will probably need to cover the top with foil towards the end of baking, so it doesn’t brown too much as well.