Grandma’s Coffee Cake

I’m sharing this week’s meal plan at Once a Month Mom today! Come see my freezer cooking plan and what we’re eating this week.

Many of my favorite recipes come from my grandma or mom and cinnamon-streusel topped “coffee cake” is one of those recipes that says “home” to me. The recipe originated from a magazine my grandma clipped when she was a newlywed and learning how to cook. Over the years it’s been tweaked a bit, including the addition of chocolate chips by someone with a sweet tooth!

Coffee cake is often requested when her grandkids visit, and is Grandma’s go-to breakfast recipe when there are overnight guests. My mom also made this sweet breakfast cake when I was growing up, often doubling the batch so we could snack on the leftovers later.

Since my family’s current breakfast routine usually includes instant oatmeal, I’d forgotten about this recipe until recently when I was putting together my recipe binder. Upon discovery I made it in mini cake (muffin) form, and as suspected–my kids loved it as much as I remember loving it.

Coffee cake muffins (which really should have a new name since they have nothing to do with coffee) are tasty at breakfast with fresh fruit and a glass of milk, or if cake for breakfast isn’t your thing, they’re pretty delish served warm with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.

Here’s the recipe:

Grandma’s Coffee Cake

Batter:

• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 TBSP oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder

Mix ingredients well and pour into a greased 8×8 baking pan (OR muffin cups). Sprinkle with topping. 

Topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 TBSP flour
• 2 TBSP melted butter
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter. Sprinkle over cake batter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes (cake) or 12-15 minutes (muffins) or until lightly golden brown.

Tip for cooking with kids: Baking is a great kid-friendly introduction to cooking, and my kids love helping for the reward of licking the spoon when we’re done! One of their “jobs” when we make muffins is to fill the muffin tin with paper liners, or spread the silicone liners (above) on a baking sheet.

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