As long as I can remember, I’ve always been a huge fan of cinnamon. Whenever I’m given a choice of desserts, I almost always gravitate to the one with cinnamon. And if the dessert also happens to include brown sugar? Then I’m pretty much in a happy place! So it should come as no surprise that coffee cakes are pretty darn high on my list. In fact, I think coffee cake was the very first thing I ever learned how to bake from scratch. (Yes, I do indeed remember that moment well!) The Autumn chill in the air has reawakened my spirit of baking (hah…like that ever really left), and I decided to make these Coffee Cake Muffins. Pair them with a Kahlúa Cappuccino, and you’ve got a delicious start to a chilly Fall morning!
My wife and I moved to upstate New York a couple of years ago, and like most areas of the country, New York and New England have their own baking and culinary traditions. In fact, not long after moving here, I got into a discussion with someone about coffee cake…and more specifically the NY Style Crumb Cake version. I casually mentioned that I like to swirl cinnamon through my batter before baking my favorite crumb cake. Well apparently saying that in New York is akin to calling Peach Cobbler and Peach Pie the same thing in South Carolina! I quickly learned that a true New York-style coffee cake is a pure cake base (no swirls!) with a very generous portion of crumb topping. (In fact, the cinnamon crumb topping is often as much as 1/3 of the entire cake!) So this muffin is my nod to the New York version of the coffee cake. As noted below, I added the crumb topping about 8-10 minutes before the muffins were done. (When you put the crumb topping on before baking, the topping falls into the center of the muffin. While still delicious, it kinda loses that visual appeal of a cake loaded with a brown sugar and cinnamon topping!)
And you can’t have a delicious coffee cake muffin for breakfast without coffee, right? Well, I see your coffee, and I raise you a Kahlúa Cappuccino! Yup, that’s right. As if that isn’t enough already, I also drizzled the Coffee Cake Muffins with a simple Kahlúa glaze. As far as I am concerned, these Coffee Cake Muffins served alongside a hot Kahlúa Cappuccino are pretty much the perfect way to start a chilly weekend morning! Plus, these are great muffins to serve if you are entertaining family or friends for the weekend…after all, who doesn’t love waking up to Kahlúa, cinnamon, and brown sugar?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kahlúa. The opinions and text are all mine.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- ½ Tbsp cinnamon
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/3 cups cake flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp Kahlúa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with liners.
- In a medium bowl, make the crumb topping by combining all of the topping ingredients (sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and cake flour). Mix together until crumb topping forms. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a countertop mixer with the paddle attached, sift together the dry ingredients for the muffins (cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Stir until well combined.
- Add the softened butter and sour cream and mix until combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix just until liquid is absorbed. (It’s ok if the batter looks slightly lumpy.)
- Fill the muffin cups about ½ full with batter. (Note: Do not add crumb topping yet.)
- Bake the muffins for approximately 23-25 minutes, or until the muffins are set but not quite fully baked. Add a generous amount of crumb topping to the top of each muffin. Press the topping into the muffins gently. Continue baking for another 8-10 minutes, or until muffins are done. (Note: A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should come out almost clean once the muffins are done.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- While the muffins are cooling, make the Kahlúa Glaze by combining the powdered sugar and Kahlúa together in a small bowl. Stir together until a thick glaze forms.
- Once the muffins are slightly cool, drizzle the tops with the Kahlúa Glaze. (Tip: I put the glaze in a sandwich bag and snipped off the corner. It works great as a glazing “tool”!)
Ingredients
- 1 part Kahlúa
- 4 parts espresso or strongly-brewed coffee
- 2 parts steamed milk
- Cinnamon, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Stir together the Kahlúa and hot espresso.
- Spoon the steamed milk on top of the coffee and Kahlúa mixture.
- Garnish with cinnamon (optional).
