Coffee cake muffins shouldn't be something that just goes along with your morning cup of Joe, they should have the coffee IN them. That's exactly why these are coffee coffee cake muffins! The moist muffins are made with freshly brewed coffee and feature an espresso cinnamon swirl & streusel. And just like with traditional coffee cake, the sweet glaze is a must!
Coffee cake muffins are great on their own, but coffee cake muffins with actual coffee in them are next-level delicious! These light and fluffy muffins are made with fresh coffee, espresso powder, lots of cinnamon, and a crumbly streusel topping that perfectly pairs with the gorgeous glaze drizzled on top. Whether you're an early riser or enjoy sleeping in, these muffins will be your new favorite pick-me-up to savor in the morning!
For more coffee recipes, try Fudgy Espresso Brownie Bites, Coffee Macarons, and Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies.
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Why you'll love these coffee coffee cake muffins
- Impossibly Soft & Moist Crumb: These muffins bake up with an impossibly tender texture, without sacrificing that rich, buttery flavor everyone wants in a muffin!
- Balanced Espresso Flavor: The espresso flavor is not overwhelming, but rather a balanced flavor that complements the taste of coffee in the sweet muffin base.
- Tall Rounded Tops: Muffins are meant to stand tall! But it can be tricky to get that height just right. Read below under Expert Baking Tips and Recipe FAQs on how to achieve this bakery-style quality!
Ingredient Notes
- Hot Coffee: Freshly brewed coffee is added to the batter to amplify the flavor.
- Espresso Powder: Be sure to use a fine ground espresso powder, not instant espresso.
- Sugars: A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar create the perfect balance of moisture and ideal structure.
- Unsalted Butter: Use high quality European-style butter for best overall flavor.
- Flour: Use high quality unbleached all-purpose flour best results.
- Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Vanilla: Add a high quality vanilla extract for optimal flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this coffee coffee cake muffins recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1: Make the crumb topping. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder. Cut the butter up into small cubes and toss in the mixture. Rub the mixture between your fingers until it resembles wet sand and there are no visible pieces of butter left. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to use.
STEP 2: Make the cinnamon swirl. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder. Set aside until ready to use.
STEP 3: Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.
STEP 4: Cream butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together for 2-3 minutes until light & fluffy.
STEP 5: Add wet ingredients. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl, then mix in half of the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in the milk and hot coffee, then the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
STEP 6: Bake. Fill the paper liners in your prepared muffin tin about halfway with batter, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar swirl onto each and top with another scoop of batter. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F and quickly add a generous amount of crumble topping to the centers of each muffin. Place the muffins back in the oven and bake for another 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
STEP 7: Make glaze. In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze onto the muffins and enjoy!
Expert Baking Tips
- Bake at a high temperature for the first 5 minutes. This first initial blast of heat will force the muffins to rise up rapidly. After 5 minutes, turn the oven down and bake for another 15-18 minutes.
- Wait to add the crumb topping. To ensure the crumb topping doesn't melt in the muffins, wait to add it until after the initial 5 minutes of baking.
Recipe FAQs
To get that high dome top, muffins need to initially be baked at a high temperature for 5 minutes and then a slightly lower temperature for the rest of the bake time. That first blast of high heat will force the muffins to bake upward more rapidly, creating a domed top. Then, the temperature is lowered for the remaining 15-18 minutes to bake the muffins all the way through. Spacing them out in the muffin pan will also help, as the heat can be distributed more evenly around the muffins.
The moist texture of these chocolate muffins relies on the carefully curated ratio of dry to wet ingredients. The brown sugar, milk, coffee, and flour measurements all ensure that these muffins bake up soft & moist.
Absolutely! You can add your favorite nuts, like pecans or walnuts, make a vanilla glaze instead of a plain one, or add any other toppings you'd like to customize your coffee coffee cake muffins.
Store these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days or freeze in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Baking in Grams
All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale.
If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.
But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!
Happy baking! x
Other muffin recipes to try
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📖 Recipe
Coffee Coffee Cake Muffins
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 80 g (⅔ cup) all-purpose flour
- 53 g (¼ cup) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 70 g (5 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
For the cinnamon sugar swirl:
- 53 g (¼ cup) dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon espresso powder
For the muffins:
- 360 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 14 g (1 tbsp + ½ tsp) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 g (2 teaspoon) espresso powder
- 85 g (6 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 71 g (⅓ cup) dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 113 g (½ cup) whole milk, room temp
- 113 g (½ cup) freshly brewed hot coffee
For the glaze:
- 85 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar, sifted
- 56 g (¼ cup) heavy cream
Instructions
For the crumb topping:
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder. Cut the butter up into small cubes and toss in the mixture. Rub the mixture between your fingers until it resembles wet sand and there are no visible pieces of butter left. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to use.
For the cinnamon sugar swirl:
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder. Set aside until ready to use.
For the muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line two muffin pans with parchment cups spaced out in every other cup.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together for 2-3 minutes until light & fluffy.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape down the bowl, then mix in half of the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in the milk and hot coffee, then the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.
- Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to add one scoop of the batter into the prepared muffin pan (or fill each about halfway). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar swirl onto each, then top with another scoop of batter.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F and quickly add a generous amount of crumb topping to the centers of each muffin.
- Place the muffins back in the oven and bake for another 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before glazing.
For the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze onto the muffins, and enjoy!
Notes
- Bake at a high temperature for the first 5 minutes. This first initial blast of heat will force the muffins to rise up rapidly. After 5 minutes, turn the oven down and bake for another 15-18 minutes.
- Wait to add the crumb topping. To ensure the crumb topping doesn't melt in the muffins, wait to add it until after the initial 5 minutes of baking.
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