Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is great for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert. This moist and delicious lemon cream cheese coffee cake has a sweet glaze and goes wonderfully with coffee or tea.

Cream cheese coffee cake on a cake stand and a slice on a plate.


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Moist Cake with Cream Cheese

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is a wonderful way to start the morning, or even to enjoy later in the day. This coffee cake is a dense and rich dessert. So often commercial coffee cake is overly sweet or has a texture that resembles playdough, but not this coffee cake, which has a tunnel of rich cream cheese inside.

I love the versatility of cream cheese, it can be made sweet or savory. In this recipe, it adds a lovely touch. There is a smooth and creamy filling that is perfect for coffee cake. This recipe isn’t difficult to make, and it would make a delicious weekend breakfast.

What Makes Cream Cheese Coffee Cake So Delicious?

With just a few ingredients, it’s incredible how cream cheese combines with butter and that ultra crumble for a flavor that’s hard to beat. Even though it has that denser texture, you’ll still love how moist and crumbly it is.

You’ll enjoy this sweet, satisfying start to your day! So, how does cream cheese coffee cake differ from other coffee cakes?

With a creamy cheese layer, bright lemon flavor, and sweet glaze, this dessert offers a wonderful combination of flavors and textures. Of course, it’s perfect with coffee! But your kids will love it with hot chocolate or ice-cold milk. There’s nothing quite like it!

Why You Should Try This Recipe

You can make this Cream Cheese Coffee Cake recipe when you’re in the mood for a little sweetness. You can throw together this cream cheese filled coffee cake in a jiffy. Then slice it up for a sweet, tangy treat.

For breakfast or dessert, Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is a perfect choice! You’ll love how moist and delicious it is.

If you want to make this an extra special treat, serve it with berries and whipped cream. Whether you prefer it with coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, it’s always an excellent choice!

Ingredients You Will Need For Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

For this cream cheese filled coffee cake recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

For the cake:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Unsalted butter
  • White granulated sugar
  • Lemon zest
  • Lemon juice
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Sour cream
  • Cream cheese

Or, add pecans or other unique flavors for variations on the sweet treat. 

For the glaze:

  • Powdered sugar
  • Milk
Cream cheese coffee cake ingredients on a tray.

How to Make Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Here are the steps for making a coffee cake with cream cheese filling:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spay a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and 1 cup plus two tablespoons of sugar and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition.
  5. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
  6. Reduce the mixer to low and add a third of the flour mixture, blend in well.
  7. Add half of the sour cream, and blend well.
  8. Add another third of the flour, followed by the remaining sour cream, and the remaining third of the flour, blending well after each addition.
  9. Pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan and the remaining half into a small bowl.
  10. Place the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla in the mixer bowl and beat until creamy.
  11. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter and mix it in well.
  12. Spoon this cream cheese mixture over the batter in the pan and spread it towards the center of the pan.
  13. Pour the remaining cake batter into the pan and spread it evenly over the top.
  14. Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes, the cake will be golden. If you are using a cake tester to test the cake, the cream cheese layer will be wet.
  15. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes then remove it from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour.
  16. If desired, drizzle glaze over the cake before serving.
Collage of steps for making cream cheese coffee cake.

To make the glaze:

  1. Place the powdered sugar and milk in a bowl.
  2. Whisk until combined.
  3. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
Cake glaze mixture and a whisk in a bowl.
Cream cheese coffee cake slice on a plate.

Top Tips for Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Here are just a few of my favorite top tips and tricks. 

  • Start with the best milk and flour ingredients for a light and delectable flavor.
  • Use room-temperature ingredients for the cream cheese mixture. 
  • Measure the dry ingredients using a spoon and knife to level them in a measuring cup.

These quick tips will liven up your Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. You’ll love this lemon cream cheese coffee cake!

What Can You Serve with Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Cream cheese coffee cake is perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert! It is moist and ultra-yummy.

Cold milk or hot coffee pair well with Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. It’s the perfect breakfast side dish with eggs or pancakes. If you love breakfast as much as I do, you’ll have this coffee cake accompanying virtually any meal.

How to Store Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

You can store Cream Cheese Coffee Cake in the refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container. A bundt cake keeper is great for storage. You can also store slices in plastic zip-top bags.

For longer storage, you can freeze your Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. Ensure you tightly wrap the cake in foil or plastic wrap. After that, place the coffee cake in an airtight container or freezer bag. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.

How to Reheat Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

After a few days, the leftover coffee cake doesn’t taste as good. Fortunately, reheating coffee cake is simple. If you reheat your coffee cake, you can restore its fresh flavor, texture, and tasty goodness. So you can get your Cream Cheese Coffee Cake to taste fresh again!

It doesn’t take much to warm up your coffee cake in the microwave. Here’s what to do:

  1. Place the cake slice on a microwave-safe plate.
  2. Microwave on a medium setting for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  3. Check the temperature of your coffee cake.
  4. You can microwave for an additional 15 seconds as needed. 

Have fun serving and enjoying the cake! 

Cream cheese coffee cake slice on a plate in front of the cake.

More Coffee Cake Recipes

Favorite Cake Recipes

Check out more of my easy cake recipes and the best dessert recipes on CopyKat!

Cream cheese coffee cake on a cake stand and a slice on a plate.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

You can make a delicious lemon cream cheese coffee cake from scratch.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Coffee Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 477kcal

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces)
  • 1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  •  7 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated zest
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 4 eggs
  • 5 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups sour cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spay a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium-sized bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and whisk together with a fork. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat together the butter and 1 cup plus two tablespoons of sugar, and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, incorporating into the batter, and adding next egg only after the previous one has been blended. Add 4 teaspoons of vanilla to this mixture.
  • Reduce speed of mixer to low, add in 1/3 of the dry flour mixture, blend in well, then add about half of the sour cream, blend well, then 1/2 of the dry flour mixture, blend, the remaining sour cream blending in, and then the remaining flour. Pour about 1/2 of this batter into the prepared bundt pan, place the remaining batter into a small bowl, and set aside.
  • Cream Cheese Mixture: Using the bowl that you mixed the cake batter into add the cream cheese, 5 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat until moist and creamy. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter and mix in well. Spoon this cream cheese batter over the cake batter, spread the mixture towards the center of the pan. You are trying to achieve a nice tunnel, so don't spread this out all the way to the edges. Top with remaining cake batter. Spread cake batter over the top evenly. Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes, the cake will be golden. If you are using a cake tester to test the cake, the cream cheese layer will be wet. Cool cake for approximately 1 hour before serving.

Glaze

  • In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.

Notes

Store the cake in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 479mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 930IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1.8mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristina weikel

    5 stars
    I MADE THIS CAKE TO GO WSTRAWBERRIES AND WHIP CREAM OR ICE CREAM….ABSOLUTELY THE BEST CAKE EVER….THE BATTER IS RICH,,,,FOR A REALLY RICH BATTER USE COUNTRY EGGS!!!!!!!!????????????????????

  2. spurofthemomentbaker

    I just made this recipe except I substituted mixed berry cream cheese and also added in some fresh mixed berries it came out soooooo good with just the prfect amount of sweetness for breakfast or just as a snack. I definitely am saving this recipe its a keeper lol

  3. Happygirlbakes

    I just saw EXACT RECIPE on America’s Test Kitchen! Exact down to using the same bowl without washing it to make the filling. Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. It’s on one of the videos on the website and I’ve been going nuts looking for a similar recipe since to get the written recipe, you have to pay to join their website.

    • Anonymous

      They had some other steps in there too, I didn’t follow them. I thought they made the recipe far more complicated after reading it. Very tasty coffee cake though.

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