How To Make Buttermilk Coffee Cake: A Step By Step Guide for a Light and Fluffy Coffee Cake

Indulge in a delicious and easy-to-make treat with this homemade buttermilk coffee cake recipe. Perfect for breakfast or as a dessert, this light and fluffy cake is sure to become a household favorite.

Ingredients for Light and Fluffy Buttermilk Coffee Cake

I am a sucker for a good coffee cake, as is my oldest Jocelyn. She cannot keep her hands out of the cake pan of this flavorful coffee cake.

• All purpose flour
• Salt
• Light Brown Sugar
• Shortening (I use these Crisco sticks.)
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground nutmeg
• Buttermilk
• Large Eggs

Buttermilk lends to a light and fluffy texture which is just downright irresistible. Now don’t fret if you don’t have buttermilk on hand. There’s an easy remedy that I use all the time. I rarely buy buttermilk since this hack is so easy. Add a Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to the liquid measure, and then fill the rest up with regular milk. The acid will “sour” the milk forming buttermilk. Easy as cake!

Cowboy Coffee Cake

In the original Delight Wier’s Kitchen, this recipe is called Cowboy Coffee Cake. The author explained that this recipe was popular with out West with the cowboys where it was served in the afternoon.

This is because the recipe calls for “sour milk” which is another name for buttermilk. She noted that, in the heat of the summer, milk was always sour by the afternoon due to the lack of refrigeration. I love this little antidote about the history of this recipe.

Whatever the history, this recipe is downright amazing. It’s a recipe that stands the test of time.

How to make buttermilk coffee cake?

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. (Optional: line the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Grease over top the parchment and the sides of the pan.)
2. Using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer or electric mixer, blend together flour, salt, brown sugar and shortening until a crumbly mixture forms (pea sized crumbs).
3. Reserve 1/2 cup for the topping for later.
4. To the remaining crumbs, add baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
5. Add buttermilk and eggs to the dry ingredients, blend until a light and fluffy batter forms.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping evening over top.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes of until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove baking pan to a wire rack.
8. Serve with coffee or a large glass of milk.

Storage Instructions

Let leftover cake cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap, and store at room temperature.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for cowboy coffee cake, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

• If you don’t have buttermilk, stir together milk and a splash of lemon juice or white vinegar to use as a substitute.
• A pastry blender is also a great option to make pea-sized crumbs with the flour, salt, brown sugar and shortening.
• Lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper or waxed paper makes it come out of the pan with ease. It might be overkill, but I tend to grease over the parchment. Be sure to grease the sides of the pan too.
• Separate the cake into two 8 x 8 inch baking pans. Keep one for yourself, and give one to a friend. The cooking time will be shorter around 25 minutes.

Recipe Variations

• Sprinkle chopped pecans or chopped walnuts over top with the reserved topping. Add some ground cinnamon to the crumb mixture too, if desired.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract, almond extract or maple extract to the batter.
• Drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze over top.

What does buttermilk do to a cake mix?

Buttermilk helps to create a light and fluffy texture in the cake. It adds a tangy flavor and also helps to activate the baking soda, resulting in a tender and moist cake.

How do you turn milk into buttermilk?

You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk and then filling the rest of the measuring cup with milk. Allow it to sit for a few minutes before using in the recipe.

Coffee Cake Recipes

Coffee cake is one of our favorite things to make for holiday breakfast or brunch. They can be made ahead of time so they are ready to serve along with your favorite breakfast casserole. It’s nice to have something sweet to go with your coffee in the morning, including this Blueberry Coffeecake with Streusel Topping.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Applesauce Coffee Cake

Grandma’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Kitchen Utensils

Check out our Amazon Store for all the pantry staples you need to make this moist coffee cake. There’s also all the kitchen utensils needed to make this recipe in an easy and efficient manner. I love using the whisk attachment of my KitchenAid Mixer to easily make the crumb topping. It’s much easier than using a pastry blender.