This Lemon Coffee Cake bursts with bright lemon flavor from both zest and juice, and it’s finished with a crunchy lemon streusel. Tender, moist, and easy to make, it’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea, or a light dessert.
Lemon Coffee Cake
I adapted my favorite blueberry crumble cake into this lemon version. The cake has a fine, moist crumb that practically melts on the tongue, while the lemon-scented streusel on top adds a pleasant crunch and extra citrus punch.
Simple to prepare and versatile, this cake is lovely with coffee or tea and makes a cheerful addition to any morning or afternoon spread.
Coffee Cake vs Crumb Cake
Are crumb cake and coffee cake the same? Essentially yes. “Crumb cake” emphasizes a heavier layer of streusel on top, while “coffee cake” is a broader term that may or may not include a crumb topping. In practice most people use the names interchangeably for a streusel-topped cake like this one.
Make the Lemon Streusel Topping
I recommend making the streusel first so it’s ready when the batter is finished.
*Full recipe and measurements are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
To prepare the lemon streusel:
- Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat 30–60 seconds until melted. Stir in the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Mix with a fork until combined. The mixture will be clumpy. Chill the streusel in the refrigerator until you’re ready to top the cake.
Traditional streusel is often made with cold butter cut into the dry ingredients, but I use melted butter here so the lemon juice disperses evenly. Chilling the streusel helps the butter firm up again so the crumbs hold together during baking instead of dissolving into the cake.
Make the Lemon Cake Batter
Once the streusel is chilling, make the cake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×9-inch square baking pan. Set the pan aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then stir in the vanilla.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
- Mix in all the buttermilk and lemon juice on low until incorporated.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined—avoid over-mixing to keep the cake tender.
Assemble the Lemon Crumb Cake
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Remove the streusel from the fridge and use your fingers to break it up while sprinkling it evenly across the batter, leaving some larger clusters for texture.
Baking and Serving
- Bake at 375°F for 40–45 minutes, or until the center springs back and no longer jiggles. Avoid over-baking. A gentle jiggle test is often more reliable than a toothpick here because the streusel can stick and give a misleading result.
- Let the cake cool at least partially before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle a simple lemon glaze made from powdered sugar and lemon juice.
- Store the cake tightly covered in the pan with foil or transfer to an airtight container; it keeps at room temperature up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices 10–15 seconds in the microwave to refresh their softness.
- Freeze wrapped slices in plastic inside a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
More Lemon Desserts
If you enjoyed this lemon crumb cake, you may also like other lemon treats such as lemon cupcakes, lemon pudding cake, stovetop or microwave lemon curd, lemon poppy seed bread, lemon cream pie, classic lemon bars, lemon crumb bars, or lemon blondies.
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and review in the comments below. Thanks!
Lemon Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Streusel:
- 4 Tbsp (57 g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (68 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Lemon Cake:
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, (1 stick), room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (177 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice, room temperature
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×9-inch square baking pan.
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Streusel: Melt the butter, then stir in the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix with a fork until clumpy, then chill until ready to use.
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Cake batter: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Add half the dry ingredients, mix on low, add the buttermilk and lemon juice, then the remaining dry ingredients. Do not over-mix.
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Assembly: Spread batter in the pan, crumble the chilled streusel over the top, keeping some larger clumps for texture.
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Bake 40–45 minutes, until the center springs back. Let cool partially before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with a lemon glaze if desired.
Notes
- Store the cake covered tightly in the pan or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat slices briefly in the microwave to soften.
- Freeze wrapped slices inside a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates.
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