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Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake

ByAshley
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This Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake is tender, buttery, and has a double layer of cinnamon brown sugar streusel. Greek yogurt keeps the cake incredibly moist, scaled perfectly for a 9x13 pan.

Classic coffee cake calls for sour cream. This version uses Greek yogurt instead, and it's delicious. Greek yogurt brings that same thick, creamy tang as sour cream, but with more protein (not that we are looking to reach protein goals through desserts 😬), or are we?

Also, it has a slightly lighter crumb and a subtle complexity that makes this cake taste as if it came from a bakery rather than a box mix. This recipe is scaled specifically for a 9x13 pan, which is crowd-friendly, brunch-friendly, or if you simply want to meal prep a snack for the week. Let's get into the recipe.

How to Make Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake

I'll walk you through each step so you feel confident making this from start to finish. You'll find the exact ingredient measurements in the recipe card below.

Brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour combined in a white bowl for Greek yogurt coffee cake streusel topping.
Flour, baking powder, and baking soda whisked together in a bowl for Greek yogurt coffee cake batter.
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish thoroughly with butter or nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Scatter the cold butter cubes over the top. Using your fingertips, quickly rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse, clumpy sand. Set aside.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
Butter and sugar creamed until pale and fluffy in a large bowl.
Egg being added to creamed butter and sugar mixture in a large bowl.
  1. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together with an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) on medium speed for 3 full minutes, until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and noticeably increased in volume.
  1. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Vanilla extract being poured into cake batter in a large mixing bowl.
Greek yogurt added to cake batter in a large mixing bowl, alternating with flour
  1. Add the vanilla extract and beat until fully combined.
  1. Add one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the Greek yogurt. Repeat with another third of each, then finish with the remaining flour and yogurt, mixing until just combined.

Can I use non-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt? No. The fat in whole milk Greek yogurt keeps the crumb tender and moist.

Thick Greek yogurt coffee cake batter spread evenly into a parchment-lined 9x13 baking pan.
Generous cinnamon brown sugar streusel layer sprinkled evenly over Greek yogurt coffee cake batter in a 9x13 pan, ready to bake.
  1. Spoon and spread half the batter into the prepared pan. This batter is THICK, so really spread it across. Resist the urge to add more batter.
  1. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon streusel over the first layer.
  1. Finish with the remaining majority of the thick batter, and spread it out as best as you can. Top with the remaining streusel and bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, not into a streusel cluster, comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).
Coffee Cake Baked in Pan

Pro Tips for the Best Result

  • Full-fat Greek yogurt only. The fat content is what keeps the crumb tender and moist.
  • Cold butter for the streusel, soft butter for the batter. Cold butter in the streusel
    creates distinct crunchy clusters. Soft butter in the batter creams with the sugar, building structure and lightness.
  • Spread the batter in stages. The batter is intentionally thick; it holds the streusel layers in place. Use an offset spatula and work in small sections. Don't panic if it tears slightly; smooth it back together.
Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake

How to Serve and Enjoy

You can lightly dust with powdered sugar, then serve warm or at room temperature. Pair with an Americano or macchiato for the perfect combination.

More Delicious Sweets with Yogurt

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Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake

Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake
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Tender, buttery, and packed with a double cinnamon streusel, the most moist coffee cake you'll ever make, scaled perfectly for a 9x13 pan.

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45-52 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 20 squares 1x
  • Category: Breakfast, Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units Scale

Streusel

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Cake Batter

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups plain full-fat Greek yogurt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and line it with parchment.
  2. Whisk flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold butter with fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, clumpy sand. Set aside.
  3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  4. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
  5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla and mix until smooth.
  6. Add one-third of the flour mixture and one-third of the Greek yogurt. Add another third of the flour, then another third of the yogurt, mix, and finish with the last third of flour and yogurt.
  7. Spoon and spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the streusel.
  8. Add the remaining batter over the streusel and gently spread. Top with remaining streusel.
  9. Bake 45-52 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  10. Cool in the pan for 25 minutes. Lift out, slice into squares, and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 square
  • Calories: 302
  • Sugar: 20.6 g
  • Sodium: 184.9 mg
  • Fat: 13.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 40.4 g
  • Protein: 5.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 61.2 mg

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