When company is coming, there’s no better way to “wow” than with a slice of this cream filled coffee cake. Want to know the best part?

This coffee cake recipe is simple. It requires nothing more complicated than measuring ingredients and mixing them together.

Cream Filled Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Why make your own Coffee cake? The scent of a freshly baked Coffee Cake is so homey. The ingredients in this recipe for a cream filled coffee cake are simple:

Butter, eggs, sugar, flour, sour cream–there’s nothing fiddly or complicated about them. I love recipes that can be made without endless trips to the grocery store. That doesn’t happen every day. Any time I can avoid that time-consuming nonsense, I will. You get the joy of making something from scratch, with your own two hands–and a modern appliance or two.

So, that’s where this recipe comes in. If you find that you have unexpected guests or a last-minute social function, like a ladies brunch or you are hosting a book club, this isn’t a bad place to begin. This is a satisfying, just sweet enough treat to greet a hungry guest or to snack on while discussing the latest book.

History of Coffee Cake

Did you know that the word “cake” comes from an old Viking word? The ancient Romans combined butter, honey, and eggs with their bread dough to produce what sounds an awful lot like potential ingredients in a coffee cake. But these long ago desserts still resembled bread more than cake. Even in England…

cakes resembled bread. Go figure.

It was mostly the method of baking that made these early cakes something closer to bread, and less like the cake we know and love, according to (affiliate link-please see how to use Wishlists to shop local) An A-Z of Food & Drink by John Ayto. They flipped the cake over a few times, much like potato cakes or pancakes of today.

But what about coffee cakes?

Foodimentary shares that the Danish developed the first coffee cake. They write, “Around the 17th century in Europe, it became the custom to enjoy a delicious sweet and yeasty type of bread when drinking coffee beverages.” Those early cakes included a surprising ingredient:

coffee. Yes, the early coffee cake was named for the coffee grounds it contained. While I can’t imagine it was anything near as tasty as the things we whip up today, it must have made a nice change of pace.

Coffee cake had changed in a big way. It was no longer an item that could practically be confused with bread, it was something that filled in the gap between breakfast and lunch. With generous yields, simple ingredients, and a delectable end product, it was made for sharing during social hours.

That describes coffee cake perfectly well, don’t you agree? I know that coffee cakes were a frequent part of my Swedish ancestor’s baking here in the US. My maternal grandmother, a Swede, used to make a coffee cake at least once a week. It was just what they did. With recipes as easy to whip up as this one, maybe a coffee cake a week doesn’t seem so impossible.

Serve Up a Delicious Coffee Cake

Some coffee cakes use yeast as a leavening agent while others use baking soda and/or baking powder. As you can see, this recipe uses the baking soda method. It results in a less time-consuming baked good that is oh so big on eye appeal. You know what you can’t resist?

Those layers. They are tall and stately. The big dollop of cream filling certainly looks incredible. It looks like it takes a lot of fuss and yet–it’s oh so quick to fix.

My love of coffee cakes runs deep. I like having something on-hand for those times when there is a chance company will drop by. It’s a fun treat to serve on the weekend for my family, too. Everyone appreciates a change of pace from the usual Monday-Friday routine. I know I do! This recipe can even be prepared in advance  and then refrigerated. Always be sure to completely cool the cake before applying the filling. You don’t want it to melt. There’s nothing worse than a melted filling!

Did you know there is even a day dedicated to the humble, yet versatile, coffee cake?

April 7 is national coffee cake day. I know, there’s a special food holiday set aside for just about everything, I think. But in the case of coffee cake, it is totally justified.

I found this cream filled coffee cake recipe in (affiliate link) Taste of Home Baking, All NEW Edition: 725+ Recipes & Variations from Classics to Best Loved! cookbook. It’s a fabulous book of recipes you will actually want to make. That is my one rule for bringing in new cookbooks:

The cookbook has to be full of recipes I would actually cook or bake. Otherwise, it’s not worth the shelf space. This one is definitely worth it! Find a copy and see why. Or, rather, bake this coffee cake recipe, then find a copy, enjoy a slice of it, and see why you need this book. Then, share the recipe with a good friend, over a cup of hot, black coffee.

Recipe for Cream Filled Coffee Cake

See how easy that was? This recipe for cream-filled cinnamon coffee cake is a tasty way to warmly welcome friends and family. If you enjoy this recipe for coffee cake, please see my other cake recipes. We Hoosiers do love to entertain.

Do you have any family stories to share about coffee cakes? Do you have a favorite recipe? I’d love to try it! Please, post it in the comments section below or send me an email using the Contact Form. I look forward to reading your story. 

Small Towns: Destinations, not Drive-Thrus! I’m Jessica Nunemaker and THIS is little Indiana!

Just don’t forget to tell ’em that  little Indiana sent you!

Targeted. Relevant. Affordable! little Indiana advertising.