This Cowboy Coffee Cake is an old-fashioned buttermilk coffee cake with a tender, moist crumb and a cinnamon-nut streusel topping. Made in a 9″ x 13″ pan with simple ingredients, it’s an easy coffee cake for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
This recipe is adapted from the Cowboy Coffee Cake in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Newer editions call it Buttermilk Coffee Cake, which is fitting because I prefer making mine with buttermilk for a rich, tender cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Old-fashioned favorite: This classic coffee cake has a tender crumb and cinnamon-nut topping.
- Made with buttermilk: It gives the cake a rich flavor and tender texture.
- Simple ingredients: You probably have most of what you need in your kitchen already.
- Perfect for breakfast or brunch: It’s also delicious served as an afternoon snack or dessert.
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe card for exact amount.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour.
- Butter, Margarine or Shortening: I use unsalted butter. Margarine, shortening or butter flavored shortening will also work in this recipe.
- Buttermilk or Sour Milk: We prefer buttermilk, but you can also use the homemade buttermilk substitute below.
- Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar is what we use, dark brown sugar will also work.
- Eggs: Large room temperature eggs.
- Leavening Agents: Both baking powder and baking soda are used to help our coffee cake rise.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg give this cake great flavor.
- Salt: Just a bit, regular salt, sea salt or kosher salt will all work.
- Nuts: Pecans or walnuts are both great choices.
How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute
Put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR vinegar for every 1 cup of milk to a measuring cup, add enough milk to equal 1 cup. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
For this specific recipe you will put 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice in at least a 2 cup measuring cup and fill it up with enough milk to equal 1 ⅓ cups.
How to Make Cowboy Coffee Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9″ X 13″ cake pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and salt.
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, set aside ½ cup of crumbs.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg to the remaining crumb mixture and stir to combine.
- Mix the well-beaten eggs into the buttermilk. Add the egg mixture into the dry mixture all at once and stir until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Add chopped nuts to the remaining crumbs and mix until combined. Sprinkle on top of cake batter and bake in a preheated oven 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool a bit and serve warm.
Cut in the butter.
Mix until coarse crumbs form.
Stir in the wet ingredients.
Sprinkle with the crumb topping and bake.
Tips for Making Cowboy Coffee Cake
- Use cold butter or margarine. You don’t want the butter to be too warm when you cut it into the dry ingredients.
- No pastry cutter? Use two forks or your hands to work the butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.
- Check it early: Mine is usually done in 25–30 minutes. The cake is ready when the center springs back lightly and a toothpick comes out clean.
Storage
Store cake in an airtight container at room temperature. Just like any cake this is better the first few days and will start to dry out the longer you have it. It can be stored in the refrigerator if you prefer your cake to be chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
The recipe was originally called Cowboy Coffee Cake in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Newer editions of the cookbook call a similar version Buttermilk Coffee Cake. I haven’t found a definitive explanation for why the original recipe was given the “Cowboy” name.
Love this recipe?
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Cowboy Coffee Cake (Buttermilk Coffeecake)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup butter
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk sour milk can be used
- 2 eggs beaten
- ½ cup nuts chopped
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9″ X 13″ cake pan with cooking spray.cooking spray
- In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and salt.2 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ cups brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, set aside ½ cup of crumbs.⅔ cup butter
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg to the remaining crumb mixture and stir to combine.2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Mix the well-beaten eggs into the buttermilk. Add the egg mixture into the dry mixture all at once and stir until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.2 eggs, 1 ⅓ cups buttermilk
- Add chopped nuts to the remaining crumbs and mix until combined. Sprinkle on top of cake batter and bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.½ cup nuts
- Allow to cool a bit and serve warm.
I learned this recipe in home economics in about 1964-5. I copied it into a personal recipe book but haven’t made it for 40 years at least. I made it today but the “crumble” topping was just dry. I guess there should have been butter in there somewhere… it did call for oil in the batter. ?
This recipe comes directly from a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and is shared as written in this post. It uses a butter-based crumb topping (no oil), which is what gives it that classic texture.
HI MIndy,
I learned this recipe in high school home ec. class (1967), lost it in a move (2002), and found it again with you (2024)! We are very happy!
Thank you!!
Your cats are gorgeous. We have a bunch.
Mary
I’m so glad you found it! You can’t just have 1 cat, can you?!