Cinnamon Crunch Yogurt Coffee Cake

A vanilla yogurt coffee cake swirled with sweet cinnamon and espresso CRUNCH. That middle layer of CRUNCH gives the cake the most deliciously gooey center. Just sprinkle the rest of the CRUNCH on top and bake! This cake is seriously delicious—super moist, light, and even better when enjoyed warm. Every soft, sweet slice has a little cinnamon espresso crunch in every bite. And guess what? It’s way easier to make than you’d expect. Everyone adores this special yogurt coffee cake!

Okay, so this might feel like a slightly indulgent recipe for January. But like I’ve been saying, just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean we should skip winter baking.

These freezing, short winter days are some of the best for cozying up in the kitchen and baking your favorite banana bread or chocolatey cookies. Life—especially in January—is all about balance. You’ve gotta treat yourself sometimes!

And when it snows here (which has been a lot this month), all I want is a baking day.

I whipped up this loaf cake during those lazy days between Christmas and New Year’s. I was a little bummed that Christmas was over, but the snow kept falling, and I still had that baking itch.

There’s something so comforting about the smell of cinnamon wafting through the house in winter. I absolutely love it. So, I started brainstorming different cinnamon ideas, and when I looked back at my list, this cinnamon-packed cake was exactly what I wanted to bake.

I decided to lighten it up a bit, thinking about the new year and cutting back on sugar. I made this cake a little healthier with honey, plain Greek yogurt, and whole wheat flour.

But what really makes this cake special? That thick cinnamon and espresso crunch swirl. Oh, and there’s a pinch of espresso powder in there too…so yeah, it’s actually a coffee coffee cake!

Here’s the breakdown:

Ingredients – for the yogurt coffee cake

Salted butter
Honey (or granulated sugar, but I prefer honey)
Plain Greek yogurt
Vanilla extract
Eggs
Whole wheat flour (all-purpose works too)
Almond flour (or all-purpose flour)
Baking powder

Ingredients – for the cinnamon CRUNCH

Dark brown sugar
Cinnamon
Espresso powder
Salted butter

Special Tools
You’ll need a 9×5-inch loaf pan (or a 9-inch bundt pan works too) and a mixing bowl.

Steps

Step 1: Make the cake batter
First, cream one stick of room-temperature salted butter with the honey. Then mix in the eggs, vanilla, and plain Greek yogurt. (Pro tip: Room-temperature ingredients blend way better!)

The Greek yogurt is the secret here—it adds amazing flavor and keeps the cake moist. It gives this sweet cinnamon cake a nice little tangy balance!

Once all the wet ingredients are mixed, just beat in the whole wheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. You can use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat and almond flour, but I love the flavor these flours give. The almond flour keeps the cake from feeling too dense.

Step 2: Make the cinnamon crunch
Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter until you get little clumps.

Step 3: Create the layers
Spread half the batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle a handful of the cinnamon crunch over it. Spoon the rest of the batter on top, then cover it with the remaining cinnamon crunch.

1st layer – coffee cake batter.
2nd layer – cinnamon CRUNCH.
3rd layer – another layer of coffee cake batter.
4th layer – a super thick layer of cinnamon CRUNCH on top.

Then just bake—this coffee cake takes about an hour in the oven.