Maple Walnut Coffee Cake

Maple, walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon are warm, comforting flavors that make me think of fall, winter, and the holidays. That’s why this maple walnut coffee cake recipe is perfect for this time of year. This recipe brings together two of my favorite things: maple syrup, and sour cream coffee cake with streusel topping. Walnuts add a crunchy texture and a rich, buttery, slightly fruity flavor that absolutely works in this maple cake recipe. Just a drizzle of intensely sweet maple glaze takes this homemade coffee cake over the top.

You can make this maple walnut coffee cake for brunch, a snack, or dessert. Serve it with your favorite coffee or tea, whipped cream, or ice cream. If you would like, you can swap out pecans for the walnuts to create a maple pecan coffee cake.

Maple Walnut Coffee Cake

Use room temperature ingredients

The maple walnut cake will have the optimal tender, moist consistency if you let the ingredients come to room temperature. Using cold ingredients is okay, but it can have an effect on the texture of the batter and the baking time.

Prepare pan and preheat oven

You can bake your maple cake in an 8-inch square pan or a 9-inch round pan. Prepare the pan by spraying it with nonstick spray. I like to use a baking spray like Baker’s Joy.

After spraying the pan, turn on the oven to 350 degrees and let it preheat while you make the batter.

Make the streusel topping

Start your maple walnut coffee cake by mixing up the streusel topping. Streusel is an absolute must for coffee cake, in my opinion.

The streusel is a mix of finely chopped walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and melted butter. Mix this together in a small bowl with a fork and set aside. It will have a crumbly texture.

Combine the dry ingredients

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl. A spoon or whisk is the best tool for this. If your brown sugar has lumps, break them up with your fingers.

Measure flour correctly

It’s important to measure your flour correctly, to get a batter that is the right consistency. The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a food scale. A cup of flour should weigh 125 grams.

Estimates for the correct weight of a cup of flour range between 120 and 130 grams. I use a measurement of 125 grams, and for reference I usually use Gold Medal all purpose flour.

To measure flour accurately without a scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup, then level off with a knife. This useful article will help you understand how to measure flour:

The Proper Way to Measure Flour

Combine the wet ingredients

After combining the dry ingredients, combine the wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, oil, powdered milk, eggs, Mistletoe Mocha coffee (or any extra strength coffee) and maple extract. Slowly stir in the sour cream.

In my opinion, sour cream is a magic baking ingredient that makes cakes and cupcakes moist and tender. It’s a key ingredient in a lot of my favorite dessert recipes, like Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream and Coca-Cola Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting. This moist, tender maple walnut coffee cake benefits from a healthy dose of sour cream.

Another key ingredient in this recipe is the maple extract. It boosts the maple cake flavor without adding too much sweetness.

Blend the batter

Next, create the maple walnut coffee cake batter. This easy batter doesn’t require an electric mixer. You can mix it up with just a spoon or spatula.

Use a spoon make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until all ingredients are combined.

Layer batter and streusel in prepared baking pan

Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle on half the streusel topping. Carefully spoon on the other half of the batter, and spread the batter out to level it. Sprinkle on the rest of the streusel.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes

Bake your maple walnut coffee cake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

You can tell the cake is done when it just barely starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. You can also stick a toothpick or wooden skewer in the middle of the cake. If the toothpick is clean or has just a few crumbs clinging to it, the cake is done. If it has wet batter clinging to it, your cake needs to bake longer.

It’s best to err on the side of underbaking a cake, rather than overbaking it. A overbaked cake will be tough and dry.

Mix up the glaze

While the cake is in the oven, you can mix up the maple glaze, which is just powdered sugar and maple syrup. Don’t worry about the ultra-sweet glaze, because there’s not much of it, and the cake itself is not overly sweet.

Your maple glaze should have a pourable consistency. If it’s too thick, add a little bit of warm water, a teaspoon at a time, until your glaze is pourable.

Cool, glaze, slice, and serve!

Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before pouring on the glaze. You can serve the cake warm or at room temperature.

This maple walnut coffee cake keeps for a relatively long time, because it’s so moist. You can keep it fresh in an airtight container for up to four days.

I really hope you enjoy this flavorful homemade coffee cake! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you like it!

Related Recipes

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Maple Walnut Coffee Cake

Marsha Maxwell

4.38 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine Baking

Servings 12 pieces

Equipment

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls (Set of 6) Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set - Easy To Clean, Nesting Bowls for Space Saving Storage, Great for Cooking, Baking, Prepping

Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Mini Whisk, 18/8 Stainless Steel, 6-Inches

KitchenAid KSM180QHSD 100 Year Limited Edition Queen of Hearts Stand Mixer, Passion Red

Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick 21 x 15-Inch Mega Baking Pan

Bakers Joy Cake Pan Spray 2 Pack

Ingredients

  

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Streusel Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 100g packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup 31g all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup 31g finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon 2g cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons 43g butter, melted

Coffee Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups 250g all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon 4g baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon 3g baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon 3g table salt
• 1/2 cup 100g packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup 62g chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup Extra Strong Coffee
• 1/2 cup 120ml maple syrup
• 1/2 cup 120ml vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon Powdered milk
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 teaspoon 5ml maple extract
• 1 small container 8 oz., 1 cup, or 227g sour cream

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 63g powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons 30ml maple syrup

Instructions

 

• Allow the eggs, and sour cream to come to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan with cooking spray.
• Make the streusel: Combine the brown sugar, flour, finely chopped walnuts, cinnamon, and melted butter with a fork in a small bowl. The mixture will be crumbly.
• Make the cake batter: Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• Whisk together the maple syrup, oil, powdered milk, eggs, coffe, and maple extract in a small bowl. Slowly stir in the sour cream.
• Using a spoon, make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until all ingredients are combined.
• Spoon the first half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the cake batter.
• Slowly spoon the rest of the batter on top of the streusel. Spread the batter throughout the baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining streusel on top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes (or until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.)
• Make the maple glaze: Combine the sugar and maple syrup in a small bowl. Blend the sugar and maple syrup together. The glaze should be thin enough to pour over the top of the cake. If it's too thick, add a little warm water, one teaspoon at a time, until you have a pourable glaze.
• Once the cake is baked, let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake.
• Cut into squares or wedges and serve.

Notes

If you would like, you can swap out pecans for the walnuts and create a maple pecan coffee cake.

Did you make this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Disclosures: The author was not compensated by any person or company for the content of this post. The post may contain affiliate links. If you buy a product using these links, we receive a commission. This helps with the cost of publishing recipes on this website.

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