Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like the perfect fall breakfast or afternoon treat! Perfectly maple-y and not too sweet.
Texture: Ultra moist, light, and fluffy with a nice crunchy from the walnuts and streusel.
Ease: Super quick and easy, you don’t even need a mixer!
Pros: Simple and scrumptious fall treat.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Absolutely. It would be perfect for serving holiday guests!
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This post is sponsored by The California Walnut Board. All opinions provided are my own. Thanks for supporting me in working with brands I love to bring you new recipes!
This Maple Walnut Coffee Cake will fill your house with the most incredible fall scents while it bakes – better than any fall candle!
I was thrilled when The California Walnut Board reached out to ask if I’d be interested in creating new recipes utilizing walnuts. I jumped on the opportunity and was so excited when a 3-pound bag of walnuts showed up on my doorstep!
I love the flavor combination of maple and walnuts, so I was so excited to create a recipe inspired by these delicious fall flavors.
This coffee cake is nutty, sweet, and richly complex. Fall deliciousness at its best!
I love how simple and easy this Maple Walnut Coffee Cake is to make, and it’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack.
It stays nice and moist for days, too, making it perfect for when you are hosting friends and family for the holidays.
I find that coffee cake is always a crowd-pleaser, so you really can’t go wrong with this recipe!
This post is sponsored by The California Walnut Board. All opinions provided are my own. Thanks for supporting me in working with brands I love to bring you new recipes!
How to Make Maple Walnut Coffee Cake
What Pan Should I Bake This Coffee Cake in?
- Be sure to use a light-colored 8×8-inch metal baking pan for best results!
- Dark-colored pans will brown the edges and make them dry.
- Glass or ceramic pans will work in a pinch, but you’ll likely need to increase the baking time and lower the temperature by 25°F.
- Check out this article on Glass vs. Metal Pans for more information.
Why is There No Coffee in This Maple Walnut Coffee Cake?
Generally, coffee cake is meant to be served with coffee, so it doesn’t always contain coffee as an ingredient! Enjoy this maple coffee cake alongside a nice cup of coffee instead.
Why is There Sour Cream in This Maple Coffee Cake?
Sour cream in coffee cake creates the most beautifully moist texture and flavor. If you don’t have sour cream, you can also use plain full-fat yogurt. Make sure it’s room temperature when incorporating into your coffee cake batter.
Do I Need the Maple Extract?
It is optional, but without the maple extract, the maple flavor in this coffee cake is very mild. If you want a bolder, more intense maple flavor, I definitely recommend using the maple extract.
Can You Double This Maple Walnut Coffee Cake Recipe?
Yes! Simply double all ingredients and bake in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Bake for about 45 minutes.
How Long Can You Store Maple Walnut Coffee Cake?
Maple Walnut Coffee Cake will keep fresh and moist for 4 days. Cover well with plastic wrap or store inside an airtight container or ziptop bag at room temperature.
Can You Freeze Maple Walnut Coffee Cake?
I’ve had great results from freezing the entire baked Maple Walnut Coffee Cake in an airtight container. Defrost at room temperature before icing, slicing, and serving.
More Fall Recipes You’ll Love:
- Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake
- Caramel Apple Streusel Pie
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Salted Caramel Apple Sheet Cake
- Pumpkin Scones
- Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake
Maple Walnut Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel:
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (27 grams) California walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Coffee Cake:
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (54 grams) California walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup (170 grams) maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon maple extract (optional)
- 8 ounces (227 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
Topping:
- 1/2 cup (63 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the streusel:
- In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients with a fork until crumbly.
Make the cake:
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and walnuts. In a medium bowl, stir together the maple syrup, oil, milk, eggs, and maple extract. Stir in the sour cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined.
- Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Spread the remaining batter over the streusel. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes.
Make the topping:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and maple syrup until a thick, pourable icing forms. Drizzle over the warm cake. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
This post was published in 2016 and has been updated with additional baking tips.
This cake was absolutely incredible! Super moist, nutty, and each layer was full of flavor! Being a chocoholic, I added 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips to the streusel. I literally cannot stop eating this cake (especially with some hot coffee)!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this coffee cake recipe, Amy!
This is so delicious! I’ll definitely make this one again. Just a note – it took about 55 minutes in the oven for mine till it was done, much longer than the suggested 35 minutes. Also, mine rose much higher than the piece shown in the photo.
This is so good! I love the size and flavor. Its husband’s new favorite
I made this today for breakfast and it is so yummy!! So moist and delicious! The maple flavor is subtle which I was happy about, I did not add maple extract because I didn’t have any. I didn’t get that beautiful middle layer of the walnut streusel like Tessa’s, I think that was because I put too much batter in the bottom layer so there wasn’t enough batter separating the two layers. Of course , that did not affect how wonderful it tasted. This is definitely something I will make again.
Where is the coffee aspect?
I thought this was supposed to be a coffee cake. Why is there no coffee in the ingredients? What is the measurement of the coffee to put in the mixture?
HI- I don’t see any coffee measurement for the recipe- please help!
Thank you so much!
Awesome recipe! Can I bake this in a loaf pan?
extremely lovely cake!! and thanks for another successful recipe! ever since i started baking your recipes, i have no more baking fails!!
I’m an engineer, not a good baker. Today is mother’s day. I have an amazing wife/mother. This cake entered the breakfast equation. Therefore… Two truths and a lie, in that order, guessing isn’t a good game for baking.
1. If you cannot leave the house to get sourcream, 1cup of yogurt and 1tsp baking soda will substitute well and make the cake moister. It will also rise a substantial amount more and require ~10-15 minutes more bake time. I recommend a slightly larger pan in this situation. Also do not rapidly mix your substitute ingredients or you risk creating a slow volcano like I created. I used fruit flavored Greek yogurt. It was excellent.
2. This cake is worth your time, so make it if you’re considering it. Buy pre chopped walnuts.
3. The 20 minute prep time. It is a lie. Unless you are not counting the time to melt butter, finely chop walnuts, find four bowls, and make the appropriate measurements, you’d best plan an hour MINIMUM before oven time. I’m not a good baker, but I’m not terribly slow either.
Tessa, good cake.
-Tom
This one is a total keeper. In spite of the fact that I totally forgot to put in the sour cream — still can’t believe I did that — it still came out quite moist. I didn’t use the drizzle because the crumble melted on the top and made a nice crunchy crust on top. I also didn’t use the cinnamon for two reasons: it is a strong flavor and I didn’t want to overpower the maple and my stomach often rebels in the presence of cinnamon (although I don’t think there was enough in this recipe to do that). So, I will try it again next week and I’ll remember to actually use the sour cream and I’ll put it in the freezer for a coffee morning after the virus has finished trying to kill us all.
Delicious. Very moist. I followed the directions to a T. It actually took 45 min before the toothpick came out clean, but I think my oven runs a bit cool. This was a great recipe to use up the walnuts from Christmas. I gave half away to my friends at a dinner party and they loved it. Even a day old it was moist and delicious. I will keep this recipe, but the next time I think I will put this in jumbo muffin tins.