Best Ever Cowboy Coffee Cake Recipe with Buttermilk

Moist and delicious, this brown sugar Cowboy Coffee Cake Recipe is one of the easiest things you’ll ever bake!

It is one of those old school recipes made with simple pantry staples. The moist, buttermilk cake is topped with a buttery layer of streusel and drizzled with a simple vanilla glaze. 

This Cowboy coffee cake recipe comes out perfect every time and feeds a crowd, so it’s great for gatherings with family and friends.

Let’s bake! 

Why is it called Cowboy Coffee Cake? 

Let’s get the burning question out of the way first. There is no coffee or cowboys in this cake. I know, ladies, I was disappointed too.

Turns out, nobody really knows why the original recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook circa 1950 was named Cowboy Coffee Cake. All we know is that it’s one of those great recipes that has stood the test of time. 

The original Cowboy Coffee Cake recipe and the variations that have followed all have a few basic things in common:

• they’re made only with brown sugar (very little or no granulated white sugar)
• they use “sour milk” (now more commonly called buttermilk)
• they have a crumb topping that’s made by scooping a cup of the cake ingredients and setting them aside for sprinkling on top

What’s in this Cowboy Coffee Cake Recipe

​You can’t get more simple than this buttermilk coffee cake recipe! Here’s what you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour 
• Butter (Some versions of this recipe call for shortening instead of butter, which you can substitute in equal measurements)
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Buttermilk (If you’re substituting sour cream for buttermilk, use 1 cup of sour cream + 1/4 cup of water)
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Salt

How to Make Cowboy Coffee Cake

Make the Cake

In the original cowboy coffeecake recipe, you would work the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until you had coarse crumbs. Then, you’d take a cup of crumbs and set them aside for the topping, while using the remaining crumbs for the cake batter. 

In this particular cowboy coffee cake recipe, we’re going a bit more traditional. First, whip the butter and brown sugar together, using a handheld electric mixer and a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 

Then, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk until everything is combined. So, beat half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, etc. That’s your cake batter. 

Make the Crumb Topping

Instead of taking from the cake ingredients, we’re making the crumb topping separately because one little cup of crumbs just isn’t enough. And we’re using melted butter instead of cold butter or butter at room temperature. 

Why? Because making a crumb topping with melted butter yields a more tender crumb that will sit on top of the cake better without sinking in. 

In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and salt. Then, pour in the melted butter. Work the mixture together using a pastry blender or a fork. Then, sprinkle it on top of the cake batter. 

Make the Vanilla Glaze

​Making the sweet glaze is easy. Simply whisk powdered sugar, vanilla extract and a little bit of milk together in a small bowl.  

After the cake has cooled, drizzle it with the simple vanilla glaze. 

What if you don’t have Buttermilk?

No buttermilk? No problem. Here are some decent buttermilk substitute ideas. These measurements are substitutes for one cup of buttermilk:

• One cup of milk + one tablespoon of lemon juice. This is the most widely accepted buttermilk substitute. 
• One cup of sour cream + 1/4 cup of water. Since the sour cream is already sour, we’re just using the water to thin it out until it’s the consistency of buttermilk. Add the water a little at a time, because you may not need the entire 1/4 cup. 
• ​One cup of Greek yogurt. 

Additions and Variations for Cowboy Coffee Cake

There’s nothing more classic than this coffee cake recipe. It’s so easy that you can whip it up any time! If you’re celebrating special occasions or if you just want to jazz it up a bit, here are some ideas: 

• Fruit fillings. Swirl in some raspberry preserves or a cup of fresh blueberries for a summery twist. Blueberry coffee cake is my fave! 
• Nuts. Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumb topping for great texture and flavor. 
• Glazes. I love the vanilla glaze for it’s simplicity, but you could stir in a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or even pumpkin pie spice in the fall months. 

How to Serve Cowboy Coffee Cake

This is the perfect recipe for when you want to feed a crowd. Using a 9×13 pan will yield 12 generous pieces of cake.

Slice the cake into squares and serve it at breakfast time or for dessert, with a cup of coffee, obvi! 

How to Store Cowboy Coffee Cake

Wrap left over cake tightly in plastic wrap and then place it into a freezer bag or airtight container for storage.

To make things easier for the second time you want to enjoy this cake, wrap the individual pieces in plastic wrap and place them in a large container or freezer bag. This way, you can pop out one piece at a time whenever the mood strikes. 

Warm it in a preheated oven or in the microwave. 

I hope you love this slightly updated old recipe that’s sure to become a classic in your own personal cookbook!

And when you make this cowboy coffee cake recipe, I’d love to hear about it. Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy! 

For more coffee cake recipes, try these: 

• Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
• Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
• Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake

For more easy baking ideas, try these:

• Sticky Bun Monkey Bread
• Easy Cheese Danish (Semi-Homemade Recipe)
• Blackberry Goat Cheese Twists