So I’m sure you’ve heard of a sweet tooth before? In fact, you might even have one yourself. My sweet tooth really flares up when I am pregnant.
With my first little guy, my sweet tooth was so bad I had a major bill to pay at the dentist when it was all said and done.
As in SEVEN cavities. Yikes.
My dentist kept trying to figure out why all of the sudden my teeth were rotting out of my head.
He asked if I drank a lot of soda. No.
How about sugary coffee? No.
Suck on a lot of mints? No.
Then I confessed, “I am mildly addicted to Jujubees.” Mystery solved.
But did you know it’s also possible to have a fat tooth? If you crave buttery, creamy, fried foods, you might have a fat tooth. That’s where I’m at right now.
I can tell because I want to pour half and half on my morning bowl of cereal and I have to go out of my way to avoid driving by a Dunkin Donuts.
Too dangerous.
This Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Lemon Coffee Cake is just what I need. I love the light lemon flavor, the sweet, moist coffee cake, and the crunchy, crumbly topping.
And we all know I love using Greek yogurt whenever possible to lighten it up a little bit. Just don’t tell my fat tooth!
But if you are not able to find Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese, feel free to use regular cream cheese. You can also add more lemon juice or a small amount of lemon extract if you prefer a stronger lemon flavor.
PrintGreek Yogurt Cream Cheese Lemon Coffee Cake
This Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Lemon Coffee Cake is sweet and moist with a light lemon flavor and a creamy, crumbly topping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 (small servings) 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 ounces Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese, softened (regular cream cheese is fine too)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Coffee Cake
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (add more for stronger lemon flavor)
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold cubed butter
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 x 8 inch baking dish by lining it with parchment paper, leaving extra paper hanging over two of the sides. If you don’t have parchment paper, spray the dish with non-stick cooking spray.
For the Cream Cheese Layer
- In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, sugar, egg, and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
For the Coffee Cake
- In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, mix oil and sugar. Add egg and mix well.
- Add Greek yogurt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix well on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until incorporated on low speed. Be careful not to over mix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth it out to the edges.
- Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the batter, spreading it almost to the edges.
For the Crumb Topping
- To make the crumb topping, pour the flour, sugar and cold cubed butter into a medium bowl, and using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the flour and sugar until you are have pea sized crumbs of flour coated butter. Pour the crumb mixture over the cream cheese layer.
- Bake the coffee cake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool, and then dust with powdered sugar. Remove from the dish using parchment paper to a cutting board, and cut into 16 squares.
Notes
Adapted from Two In The Kitchen
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 136mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 42mg
This looks and sounds amazing! I really can’t wait to try it. Your photos are lovely too! 🙂
Thanks for your sweet words! Hope you do get a chance to try it!
Hi Julie, I followed your recipe to the “T” except for the lemon juice. I added more to my taste. Was such a winner with my family. Will make it again this week-end. Thank you for sharing.
I will try it with more lemon juice next time. You are welcome!
Hi Am I just a bit daft but where is the coffee in this cake?
Hi! We just call this type of cake “coffee cake” because it is typically served with coffee.
Olá, li e reli…. Em inglês e em português e não encontrei o café na receita… Onde é para acrescentar o café???? Obrigada.
Hello, I’m sorry for the confusion. We call a breakfast cake that can be served with coffee, “coffee cake” even though there is no coffee in the cake.
I am actually quite thin since the point I started using only natural full fat stuff. Magic! 😉 Reducing sugar was what worked for me.
This cake looks so yummy! Only thing I would change is using raw sugar and reducing it to 1/2c for the cake layer and maybe to a Tblsp for the cream cheese. I am pretty sure I will give this one a try, thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Lisa! Good for you for adapting the recipe to your own tastes. Let me know how you like it.
Fat tooth, haha. I love it.
You’re killing me with this one Julie. Lemon is my weakness, and I have a lemon tree in my backyard. This is happening.
Karen, that’s so great that you have a lemon tree in your backyard! Hope you enjoy!
How far in advance can one bake this please
You can bake this 1-2 days in advance, and it will also be fine to freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months once baked.
I think I may have a fat, sweet tooth! I want it sugary, creamy, and fried. Lol. I was just thinking of baking something lemony, thanks for the inspiration.
Hope this coffee cake is just what your sweet/fat tooth is craving! Thanks for stopping by!
From a dumb UK baker, why do you call it coffee cake when there is no coffee in the ingredients? Or is it cake to eat with your coffee?
That is a perfectly reasonable question and you are not the first to ask! Yes, we usually serve these cakes with coffee. While we are on that thought, is there such a thing as a tea cake that is made without tea?
Yes! America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book has a nice lemon tea cake, or maybe they call it a tea bread, it is also quite good and easy to make. 🙂
If it makes you feel better I do have recipes for coffee cakes that ARE made with coffee. However most things which are made with enough coffee to give it a coffee flavor are called Mocha. This is one reason
I’m not an experience baker but had no problem with this recipe. It looked and tasted amazing!
looks like a nice refreshing cake!
Hello, I tried this recipe the other day. I found when I mixed the cake batter it was EXTREMELY dry and doughy and sticky. Very difficult to spread into the pan, even. I cooked it anyways and it just turned out very dry and doughy again. Very hard and not a lot of flavour. The icing was delicious. Any tips on what I may have done wrong? I’m sure it’s delicious if it turns out right. Thanks!
Hi Jenn, first of all, I’m so sorry this coffee cake didn’t turn out well for you. I have poured over the recipe to see if I might have left out an ingredient or a step in the directions and everything looks correct. I’m assuming that since your cake batter was so dry, you might have accidentally left out one of the wet ingredients – the oil, Greek yogurt, or egg maybe? I really loved this cake when I made it, and so I was planning on making it again this weekend, and I will double check everything as I go. Thanks so much for taking the time to give me your feedback!
Update: I did make this coffee cake recipe again this weekend, and everything in the recipe is written correctly. I did adjust the baking time to include an additional five minute range so that the center is sure to be baked through.
Julie,
I am doublimg the recipe and putting it in a 9×13. How long should I bake this?
Helen, I haven’t tried doubling before but I’m guessing you may need to add 5-10 minutes. If the edges start to get brown before the center is done cover with pieces of foil. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for this update and also concern for how things turn out for your readers. Maybe sifting the flour will help. Have a tasty cake ready for anytime this one is so good. Thank you again.
Mine were dry too. Although, I did double the recipe and put in a 9×13 pan so that may have hurt. Also, I would recommend using full fat yogurt to combat dryness. I used fat free because I had it on hand, but fat always adds more moisture to baked goods.
Same here. Not sure what happened, but I followed the measurements to a T and the batter turned out like bread dough. This is why I prefer baking in grams because a “cup” of yogurt can vary greatly depending how much you pack in a cup.
This coffee cake is so good. I might try adding more lemon zest or juice next time to kick up the lemon flavor a little more.
Gloria, I agree the lemon flavor is very light. Glad you liked it!
Hi! I can’t wait to try this! Before I do, I just want to be sure I am reading this correctly. Does it say Greek yogurt ‘cream cheese’?
Hi Jenna, yes you are reading it correctly. Awhile back I found a product that was a Greek yogurt cream cheese blend, and it was in the cream cheese section of my grocery store. I have heard from some that it is difficult to find. If you are unable to find it, you can just use regular cream cheese. The recipe also calls for regular Greek yogurt in the cake batter. Hope you enjoy!
Do you have Kroger near you? I think that’s the only place (and brand) I’ve seen it. And I’ve seen it at more than one Kroger in Ohio.
This looks great—does anyone know what I should adjust for high altitude? (I’m not much of a baker or I would know this stuff 🙂 )
Hi Ginger, I don’t have any experience with high-altitude baking, but I did find some information from King Arthur Flour. Hope this is helpful for you!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html
Thanks!
The king flour website is very helpful for high altitude adjustments; I use it frequently! I can’t wait to try this cake out. I am pregnant and have a case of the sweet tooth! I have been craving Dots; similar to jujubees. Ill be sure to avoid them in order to skip the dentist trip!
Thanks for the great looking recipe!
Good to know Amber. Oh I love Dots too. Hope you enjoy this cake!
Perfectly lovely cake was enjoyed by everyone and so simple to make
Beautiful texture
Thank you Cassie!
Made this recipe this morning and it was delicious! I’m going to add more lemon zest and juice next time as i think I’d prefer a little more lemon flavor.wonderful recipe, thank you for sharing!
Thank you Jacquelyn! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
What is the serving size? I see the calories per serving but no serving size. Is it 1/16?
I love this recipe. A friend made it for me and i have made it again several times. I always add extra lemon juice and put blueberries between the cream cheese and cake layer.
Can’t wait until this comes out of the oven 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Turned out great. I have been craving something lemony for a while and decided to try these. I made them for a play date and now I am sad they are all gone.
I know what you mean Kelly! I made some lemon blueberry muffins for my mom’s group today, and I was so sad they were gone (but happy everyone liked them) that I made another batch when I got home! Glad you liked the coffee cake! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out.
does this need to be refrigerated? Just took it out of the oven. Can’t wait for it to cool.
Hi Sue, I left mine out on the counter at room temp for a few days and it was fine. Hope you enjoy!
You combined two of my loves – cream cheese and lemon! I made these for work last week and they were a hit! Needless to say I came home with an empty pan. 🙂 Can’t wait to make them again!
Thank you!
Hi Alicia, thanks for letting me know! You are very welcome!
If one does not have a stand mixer, will a strong hand mixer do the trick!
Ruth, a hand mixer should be just fine. Thanks for your question!
Have you tried making this in a bundt pan? Does it make enough batter for that?
Hi Emily, I haven’t tried this in a bundt pan, but I’m pretty sure it would not be enough batter.
As a comment to your cavities while pregnant commentary…Did your dentist not know that you were pregnant? I am very surprised that he was searching for a dietary cause for your numerous cavities while pregnant. Basic dental health information: the anti-microbial quality of a woman’s saliva decreases during pregnancy, this is all a result of estrogen levels. Teenage girls are also more prone to cavities as a result.
Ana, that’s really interesting. That was several years ago, so I can’t remember if he knew or not. Thanks for the info!
Calcium needs increase during pregnancy as well. In times past especially where nutrition was poor it was not uncommon for women to actually lose teeth during their pregnancies.
My teeth also went crazy after my second pregnancy. Tons of cavities, after I had already gotten my mouth taken care of *before* the pregnancy. Mine were especially bad in the spaces between teeth. Dentist said it was definitely because teeth are weaker and more susceptible during babby time.
That’s interesting! Glad I’m not the only one!
A daughter had dry mouth and eyes (not pregnant, however) and had many cavities found at a routine dental exam after having perfect teeth. She was found to have an autoimmune disease. Many things that seem normal to a physician may be the beginning of an undetected condition.
Hi Julie , I have you’re cake in the oven now and it smells divine. One problem, I have gone well past the baking time. ( 50 ). And the cake part still does not seem to be baked. Tested with cake tester and it is showing uncooked parts. Should I just keep increasing time or is this how it should be ?
Hi Bonnie, this is a hard cake to test because the cream cheese layer on top will still be pretty moist even when the cake part is done. Should be good to take it out unless your oven is much different than mine. Hope this helps!
Thanks for this yummy recipe!!!!! Made it for my school friends…They loved it!!!! I did have to increase the cook time and extra 5 minutes and that seemed to help. Again thanks for sharing… 🙂
I’m so glad everyone loved it! Thanks for letting me know!
I made this yesterday for my birthday, and it was a hit. I reduced the sugar a bit, added more lemon, and a tiny bit of ginger. My family loved it. I’m glad I found this recipe on pinterest. Thank you for sharing it.
That sounds wonderful Patricia. So glad it was enjoyed by you and your family. Hope your birthday was a lovely one!
I made this today. Amazingly delicious! Light lemon flavor and not overly sweet. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Angie, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
I had a couple of girlfriends over one morning and I decided to make this. Wow. It was so delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
I love sharing good food with friends. Sounds like a lovely morning! So glad you liked it.
This is an amazing coffee cake. Thank you for the recipe. I omitted the topping and added chopped mixed nuts (pistachios, cashews, peanuts, and hazelnuts) along with coconut flake. Instead of the salt I switched for sea salt. Heavenly.
That sounds fabulous Brandy. Love that you made it your own!
This lemon coffee cake was divine! After reading some comments I decided to double the lemon juice and rind, added another whole egg to the cake batter, and baked in a glass (paper lined) 8″ square pan for 48 minutes. My greek yogurt was 2%, and I used cream cheese because I didn’t have greek cream cheese. Let the cake cool about 10 minutes in the pan, then lifted it out onto a plate still in the paper. Cooled another 5-10 minutes and then dusted with powdered sugar and served while still slightly warm. This was absolutely delicious and my husband and I ate 1/3rd of this thing in one sitting (could have easily eaten the whole thing). I am really glad I doubled the lemon because the cake was still a VERY subtle lemon flavor and I might have liked even a little more lemon flavor. I could see serving this as a dessert at a dinner party (serve while still slightly warm). It is not nearly as satisfying if eaten at room temperature or refrigerated (maybe even a little on the dry side that way). Ate some warmed up for breakfast the next morning with eggs and bacon. While that was very good, I felt that this cake is really at its best if eaten alone with no competition to muddy up the subtle lemony flavor. Thank you so much for a beautiful and delicious recipe!
So glad you and your husband liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
So I was surfing “Foodgawker” looking at recipes and came across your coffee cake and thought: “Oh wow, this looks like something similar to what I have made, but it’s made with Greek Yogurt instead of cream cheese” So I clicked over to check out your recipe and found out that it is adapted from mine!! 🙂 Too funny!!
I LOVE how you lightened it up and your pictures are absolutely gorgeous!! Thanks for referencing my site!! 🙂
That is funny Renee! I love this coffee cake! Thanks for the great recipe.
Wow! Love this cake. So light and delicate we didn’t even wait until it was fully cooled before trying. It amazes me though how based on your picture and other comments that the same recipe can turn out so differently. In my 8″ x 8″ tin my base was at least twice as thick as yours but it was still very light and delicious. Might try 9″x 9″ tin next time and increase cream cheese mixture to 1.5x . Thankyou so much for sharing your recipe.
Petra, it is interesting that this recipe has been a little different for everyone. I’ve made it multiple times myself, and hope the instructions are written clearly :0) It really is a favorite of mine! And I’m so glad you enjoyed it too. Thank you for stopping by to say hi!
So I made the “distracted mom” version of this … for the cake, I dumped all the cake ingredients in a bowl and mixed. I had too much on my mind and didn’t read the direction of sifting the flour and then beating oil/sugar/eggs. I didn’t have the heart to start over, so I baked it with the cream cheese and crumb topping, as per the recipe. Although the cake was a little more dense than I usually like for a coffee cake, it still got thumbs up from everyone that ate it. A few people even said they like the denser cake and asked for the recipe, which I then had to amend with my new instructions of dump/mix/bake.
Jackie, I’m so glad it all worked out! I have definitely made the “distracted mom” version of recipes before. Glad you kept going. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
It was very undercooked when following the instructions on baking time and temp. I put it back in the oven for an extra 20 and still came out moist (and very tasty!) definitely not dry, as others commented. I would say the vegetable oil flavor was very strong as I could still taste it after baking, wondering if olive oil would have worked better?
Overall a great moist coffee cake, once ingredients/cooking time is adjusted.
Thank you for letting me know Annie!
This looks delIcious! Any idea if this would freeze ok? Thanks!
I have never tried to freeze it but I don’t see why you couldn’t.
I made this last night. I am gluten free so I used Betty Crocker gfree flour. I also doubled the recipe and put in a 9×13 pan. It took about 50 min to cook. I used more lemon juice and peel. The cake turned out beautiful. The taste was great! My mother in law loves lemon desserts and this did not disappoint. I love it when I can adapt a recipe to gfree and it turns out. Thank you for sharing.
That’s so great! Thanks for letting me know!