This Instant Pot Cinnamon Coffee Crumb Cake recipe is perfectly moist and cinnamon sweet with a little extra spiciness. Great as a breakfast treat with your coffee or as a delectable dessert for a special brunch or dinner. If you love a good cinnamon crumb topping, try kicking it up a notch with a little cayenne (totally optional!) to turn it into a spiced Mexican Coffee Cake.
The Instant Pot truly makes the best cakes!
Instead of traditional baking with a dry heat, this coffee crumb cake is steamed, which locks in extra moisture. Even a simple box mix cake, like our easy Angel Food Cake, comes out extra luscious using the Instant Pot.
For this recipe though, we’re making it all from scratch.
Mexican Coffee Crumb Cake Ingredients
You may have noticed our Mexican crumb cake is a rich brown color, a little different than most classic coffee cakes. This darker color is the result of mixing in the brown sugar, cinnamon and cayenne spices into the cake batter. We’re not saving these delectable flavors for only the crumb topping!
The bulk of ingredients are the same for both the cake and streusel (or crumb) topping. I’m breaking the ingredients out into separate lists here so you know which ingredients are used for only the topping vs the cake.
In the printable recipe at the bottom, you’ll see the full list of ingredients so you can easily shop or gather everything all at once.
I’ll start with crumb topping ingredients, then we’ll simply add a few additional ingredients for the cake.
The Crumb Topping (and the bulk of the cake):
- 2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne (optional)
- 3/4 cup Canola Oil
- 1 cup Chopped Walnuts
Additional Cake Ingredients:
We’re using the above ingredients EXCEPT for the walnuts. The nuts are only for the crumb topping, but expect a few walnuts to sink down into the cake during the cooking process.
We’ll mix in these additional ingredients after setting aside a portion for the crumb topping. For the rest of the cake batter, you’ll add the following ingredients.
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Optional Toppings (not made from scratch)
These extra toppings are like the proverbial saying “with a cherry on top!” This recipe is perfect just as it is, especially for breakfast. If you’re serving it for an after dinner dessert you can add a little extra gooey goodness to the coffee crumb cake with:
- A drizzle of Caramel Syrup (I use Hershey’s Classic Caramel Sundae Syrup)
- A dollop of whipped cream
Mexican Crumb Cake Recipe Directions
It’s best to use a springform pan which will make it a whole lot easier to remove the cake once it’s done.
- Spray the springform pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a medium to large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and cayenne (optional).
- Add oil and mix.
- Here’s the part where we set aside a portion to use just for the crumb topping. Take 1/4 of the mixture and put it in a separate bowl. Add the walnuts and stir them in until well mixed. Set this bowl aside to be used later.
- Back to the original mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk and egg. Mix well.
- Now, pour this cake batter into the pan and spread the walnut crumb mixture on top.
- Cover the pan with foil so the condensation from the steam doesn’t drop down on top of the cake.
Using a Foil Sling
While you’ve got the foil out, make a foil sling to go under the pan, unless you happen to own a silicone bakeware sling, which is on my list to buy! The foil sling is what you’ll use to lift the cake out of the Instant Pot once it’s done.
To make a foil sling, tear off a piece of foil that is about 20 inches long. Fold it lengthwise into thirds.
When the foil sling is centered under your pan, the two ends of the foil should be able to stand up above the pan about 2 inches. These are the “handles” you’ll use to lift the pan from out of the hot water inside the Instant pot.
Here’s an easy foil sling tutorial if you want to see what I’m talking about. It’s much harder to explain than it is to make!
If you’re gentle with your foil sling, you can reuse it multiple times. Simply store it with your Instant Pot and it’ll be ready for next time.
Instant Pot Coffee Cake Cooking Directions
- Place your trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add 2 cups water, foil sling and then cake pan.
- Lock the lid and close the steam valve.
- Depending on your model Instant Pot, either press the “Manual” button or the “Pressure Cook” button and set for 50 minutes.
- Use natural steam release (leave the steam valve closed) which takes about 10 minutes.
- Lift the cake pan out using the foil sling handles, set aside and let it cool.
- Then you can open the springform pan and place your cake on a serving plate.
Add the optional caramel syrup and dollop of whip cream toppings on each piece when serving.
More Instant Pot Recipes To Love
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Soup Recipe
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
Serve up this moist and delicious Instant Pot Coffee Crumb Cake for breakfast or dessert. Either way, your friends and family will love it!
Instant Pot Coffee Crumb Cake

This Instant Pot Mexican Coffee Crumb Cake recipe is
perfectly moist and cinnamon sweet with a little extra spiciness. Great
as a breakfast treat with your coffee or as a delectable dessert for a
special brunch or dinner. If you love a good cinnamon crumb topping, try
kicking it up a notch with a little cayenne (totally optional!) to turn
it into a spiced Mexican Coffee Cake.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne (optional)
- 3/4 cup Canola Oil
- 1 cup Chopped Walnuts
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 cup Buttermilk (can substitute 1 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vinegar)
- 1 large Egg (at room temperature)
- Hershey's Classic Caramel Sundae Syrup (optional)
- Dollop of Whip Cream (optional)
Instructions
- Spray springform pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and cayenne.
- Add oil and mix.
- Remove 1/4 of this flour mixture and place in a separate bowl. Add walnuts and stir until well mixed.
- Set aside until later.
- Add baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk and egg and mix well.
- Pour mixture into springform pan.
- Spread the walnut crumb mixture on top. Cover pan with foil.
- Place trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add 2 cups water and foil sling.
- Place pan inside Instant Pot.
- Lock lid and close steam valve.
- Press the "Manual" button / "Pressure Cook" button and set for 50 minutes.
- Use natural steam release (leave the steam valve closed) for 10 minutes.
- Lift cake pan out using foil sling handles.
- Let cool and remove from springform pan.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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The Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook: 100 Simple Recipes for Spectacular Results -- with Photographs of Every Step
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Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Sterilizer, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 3 Quart, 11 One-Touch Programs
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Goldlion Silicone Sling Lifter Accessories Compatible with Instant Pot 6 Qt and 8 Qt, Ninja Foodi 5 Qt / 6.5 Qt / 8 Qt and Other Brand Pressure Cookers, Red
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 698Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 328mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 2gSugar: 50gProtein: 10g
Nutritional data is an estimate and is not exact.