Gingerbread Latte Crumb Cake

Yield: 9″ gingerbread latte crumb cake // Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.

This post is sponsored by Papanicholas. All opinions are my own.

Moist gingerbread cake with espresso directly in the batter, topped with streusel and an espresso glaze.

Gingerbread Latte Crumb Cake

Take your gingerbread latte to the next level by putting all of it’s delicious flavors into one crumb cake. It starts with gingerbread cake that has espresso put right into the batter, gets topped with a streusel and finished off with an espresso glaze. Perfect for pairing with your morning or afternoon coffee (might I suggest a gingerbread latte?)

Papanicholas coffee

I partnered once again with my all-time favorite coffee brand: papanicholas coffee, to bring you this amazing gingerbread latte crumb cake. I seriously use their coffee beans every day! In this recipe I used their organic kona baru espresso beans here, which is a delicate balance of sweetness & bright acidity with a light, crisp finish. I definitely highly recommend trying some of their coffee, they have so many delicious flavors and are always the coffee I use in my recipes. You can find their website by clicking here.

Gingerbread latte crumb cake recipe tips

Weigh your ingredients

Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient which can lead to the recipe not turning out properly. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!

Mix the batter carefully

It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. Be sure to only mix just until the flour is fully combined and no more.

Room temperature ingredients

It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. If you have ever had your batter look curdled, it is most likely due to the ingredients separating from being at different temperatures. Take out the egg, butter and sour cream at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe OR follow these methods for room temperature ingredients FAST:

1. Fast room temperature eggs. Place the egg in a bowl in the sink and continuously run hot water over it for one minute. And there you go – one room temperature egg! Alternatively (and less waste-fully) fill a bowl with warm water and let the egg sit in it for 5 minutes.
2. Fast room temperature butter. Slice the butter into 1 tbsp. slices and place them flat on a plate. Microwave in 5 second intervals, until you can easily push into the butter.
3. Fast room temperature buttermilk. Microwave the buttermilk in 5 second intervals until it is no longer cold (but not hot!)

Keep an eye on the cake!

Baked goods love to go from underbaked to overbaked in what seems like a split second. Start checking at the cake with a toothpick around 40 minutes. The cake is done when only a few moist crumbs stick to the toothpick.

Ingredients and substitutions

For the streusel:

Unsalted butter: the base of the streusel, really what makes it buttery and delicious. You can use salted butter here as well!

Dark brown sugar: sweetens and adds flavor to the streusel. If you don’t have dark brown sugar, I recommend using light brown sugar – however, granulated sugar will work in a pinch. It will just be much lighter in color.

All purpose flour: adds structure to the streusel.

Gingerbread spices: you will need ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves for a little bit of spice in the streusel.

For the gingerbread latte cake:

All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.

Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.

Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cake.

Gingerbread spices: for flavor! You will need ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves for this – or you can use a pre-made gingerbread spice mix.

Dark brown sugar: for sweetening, flavor, and adding moisture to the muffins. For holiday bakes I like to use dark brown sugar just for that extra molasses flavor, but light brown sugar works here as well.

Molasses: the key to that distinct gingerbread flavor.

Eggs: for binding, moisture, and helping the cake rise.

Vanilla: for flavor.

Espresso: because it wouldn’t be a latte without some espresso! I used papanicholas organic kona baru espresso here which, like all of their espresso beans, is delicious.

Buttermilk: for tenderizing the cake and adding moisture. I highly recommend using buttermilk but I know it can be hard or annoying to purchase, especially if you don’t plan on using it for anything else. It won’t be completely the same, but you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute. For this recipe, simply combine 5g of lemon juice or vinegar with 105g of whole milk and use as normal. You’ll also see good results with sour cream in it’s place!

For the espresso glaze:

Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze.

Espresso: use your favorite freshly brewed espresso here (might I recommend papanicholas?) You can also use coffee, or instant espresso/coffee. If you are using instant, just be sure to dissolve the water and coffee together prior to mixing it with the powdered sugar so that you don’t have to see the granules in the glaze.

How to make gingerbread latte crumb cake

1. Make the streusel. In a medium sized bowl, melt the butter. Add in the flour, sugar, and spices. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together until you have formed little clumps of dough.

2. Combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.

4. Add in molasses, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until well combined.

5. Alternate wet and dry ingredients. Add in half the flour and gently mix just until no flour streaks remain. Then, add in the buttermilk and espresso and mix just until combined. Add in the remaining flour, and mix just until no flour streaks remain again.

6. Bake. Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan, smoothing off the top. Top the cake batter off with the streusel, then bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

7. Glaze, serve and enjoy! Whisk together the powdered sugar and espresso to form your espresso glaze. Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, drizzle the glaze on top of it. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Gingerbread Latte Crumb Cake Q & A

Can I double this gingerbread latte crumb cake?

Definitely! Simply double all of the ingredients in this crumb cake then split evenly between two 9″ cake pans.

How to store gingerbread latte crumb cake

Like most baked goods, this cake will taste best served on the day it is baked. However, it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Why do you measure in grams?

My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!

A note on oven temperature

Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.

Tools and Ingredients

9″ cake pan: I have never had a cake not come out perfectly from this pan, I love it!

Vanilla: I love using Rodelle vanilla extract. Not only is it a great quality product, but it’s on the lower end of the price that vanilla can be! This is the one I use.

Kitchen scale: This is the kitchen scale I use every time I bake, I love it!

For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.

Gingerbread Latte Crumb Cake

Print Recipe

Moist gingerbread latte cake topped with streusel and an espresso glaze

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, espresso, gingerbread, latte, streusel

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Servings 1 9″ cake

Ingredients

Streusel

• 56 g unsalted butter (¼ c.)
• 90 g dark brown sugar (⅓ c. + 1 tbsp.)
• 120 g all purpose flour (1 c.)
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves

Gingerbread Latte Cake

• 200 g all purpose flour (1 ⅔ c.)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• 113 g unsalted butter room temperature (½ c.)
• 100 g dark brown sugar (½ c.)
• 85 g molasses (¼ c.)
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 70 g freshly brewed Papanicholas Kona Baru Espresso (⅓ c.)
• 110 g buttermilk (½ c.)

Espresso Glaze

• 90 g powdered sugar (¾ c.)
• 2 tbsp. freshly brewed Papanicholas Kona Baru Espresso

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Generously butter a 9" cake pan. Crumple up some parchment paper, then un-crumple it and place it into the buttered cake pan, making sure it sticks to the bottom and sides. Set aside.

Streusel

• In a medium sized bowl, melt the butter. To the butter, add the dark brown sugar, flour, and spices. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together until you have formed little clumps of dough. Set aside.

Gingerbread Latte Cake

• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer in a large bowl) beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (~3-4 minutes).
• Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the molasses, both eggs and the vanilla, then beat until well combined.
• Add in half of the flour mixture, and mix by hand just until the flour is incorporated. Add in all of the espresso and buttermilk, and mix until combined. Add in the rest of the flour, and lightly fold the mixture together just until all of the flour is incorporated.
• Pour the gingerbread latte cake batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing out the top. Pour the streusel evenly over the top of the cake.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan until it’s no longer too hot to touch, then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan.

Espresso Glaze

• In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and espresso. If the mixture is too thick, add in some more espresso. If the mixture is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
• Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, drizzle the glaze over the top. Serve and enjoy!