Decadent mini caramel coffee cakes topped with a crunchy streusel topping and a caramel drizzle. Perfect for a sweet morning treat or decadent dessert.
My sweet friend Carol, whom I’ve never actually met in person, sent me a wonderful gift recently filled with all kinds of baking goodies, including some Ghirardelli Caramel Baking Chips. I’d never tried them and Carol said she was crazy about them.
I saved them for a while on the counter trying to think of the perfect recipe to use them in. Then one morning decided to make these decadent mini caramel coffee cakes for breakfast.
Well, if I’m honest they started out as Caramel Coffee Cake Muffins. But when my grandson asked why grandma was feeding him cake for breakfast, I decided that perhaps they were a mini cake and not a muffin at all.
I used Peter’s Caramel to drizzle over the top. I buy it at Gygi, but you could use regular Kraft caramels as well. You could also skip the drizzle if you prefer. But they do add an extra layer of caramel that kind of makes them irresistible.
I added some of the caramel chips to the streusel top and the ones that were on the edges got a little too brown. So you may want to press them down into the batter on top a little bit, or not add them to the streusel at all. But you’re going to love them in the cake – I can see why Carol wanted to share them with me!
Here’s a little video my son and I put together while making the coffee cakes. I especially love the video of the caramel drizzle. Enjoy!
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Mini Caramel Coffee Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup caramel chips
Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds slightly crushed
- ¼ cup caramel chips
- ¼ cup caramel or about 10 caramels unwrapped
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil, or line with paper muffin liners.
- Prepare streusel topping and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Combine sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Mix in chips.
- Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle muffins with streusel topping.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool muffins for five minutes in the muffin pan before removing to a wire rack to cool.
- Streusel Topping
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and flour. Add butter and mix until mixture has a sandy texture. Add almonds and caramel chips if using, stir to combine.
- Caramel Drizzle
- In a small microwaveable bowl, heat caramel and milk, stirring occasionally, until caramel is melted and smooth.
- Put melted caramel in a Ziploc bag, cut off one corner and drizzle caramel over the tops of the muffins.
More coffee cake recipes you might like:
Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake, Barbara Bakes
Cinnamon Zucchini Streusel Coffee Cake, Barbara Bakes
Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins, Crunchy, Creamy, Sweet
Plum Coffee Cake Muffins, Two Peas and Their Pod
Baked Coffee Cake Doughnuts, Tried and Tasty
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Candace Taylor
Can I sub caramel chips with butterscotch chips? If I do should I also change the topping to butterscotch?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Candace – sounds like a great substitution. Either butterscotch or caramel topping would work.
Eve O'Brien
I’m a bit confused because you’ve named them caramel coffee cakes but there’s no coffee in them? How do you get them to taste like coffee?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Eve – coffee cakes generally do not have a coffee flavor, rather they are cakes served with coffee.
Jen
Hi Barbara! In step 3, it says to add baking powder and baking soda, but there is no baking soda in the ingredients list. How much should be added? These look so good and I would love to make them! Thanks!
Barbara Schieving
Hi Jen – thanks for the heads up. I updated the recipe removing the reference to baking soda. Enjoy!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Hehe out of the mouths of babes! Cake for breakfast is a fine idea mum! 😀 xxx
Laura
I just found your blog. Great Video!
Carol
Oh my heavens those look amazing, Barbara! I knew you’d find a good home for those caramel chips. Our grocery store just got them in so I don’t have to worry about stocking up at Target…although Target had them on clearance last week—yes I bought more and stuck them in the freezer.
That caramel drizzled over top sends those into a new galaxy alright. Your grandson is so dang cute….cake for breakfast….out of the mouths of babes huh? 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the chips as much as I do……
Letty / Letty's Kitchen
Love the video. I need a son like yours! 😉
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
I am craving these mini coffee cakes right now! That caramel drizzle – swoon! 😀