Maple Walnut Coffee Cake from Scratch

If you’re in the mood for a delicious coffee cake rich with maple and walnut flavors, this is the recipe for you! This simple coffee cake is loaded with flavor, easy to serve, and simple to make. 

Coffee Cake? What’s That? 

If you’ve been following me for any time at all, you might already know that I’m not a big coffee fan. 

Oh, I can handle a little, like the espresso powder I add to my Ultimate Chocolate Cake. (Chocolate and coffee just go together, don’t they?)

That said, I love coffee cakes. They (rarely) have coffee in their ingredients list. Instead, they are dense cakes meant to be eaten while you sip your morning coffee. 

Some people call these “breakfast cakes.” I’ve baked many of them over the years, including my Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake, Easy Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, and my Easy Blackberry Crumble Bars. 

Breakfast cakes are absolutely delicious and they not just good at breakfast time!

Walnut Breakfast Cake

This time, I was in the mood for walnuts. I happened to have a couple big bags of walnuts and wanted to use them. 

I also have some delicious (pricey!) maple extract that I bought at a speciality shop while on vacation a few months back. 

So, the idea hit: Why not make a breakfast cake that features those two flavors? 

Cake for Breakfast? Yes, Please!

I already have a Brown Butter Walnut Cake that starts with a box of cake mix. (Hey, I’m known for my doctored cake mix recipes.) 

This time, however, I wanted to bake a coffee cake from scratch. 

And boy, this one did not disappoint! I’ll share more about my thoughts after sharing the recipe and instructions. 

Maple Walnut Coffee Cake Ingredients

You will find a full, printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make this yummy cake. These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand. 

• room temperature butter (salted or unsalted)
• brown sugar
• vanilla extract
• maple syrup
• maple extract
• eggs
• all purpose flour
• salt (if you choose unsalted butter)
• baking powder
• chopped walnuts

Optional Maple Glaze Ingredients

• butter
• powdered sugar
• maple extract

How to Make Maple Walnut Coffee Cake from Scratch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a small bowl merge flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with baking spray and set aside. If you don’t have baking spray, you can grease the dish (with shortening or butter) and dust with flour. 

In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream room temperature butter until light and fluffy. 

Add sugar and extracts to butter and mix until fully incorporated. 

Work in maple syrup and eggs, mixing at medium speed until well mixed. 

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix lightly. 

Add the final half of the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix. 

Fold in chopped walnuts. 

Spoon batter into prepared baking dish and place in preheated oven. 

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes on center rack until golden brown. 

Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. 

Cut into squares or rectangles.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store at room temperature in airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.

Cake can be frozen up to two months in ziplock bag.

What to Expect from this Delicious Breakfast Cake

Y’all, I’m so in love with this one. It’s absolutely delicious, whether you eat it with a cup of coffee nearby or not! 

I’m crazy about the rich maple flavor, which is enhanced by the addition of maple syrup. 

I also happen to love walnuts because they’re chunky and crunchy. They add just the right texture to this rich cake. 

The density-level of the cake was perfect for a coffee cake. In fact, I would “almost” call these bars because they can easily be held and eaten by hand. 

You can add the glaze if you like, but I sprinkled mine with powdered sugar. That added plenty of sweetness. 

I highly recommend you give this recipe a try. 

Variations on this Recipe

I think this one is perfect just as it is, but you know me: I’m always up for changing things! 

I think next time I’ll bake it in a bundt pan. This is the kind of cake that would be perfect in bundt form. As a bundt cake I would absolutely add the maple drizzle. 

Pecans: If you’re not a fan of walnuts, you can always use pecans. Maple-pecan is a fan favorite! 

Toast the walnuts or pecans: I didn’t mention this in the directions, but toasted nuts add a different level of flavor. 

Other Maple Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

Creamy Maple Walnut Fudge: In this post I share a delicious and creamy maple walnut fudge recipe. This fudge is easy and incredibly tasty!

Brown Butter Walnut Cake: This rich yellow cake, loaded with browned butter, toasted walnuts, and vanilla extract will make you swoon. The addition of sour cream makes it sturdy and moist and the milk adds a luscious texture. The brown butter maple glaze on top? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake! (Literally!)

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Busy Monday

About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.