A New Favorite Coffee Cake
A variation of my long-standing five-star coffee cake, this sour cream coffee cake uses a key ingredient (sour cream, obviously) for a moist, tender crumb and great depth of flavor. It’s sweetened with a cinnamon sugar ripple and a decadent (but easy) streusel topping. The vanilla glaze on top is optional, but you already know how I feel about a little extra sugar 😉
Why You Should Try This Recipe
The easy streusel topping is made WITHOUT a pastry cutter. We’ll use my favorite technique of pouring melted butter over the dry ingredients and using a fork to claw the mixture together. It’s is so much easier than the traditional method (just make sure the butter isn’t too hot when you add it)! Freezes well, as long as you wrap it properly. I recommend wrapping in plastic and then foil before placing in the freezer–this preserves the flavor. Includes instructions for an optional vanilla glaze. I personally think the glaze really elevates the look of this coffee cake, but if you don’t want the extra sweetness, feel free to skip it. Can be served in the same pan it bakes in. Just one of the many reasons that I 💜 sheet cakes! Makes a tasty brunch option alongside hashbrown casserole or quiche Lorraine (yum). Or, serve it for dessert with a cup of tea or coffee on the side!
And did I mention I made it at least a half-dozen times to make sure it was perfect, and then again because it was so good I couldn’t stop eating it?
Ingredients
Most of these ingredients will be in your pantry already. Let’s go over a few of the important ones before we start the recipe!
Sour cream. Of course! I talk a bit more about sour cream and its role in this recipe below, but in short, it’s a key player in moisture and flavor. If you don’t have any on hand but you do have full-fat, plain Greek yogurt, feel free to use that instead. Cinnamon. This adds that signature coffee cake flavor. We’ll use cinnamon in the middle “ripple” layer of our cake and in the streusel topping as well. Sugar. I use a blend of light brown sugar and granulated sugar in the cake and streusel topping. I find this combo works best for a lovely depth of flavor that doesn’t make the cake too sweet or rich. Eggs. This recipe works best if your cold ingredients are at room temperature, so set your eggs out ahead of time. If you forget, don’t worry! I have a trick for how to quickly bring eggs to room temperature. Vanilla. We’ll use a hefty pour of vanilla in the cake for depth of flavor.
SAM’S TIP: Feel free to toss some chopped nuts into the streusel mixture if you like your sour cream coffee cake with nuts! Pecans or walnuts would be my recommendation. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake
SAM’S TIP: Just like when making coffee cake muffins or vanilla cake, you need to be careful to not over-mix the batter. Over-mixing can cause dense, dry results. To avoid this, switch to a spatula when you are done combining your wet ingredients and use a gentle hand!
Assembly
If you love coffee cake, give my coffee cake cookies a try next! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
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