Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Impress your guests with a homemade sour cream coffee cake. The recipe features a moist cake with a flavorful cinnamon streusel swirl filling and topping.
This sour cream coffee cake is a true classic — soft, buttery, and filled with a sweet cinnamon-brown sugar streusel both inside and on top. The sour cream keeps the cake extra moist, while the flavorful crumb topping gives it that irresistible texture and aroma.
It’s a wonderful cake for sharing with family or friends and makes an elegant addition to any breakfast table, holiday brunch, or dessert spread. Serve it plain, dusted with powdered sugar, or drizzled with a simple vanilla or maple glaze.
Why You’ll Love It
Moist and rich. Sour cream keeps the cake tender and flavorful for days.
Perfectly spiced streusel. The cinnamon-brown sugar mixture adds warmth and texture to every bite.
Great for sharing. Ideal for brunches, holidays, or casual get-togethers.
Ingredient Notes
- Sour cream: Adds richness, moisture, and a tender crumb.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for full control of flavor.
- Brown sugar: Gives the streusel a deep, caramel-like sweetness.
- Cinnamon: Classic spice that defines coffee cake flavor.
- Pecans: Add crunch and nutty depth; walnuts work as a substitute.
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides structure and balance.
- Milk: Lightens the batter slightly, helping it spread evenly.
- Glaze: Optional but adds a lovely finish.
Steps to Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Prepare the pan and oven. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the streusel. Mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly, then stir in the nuts.
- Mix the batter. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Stir in the dry ingredients and milk just until blended.
- Assemble. Spoon half of the batter into the pan, sprinkle most of the streusel over it, then top with the remaining batter and streusel.
- Bake and finish. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool before turning out, then drizzle with glaze if desired.
Tips
- Invert the cake twice to keep the streusel topping on top — once onto a plate, then again onto a cake stand.
- When spreading the second layer of batter, add it in small dollops and gently smooth to avoid disturbing the streusel layer.
- Check doneness at 55 minutes; overbaking can dry the edges.
Recipe Variations
- Nuts. Replace pecans with chopped walnuts for a slightly earthier flavor.
- Glaze. Add 1 tablespoon maple syrup and ¼ teaspoon maple flavoring instead of vanilla.
- Spices. Swap cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice or a chai blend.
How to Store Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Room temperature: Store covered for up to 4–5 days. The cake stays moist thanks to the sour cream.
Refrigerate: Keeps for up to 1 week, but bring to room temperature before serving to restore texture.
Freeze: Wrap slices in plastic wrap and foil, then place in a labeled freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter or gently warm in the microwave wrapped in a paper towel.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Streusel
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (54 grams)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (64 grams )
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Dash salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
For the Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (333 grams )
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, (170 grams), softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, (297 grams)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep the Oven and Pan: Heat the oven to 350 F and grease and flour a 10-inch tube cake pan.
- Streusel: Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and a dash of salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the 3 tablespoons of butter to make a crumbly streusel mixture.
- Dry Ingredients: Combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder, soda, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Batter: In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and beat just until combined.
- Assembly: Spoon half of the batter into the prepared tube cake pan. Sprinkle about two-thirds of the streusel mixture over the batter, then top evenly with small dollops of the remaining batter. Gently spread the batter over the filling. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top.
- Bake: Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
- Cool: Cool the cake on a rack for 30 minutes, then transfer the cake to a plate, streusel-side up. Carefully invert it onto a plate.
- Glaze: Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over the cooled cake.
Nutrition
Disclaimer:
Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.
Hi Diana, I don’t believe 2.5 cups of flour is equal to 704 grams. It is more like (I live in Australia) 150g per cup which would equal 375g flour. It may be that in the USA each cup is approx 120g, so approx 480g. Would you please be so kind as to review your recipe above so I may make this cake. Many thanks. Claudia
Thank you! You are absolutely right. I am not sure how I came up with that number, but it was more than double what it should have been. It should be 332 grams. It varies from site to site, but I measure flour at about 4 1/2 ounces per cup. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks again!