Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Dec. 5, 2023
This Sour Cream Coffee Cake is loaded with a sweet cinnamon streusel, and boasts a super moist and tender crumb. It’s the perfect pairing with your morning cup of coffee or tea.
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Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Why This Recipe Stands Out
We’re always ready to jump on any excuse to have dessert for breakfast, and this Sour Cream Coffee Cake provides the perfect opportunity. Here’s why it’s one of our favorite sweet breakfast recipes:
- Texture: The sour cream in this recipe gives the coffee cake that super moist, tender, and fluffy texture that we’re looking for.
- Streusel: A cinnamon streusel is layered throughout and sprinkled on top of the cake bringing warm, comforting flavors and amazing smells.
- Versatile: This classic coffee cake recipe creates the perfect base for all our favorite flavor variations, like Pumpkin Coffee Cake or Apple Coffee Cake.
- Large Serving: Since we make this coffee cake in a Bundt pan, it serves about 20 people, make it great for Holidays and other special occasions.
- Simple Ingredients: We love that this recipe uses only simple ingredients that we usually already have on hand.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – A generous serving of butter works with the sour cream to make this cake super moist. It also provides that buttery flavor that we love.
- Sour Cream – Not only does the sour cream make this cake tender and fluffy, it also balances the sweet ingredients amazingly.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla extract makes the whole house smell amazing and brings warm, nostalgic flavors to this treat.
- Streusel – Just three simple ingredients – cinnamon, sugar, and walnuts (or pecans) – bring that classic spiced element that is essential for any coffee cake. We love streusel in Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, too.
Substitutions And Variations
This recipe is a great base to play around with different flavors. Check out some of our favorite ideas:
- Streusel: In this recipe, we use granulated sugar for the streusel. However, if you want a deeper molasses flavor, feel free to substitute brown sugar.
- Glaze: If you’re wanting a glaze for this recipe, we highly recommend the spice glaze from our Perfect Pumpkin Scones recipe. You could either drizzle it over the streusel or put all the streusel in the center of the cake, leaving the top bare for the glaze.
- Fall Flavor Variations: Want to give this coffee cake a fall spin? Check out our recipes for Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Sweet Potato Coffee Cake, and Apple Coffee Cake. We know you’ll love them!
- Other Flavor Variations: As with most sweet recipes, adding chocolate never hurts! We think mixing in semi-sweet chocolate chips would be an amazing addition. You could also mix in your favorite berries like we do in this Blueberry Coffee Cake recipe.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until just incorporated. Then add half of the sour cream to this mixture beating until just incorporated. Repeat.
- Combine streusel ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
- Transfer a third of the batter into greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle a third of the streusel mixture evenly over the batter. Repeat layering two more times, ending with streusel on the top.
- Bake at 350F with rack in lower-middle position for 60-65 minutes.
- Let coffee cake cool on a wire rack completely, before loosening from the pan and slicing. Enjoy!
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
We like prepping some of our coffee cake ingredients ahead of time especially if we plan to enjoy it for breakfast. Here’s some of our best make-ahead tips:
- Prepping Streusel: You can always mix the streusel ahead of time. We like storing it in an airtight container in the fridge to keep it super fresh, but it would also be totally fine at room temperature.
- Preparing Ingredients: We like using room temperature butter, eggs, and sour cream to make mixing super easy. So, make sure to give yourself plenty of time to let those ingredients sit on the counter before starting.
- Storing the Cake: Although Sour Cream Coffee Cake is best served fresh, it can also be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen for a super simple breakfast or snack. Keep slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Coffee/Beverages
- Obviously, one of the best things to serve with this coffee cake is a nice big cup of jo. If you’re looking for a good cold brew recipe, check out our recipe for Easy Cold Brew. We also love this Thai Iced Coffee as an added treat!
- We think this coffee cake would also be amazing with a cup of hot apple cider or hot cocoa on a cold winter day.
Breakfast/Brunch
- For a full, balanced breakfast, try serving sour cream coffee cake with eggs, bacon, and/or sausage. Check out our recipes for Easy Poached Eggs and Easy Boiled Eggs!
- We also love this healthy Crustless Quiche and this Bacon and Egg Breakfast Casserole.
Fruits
- Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries would be delicious with this sour cream coffee cake.
Commonly Asked Questions
How long does sour cream coffee cake keep?
Store coffee cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Why is there no coffee in this coffee cake?
Interestingly enough, coffee cake doesn’t actually contain any coffee. The reason it’s called “coffee cake” is actually because it’s traditionally served as breakfast or a snack, and meant to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee.
Why do you put sour cream in the coffee cake?
Sour cream is a magical ingredient in cakes and desserts for a couple of reasons. First, it’s tangy flavor helps balance the sweetness of recipes keeping them from getting too overpowering. Second, the fat content makes cakes super moist, tender, and fluffy.
Can I make this coffee cake in a different kind of pan?
Yes! You can absolutely make this coffee cake in an 8×8, 9×13, or loaf pan as well. Just note that baking times will vary greatly and that you may need to use more than one of these pans, since this recipe makes a large amount of batter. Regardless, you’ll know when the cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean, but with a few crumbs still attached.
What is a good substitute for sour cream in this recipe?
Your best bet for a good sour cream swap is going to be full fat Greek yogurt. In fact, we use this in our Cinnamon Streusel Yogurt Coffee Cake recipe and it’s delicious!
Did you make this?
Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
This Sour Cream Coffee Cake has the perfect combination of sweetness, spices, and slight tang thanks to the addition of sour cream. It's moist, tender, and crisp on the outside.
Ingredients
For the Coffee Cake:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, room temp
- 1 TB vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups sour cream, regular
For the Streusel:
- 2 TB ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts , or pecans
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F, with rack on lower middle position. Grease a Bundt baking pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture and beat just enough to incorporate. Add half of sour cream to this mixture and beat just enough to incorporate. Repeat for remaining flour mixture and sour cream, beating just to incorporate after each addition. Batter should be smooth.
- Make the streusel by combining cinnamon, nuts, and sugar in a bowl.
- Transfer a third of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle a third of the streusel mixture evenly over batter. Repeat layering two more times, ending with streusel on the top.
- Bake 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on wire rack completely. Once cool, invert and loosen cake from pan and slice.
Equipment
Notes
- Make sure to let butter and eggs come to room temperature before starting to prevent overmixing the batter.
- Cool coffee cake completely before attempting to remove it from the Bundt pan to prevent it from falling apart.
- Enjoy Sour Cream Coffee Cake with a cup of Cold Brew Coffee or Easy Thai Iced Coffee.
- If you tried this recipe and loved it, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you!
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 478IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
More To Bake And Eat
- Blueberry Coffee Cake – This coffee cake is buttery, tender, fluffy, and bursting with juicy blueberries. We love enjoying this for breakfast or brunch.
- Fresh Orange Bundt Cake – This perfectly moist Bundt cake is full of vibrant, citrusy flavors. There’s no lack of orange zest and orange juice in this recipe!
- 5-Ingredient Banana Pudding Cake – This cake only takes 5 simple ingredients and tastes amazing! We love it on it’s own or with a drizzle of icing.
- Best Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake – Sweet, buttery Bundt cake comes together with bursts of blueberry and fresh lemon zest in every bite. You’ll want to eat this every day!
- Pear Cake Recipe – This delicious Bundt cake is packed with fresh pears, autumn spices, and pure honey. It’s a semi-healthy breakfast, dessert, or snack that the whole family will devour.