A slice of sour cream coffee cake on a plate.

 

Hey there, and welcome back, friends.

You are in for a sweet treat!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This sour cream coffee cake is tender and moist with lots of streusels! It has a slight tang from the sour cream, and the chopped pecans give the cinnamon streusel a slightly nutty flavor and crunch.

There is a layer of delicious streusel in the middle and a generous layer on top. A simple white icing glaze adds both moisture and sweetness to this coffee-time treat.

You can enjoy this coffee cake any time of the year, but it is perfect with a cup of coffee during the fall and winter. 

A pan of sour cream coffee cake cut into servings.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Ingredients

You only need a few pantry staples to make this cake.

Sour cream coffee cake ingredients.

  • unsalted butter
  • brown sugar
  • white sugar
  • powdered sugar
  • all-purpose flour
  • pecans
  • a few eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • sour cream
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • milk
  • ground cinnamon
  • salt

How to Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Add all ingredients for the streusel to the bowl of a food processor. 

Streusel ingredients in a food processor.

Streusel ingredients in a bowl.

Pulse until it’s a fine, crumbly texture. Put it in the fridge while you make the cake batter.

Streusel ingredients in a food processor.

Cream the butter and sugar using a standing mixer fitted with the beater attachment. 

Sour cream coffee cake ingredients.

Then, add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream and beat on a low speed until combined.

Sour cream coffee cake ingredients in a bowl.

Sour cream coffee cake ingredients in a bowl.

Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy.

Sour cream coffee cake ingredients in a bowl.

Sour cream coffee cake ingredients in a bowl.

Scoop half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Cover with half of the streusel. Scoop and dollop the second half of the batter across the streusel and gently spread it into an even layer. Top with the remainder of the streusel.

Unbaked sour cream coffee cake.

Unbaked sour cream coffee cake.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (a few moist crumbs is ok). Let the coffee cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.

While the coffee cake cools, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Start with 1 tablespoon of milk and add more to thin out to your desired consistency. Whisk until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the coffee cake and serve warm or cool.

Drizzling icing onto sour cream coffee cake.

Sour cream coffee cake with icing drizzled over it.

Variations 

  • Add some of your favorite spices to the streusel, like a pinch of nutmeg or cloves.
  • For some extra crunch, add some chopped pecans to the cake batter.
  • Flavor, the glaze with a dash of vanilla or almond extract, a splash of maple syrup, or ground cinnamon whisked in. 

A slice of sour cream coffee cake on a plate.

How to store sour cream coffee cake

Keep the coffee cake stored at room temperature, covered with foil or plastic wrap for up to three days, or in the fridge for a week. I’d suggest drizzling some freshly made glaze when serving on day two or three!

Does sour cream coffee cake need to be refrigerated?

No, the sour cream coffee cake does not need to be refrigerated. You can refrigerate it to extend its life. Store the cake in the fridge for up to a week. 

A slice of sour cream coffee cake being lifted out of the pan.

Can sour cream coffee cake be frozen?

Yes, sour cream coffee cake can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Unthaw the cake at room temperature.

What is sour cream coffee cake?

It is a coffee cake with a slight tang from the sour cream. It’s a delicious twist on regular coffee cake.

Sour cream coffee cake in a baking pan cut into servings.

Sour Cream Substitution

If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute it with 1 cup of greek yogurt or ¾ cup of buttermilk.

More Coffee Cake Recipes to try

I love coffee cake as a snack with a cup of coffee, and below are a few of my favorite coffee cake recipes. 

A bite of sour cream coffee cake on a fork.

What do you think of this mouth-watering coffee cake recipe? What would you serve with this cake? Let me know in the comment section below. 

If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!

Happy baking, friends!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe

A slice of sour cream coffee cake on a plate.
Yield: serves 9

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This sour cream coffee cake is tender and moist with lots of streusels! It has a slight tang from the sour cream and the chopped pecans give the cinnamon streusel a slightly nutty flavor and crunch.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the struesel:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup pecans, chopped to crumbles

For the cake:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¾ granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 ½ cupall-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Glaze:

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Add all ingredients for the struesel to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it’s a a fine, crumbly texture. Put it in the fridge while you make the cake batter.

Using a standing mixer fitted with the beater attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Then, add in the eggs, vanilla and sour cream and beat on a low speed until combined.

Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl and mix again until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy.

Scoop half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Cover with half of the struesel. Scoop and dollop the second half of the batter across the struesel and gently spread it into an even layer. Top with the remainder of the struesel.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (a few moist crumbs is ok). Let the coffee cake slightly cool in the pan sitting on a wire rack.

While the coffee cake cools, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Start with 1 tablespoon of milk and add more to thin out to your desired consistency. Whisk until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the coffee cake and serve warm or cool.

Notes

If you want some thicker streusel pieces, squeeze some of the streusels in your hand to create small chunks as you sprinkle it on top of the cake batter.

If you overmix the batter, the center of the coffee cake will sink slightly the center. Make sure to mix in each ingredient until just combined.

The cake batter is very thick. It’s helpful to scoop small dollops across the first layer of streusel so that spreading it into a thin layer is easier than if you scooped it all into the center.

The streusel topping shouldn’t burn, but if it starts to smell like it is, cover the coffee cake loosely with foil.

For a thick glaze, use one tablespoon of milk for ½ cup of powdered sugar. To thin the glaze add more milk, about 1-2 teaspoons more at a time. If you make it too thin, add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it back up.

The temperatures of both the streusel and cake butter are important! Use cold butter, straight from the fridge, for the streusel so that it will crumble with the rest of the streusel ingredients. Use room-temperature butter for the cake so that it will cream properly with the sugar.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

9

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 485Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 286mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 23gProtein: 6g

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