Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe
My sour cream coffee cake is super easy and mouthwatering, with a tender crumb, crumbly streusel layer, and optional vanilla glaze. It’s the ultimate breakfast, weekend brunch, and perfect pairing for coffee any time!
What could be better than waking up to a freshly baked coffee cake and a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee? Actually, it’s everyone’s dream to eat cake for breakfast and any meal thereafter.
If we could somehow pretend that eating cake is just as healthy as munching on vegetables, I would gladly do the baking every single day! I might even convince hubby to join me on this quest because he loves anything to do with coffee.
Where’s the Coffee in Coffee Cake?
Before you call me out and ask me why there’s no coffee in this cake, let me tell you…there’s no trace of coffee in this cake. Nada! Unlike British coffee cake, which is coffee-flavored, Americans typically enjoy their cake with coffee or tea. And so the name in the USA.
Then there’s the debate about crumble cake, which is a coffee cake. However, not all coffee cakes are crumble cakes. It all comes down to the amount of streusel. The crumble cake is about half streusel, while a coffee cake has a thinner layer.
How to Make Coffee Cake With Sour Cream
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and gently mix for about a minute between each addition. (Photo 1)
- Add milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined, 1-2 minutes. (Photo 2)
- Mix the dry ingredients. Then, mix them with the batter until just combined. (Photos 3-4)
- For the streusel, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter in a medium-sized bowl. (Photos 5-6)
- Spoon half the cake batter into a greased 10-inch tube pan and spread it out with a spatula. Sprinkle about three-quarters of the streusel mixture over it. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, spread it out, and sprinkle the remaining streusel on top. (Photo 7)
- Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (Photo 8)
- Stir the glaze ingredients until smooth, adjusting the consistency with water. (Photos 9-10)
- Let the cake cool completely, about 30 minutes. Place it, streusel-side-up, on a serving plate. (Photo 11)
- Drizzle as much of your favorite glaze on the top as you like. (Photo 12)
Recipe Notes and Tips
- You can also bake this cake in a 9”x13” baking dish at 325℉ (165℃) for about 40 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- For extra sweetness, make a glaze by mixing a cup of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a teaspoon or two of milk until smooth. Adjust the amount of milk to get the pourable consistency you desire.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
This cake keeps well at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for a week, or 3-4 months in the freezer. I like freezing it wrapped in individual servings, but you could freeze the whole thing for a stress-free holiday dessert. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge, then let it set at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
Perfect Pairings
While a pot of coffee is traditional, a pumpkin spice latte, chai tea latte, and lemongrass tea are also great. You could also make this an excellent item on a breakfast charcuterie board.
More Soul-Satisfying Brunch Recipes to Enjoy
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”pw4IFBeL” upload-date=”2019-10-01T07:05:01.000Z” name=”Coffee Cake” description=”Coffee Cake – easy and delicious coffee cake with tender crumbs, layered and topped with a crumbly streusel topping and vanilla drizzle. It’s the ultimate breakfast and weekend brunch, too!”]
This blog post was originally published in June 2019 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
The Cake
- 4 ounces (113g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk
- 1 cup (230g) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
Streusel
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (152g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons (4g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1g) freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon (1g) salt
- 6 tablespoons (84g) butter
The Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon (3ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) coffee (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Then grease a 10-inch tube pan generously with baking spray and set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and gently mix for about a minute between each addition.
- Then add the milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract, and continue mixing until combined, 1-2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter and mix until just combined, about a minute. Use a spatula to finish mixing, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so everything is completely mixed.
- For the streusel, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and butter in a medium-sized bowl with your hands until they form a crumble.
- Spoon half the batter into the greased cake pan and spread it out with a spatula. Cover the top with about three-quarters of the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, spread it out, and sprinkle the remaining streusel on top.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and optional coffee until smooth. Add as much water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
- Cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Transfer, streusel-side-up, to a serving plate. Drizzle with glaze if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- If you don’t have sour cream, a cup of Greek or plain yogurt will work fine.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the ingredients used.
Hi. I really like what you do. I made this cake twice in just 1week. It was wonderful. Can I make cupcakes out of the receipe?
Awesome!!! I’m so happy you loved it. Yes, you can make cupcakes with it. Divide the cake batter between the cupcake wells (not filling them over 3/4 full), sprinkle the streusel topping over each cupcake, then bake them. The baking time will be less. I would start checking them at around 20 minutes.
Thank you so much for responding. I will try this week-end and let you know how it went.
Thank you so much, Sure I will be waiting 🙂
The taste is very good. It’s semi sweet, though I do have an insane sweet tooth for everything so I could be biased. It came out perfectly cooked at exactly 50 minutes for me. The texture wasnt flakey but more bread like. Not like store bought bread, rather fresh made, bakery bread where it’s soft while thick & dense like sourdough. I will definitely make this again.
Originally I would have given it 4 stars only because I’m huge on texture, but since I did use a gluten free flour, that could have changed the consistency. (Has not happened with this flour before)
Thanks girl! Glad you liked it!
Hey Imma,
Plz suggest some glaze and its recipe too
Love
Just added it! Thanks for the suggestion.
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Shelia! Yes, you can!
I just made your cream cheese pound cake, looking forward to trying this out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hi,love your page and ur videos.please can you help me with the recipe for amazing waffles.will be greatful if u can .
Hi. You can check my instructions and ingredients for making waffles through this link here >> https://www.africanbites.com/chicken-waffles/
Hello, please can natural yoghurt or Greek yogurt be used in the absence of sour cream?
Yes, you can.
Wonderful recipe! I’m planning to make a brown sugar glaze. I am enjoying your recipes more than any others. Thank you!!
That sounds amazing. Can’t wait for you to make it. Thank you for stopping by and enjoy!
i love your recipes, i will try and bake this.
Thanks. Do let me know how it works out
Looks yummy
Please what can I use in place of sour cream? It isn’t easily accessible in Nigeria.
Hi. You may replace 1 cup of sour cream with 1 cup of Greek yogurt or plain yogurt. See my post on sour cream substitutes for more suggestions.