Sour cream coffee cake is a moist, tender, and flavorful snack cake. My recipe has been carefully fine-tuned to perfection and includes both a cinnamon sugar ripple and a sweet crumb topping, and it’s easy enough for beginners! Recipe includes a how-to video!
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
- Cream the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the eggs until well combined.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix to combine, then scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. You can put your mixer away now; we won’t need it anymore, and using it past this point could actually ruin the texture of your cake.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually fold them into the wet ingredients until combined. Be gentle and use a spatula for this step!
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
- Spread half the batter into a greased 9×9″ pan, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar ripple mixture overtop.
- Dollop the remaining batter overtop, then spread into an even layer. It’s okay if some of the cinnamon sugar ripple peeks through–just do the best you can! The batter is thick so just be patient.
- Make the streusel by whisking the dry ingredients and sugar together, then pouring (cooled) melted butter overtop. Toss and claw this together with a fork until crumbly. Don’t mix it as you would a dough or batter — that will leave you with a paste rather than a crumbly streusel.
- Scatter the streusel evenly over the batter, then bake. Let it cool before cutting and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Much like buttermilk, sour cream adds flavor and contributes to a tender, moist texture. I use it in my sour cream pound cake, sour cream donuts, and countless other recipes for a bit of extra fat and richness. If you don’t have any on hand, make my classic coffee cake instead.
Nope, I actually don’t recommend it as the refrigerator tends to dry out your cake crumb. You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature (let it cool completely first). It will keep this way for up to five days. You can also freeze this cake; I provide instructions for this in the recipe notes below.
Yes, but I’d still recommend topping the cake with at least a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar (like I do on my apple cake). Without the streusel topping, the cake will likely need less time in the oven; start checking at 40 minutes.
The difference is primarily the ingredients (my original recipe uses cream cheese and buttermilk, this one uses sour cream). However, I’d say this version has a slightly springier crumb, while the other is more dense. Both are delicious, and you can’t go wrong with either. Now you just have two options to choose from depending on the ingredients in your fridge!
If you love coffee cake, give my coffee cake cookies a try next!
Enjoy!
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Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Ripple
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cake
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (66 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Streusel topping
- 1 ⅓ cups (175 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 Tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch
Recommended Equipment
- 9×9” metal pan
Instructions
For the ripple
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease a 9×9” (23x23cm) metal pan with butter. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the ripple and set aside.¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
For the cake
- Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until light and fluffy.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (66 g) light brown sugar
- Add eggs and beat until completely combined.2 large eggs
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract and stir well. Pause periodically to scrape down the sides and bottom of mixing bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.1 cup (240 g) sour cream, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gradually fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until batter is uniform.
- Spread approximately half (slightly less than half is best) of the batter evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan, then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar ripple mixture over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter over the ripple layer and gently spread into an even layer over the surface. Prepare the streusel topping.
For the streusel
- Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt In a medium sized bowl and whisk until combined.1 ⅓ cups (175 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 4 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour melted, cooled butter over the flour mixture and use a fork to toss / claw together the mixture until you have a crumbly streusel mixture (all the butter should be absorbed and no dry flour should be remaining).10 Tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter
- Sprinkle streusel evenly over prepared batter.
- Bake in center rack of 350F (175C) oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool before cutting and serving.
Notes
Glaze
If you’d like to add a simple vanilla glaze over the coffee cake, whisk together ½ cup (65g) powdered sugar with 2-4 teaspoons of milk and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract until you have a smooth glaze that ribbons off your whisk.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. This coffee cake may also be wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and frozen for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Alli M
I love this! I have made it 3x and I’m obvy I huge fan! I was wondering if it’s ok to use dark brown sugar (I normally have both light and dark but currently just the dark) instead of light? I’m anxiously awaiting your reply as I am on edge to make it now!! 😆 Also, I’m very new to baking and I followed the instructions as they were written and never had a problem with the outcome. And it freezes very well and OMG! I can’t get enough of this delicious cake!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Alli! Dark brown sugar will work, but it will have a stronger and sweeter flavor (not to mention a darker color!). We’re so happy you love the recipe 🥰
Cheri
I always nervous about over and under mixing. How long should I mix the butter and sugar/brown sugar using a stand mixer before adding the remaining ingredients?
Thanks so much.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Cheri! If you take a look at the video, you can see the point when Sam stops mixing. Really, the part you want to be concerned about here is when folding the wet and dry ingredients together–that’s where over-mixing can be an issue. Sam demonstrates that step in the video too, so definitely take a look 😊 Hope that helps!
Kim
I’m going to be making this for the first time today and wondered if I could make it in a metal Bundt pan instead of a square pan? And if so, do you think the cooking time would be similar? I just wanted to make it a little more pretty since it’s for my mother‘s birthday to display it
Sam
Hi Kim! It could be baked in a bundt pan, but I’m not sure what the bake time would be. You’ll want to keep an eye on it as it bakes. 🙂