Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake

a slice of cinnamon coffee cake on a plate

4.95 from 17 votes

Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake

This fluffy, moist coffee cake, with a brown sugar streusel layered in the middle and sprinkled on top, is the perfect baked treat to serve when company pops over. Using sour cream in the batter creates a moist, tender cake and adding toasted nuts to the streusel gives it the perfect crunch it needs. Start brewing a fresh pot of coffee now, because that’s the only thing that this cake needs!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 326kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the topping

½ cup (107 g) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup (57 g) chopped pecans * see note

For the cake

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour * spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (107 g) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (227 g) sour cream

Instructions

Prep oven and pans. Position rack to center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x9 (or 8x8) pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
Make topping. In a small mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside. ½ cup (107 g) light brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ cup (57 g) chopped pecans
Combine dry ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt
Cream butter and sugars. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar ½ cup (107 g) packed light brown sugar
Add wet ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and mix to combine. 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Alternate dry with sour cream. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the sour cream in 3 additions, starting and ending with the flour. 1 cup (227 g) sour cream
Layer the batter with the topping. Spread half the batter into the pan. Top with half of the brown sugar topping. Spread remaining batter on top and sprinkle with remaining topping.
Bake. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown, and the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Video

Notes

Make ahead/Storage: You can easily make this coffee cake ahead of time and store it for later, or just store any leftovers as well by keeping it covered for up to 2 days on the counter, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Although it's always better fresh if eaten within the first two days!
Freezing: This coffee cake freezes beautifully! You can wrap up any leftover pieces in plastic wrap and then pop into a plastic bag and freeze for 3 months. Then when ready to enjoy, simply unwrap and thaw at room temperature before serving. I prefer to warm up a slice in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating.
Doubling The Recipe: You can double the recipe if you like. Just double the ingredients and bake in a 9x13 pan. This may affect the time baking slightly, and you may need to bake for slightly longer so be sure to test for doneness before removing from the oven.
Pecans: I prefer to toast them but you can skip this step making this coffee cake come together much faster. If you do toast them, spread your pecan halves on a baking sheet and bake at 350^oF for 5-7 minutes. And then chop once they are cooled and then measure out your 1/2 cup. Sometimes one or two pecan pieces on top after baking got a little "toasty" for me so I just removed those, but otherwise they're wonderful toasted and bring out great flavor! You can also omit the pecans if need be or swap out with walnuts.
Sour Cream: I recommend using full-fat sour cream. Light sour cream may work but I do not recommend using fat free. The only substitution I can recommend is using full-fat greek yogurt if you don't have sour cream.

Nutrition