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Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake is a delicious buttery cake that is filled with made with a flavorful cinnamon mixture and topped with buttery and cinnamon streusel topping.  Made from scratch to create a fluffy and moist cake.

My family calls this the best-ever sour cream coffee cake and requests it often! It's a great cake to serve for breakfast, brunch, and even dessert!

A plate of sliced sour cream coffee cake with drizzled icing.

Why Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake

A lot of the coffee cakes that I've eaten homemade or store-bought have really disappointed me.  I'm always looking for a very flavorful taste without an overpowering amount of cinnamon that ends up making the cake dry.

I always add sour cream to my cakes and I'm so glad that I added it to this one!  It really helped make this cake super moist and the number of spices I put in this sour cream coffee cake is well-balanced and super flavorful!

Sliced coffee cake with drizzle on a white plate with blackberries, strawberries and mandarin oranges.

How to Convert Cake Pans

For this cake, I used my 11" x 15" inch baking pan.  The approximate baking time to make the coffee cake in this pan is about 45 minutes give or take.  Using this pan easily gets you 30 slices of coffee cake.

It's always best to check progress using a toothpick entered into the center of the cake.

You can always use a 9" x 13" inch baking pan for this coffee cake as well.  The bake time using this pan will go about by about 10 minutes give or take. 

By using this pan, it will result in fewer slices but they will be thicker slices.

TIP: Use parchment paper to line the baking pan.  It will allow the coffee cake to come out of the baking pan a lot easier and prevents any sticking!

A slice of sour cream coffee cake with icing being drizzled on it.

Related:  Vanilla Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Cupcakes

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Ingredients

  • Unsalted Butter
  • Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Baking Powder & Salt
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Sour Cream
  • Milk
  • All-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • Cinnamon
  • Confectioner's Sugar
  • Cocoa Powder
Close up of slices of coffee cake stacked with drizzle.

How To Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

Making coffee cake is very easy and the addition of sour cream makes the cake more moist and fluffy. 

I prefer sour cream coffee cake because of its moistness and richness in flavor.

It's perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee or even orange juice and it's delicious enough for dessert.

Using room temperature ingredients in this recipe helps avoid overbeating the ingredients which will result in a dry and dense cake.  Beating until combined is a great way to achieve a soft and fluffy cake.

Preheat the oven- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a baking pan lightly with baking spray or use parchment paper to line the baking pan if desired.

Prepare the wet ingredients- The first thing to do when making this coffee cake is to beat the softened unsalted butter with granulated and brown sugars.

The eggs and vanilla extract are added next and beaten until combined.

Combine the dry ingredients- The baking powder and salt are then added to the flour. 

Make the cake batter- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the ingredients are incorporated.

Assemble the cake for baking- Add half of the batter to the prepared baking pan.

Make the cinnamon filling- Prepare the filling by mixing the cocoa powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour.  Add the cinnamon filling in an even layer on top of the cake batter in the pan.

A top view of sliced and stacked sour cream coffee cake.

RELATED: Apple Crumb Coffee Cake

Add the remaining cake batter- The remaining cake batter is then added and evenly spread on top of the cinnamon filling.

Make the crumble topping- Add the melted butter to the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and flour and mix until the mixture is crumbly.

TIP: I use a fork to make it crumbly before sprinkling it evenly on top of the cake batter.

Bake- Depending on the pan size, it is baked in the oven for between 45 minutes to an hour.

A 9x13 cake pan will take roughly 45 minutes and an 11x15 cake pan will take roughly 55 minutes.  Check with a toothpick in the center of the cake to ensure that is done.

Allow the sour cream coffee cake to cool completely before drizzling the glaze.  If you drizzle it on beforehand it will sink down into the cake.

RELATED:  Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake

Sour cream coffee cake cut into squares.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 30 slices

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

sour cream coffee cake

Sour Cream Coffee Cake is a delicious buttery cake made with a flavorful cinnamon filling and topped with buttery and cinnamon crumb topping.  Made from scratch to create a fluffy and moist cake perfect for breakfast or brunch.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Sour Cream Coffee Cake

  • 1 cup butter, unsalted, softened
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, room temp
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 1 ¼ cup milk
  • 3 ¾ cup flour

Cinnamon Filling

Crumble Topping

  • 6 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup flour

Drizzle Topping

Instructions

Coffee Cake Mix

  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Prepare baking pan by lightly greasing sides and bottom.  Use parchment paper if you would like.  
  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar. 
  4. Add in room temp eggs one at a time.
  5. Mix in salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, and sour cream.
  6. Stir in milk and add flour gradually.
  7. After mixed, set aside.

Cinnamon Filling

  1. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.
  2. Stir well and mix in the 1 cup of flour.  Make sure to blend well.

Crumble Topping

  1. Melt 6 tablespoon of butter.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and flour.
  3. Mix well and add in melted butter. Mix well. Set aside.

Assembling the Coffee Cake

  1. Pour half of the cake mix into the cake pan. 
  2. Pour the cinnamon filling evenly over top of the coffee cake mix.  You can the back of a spoon to carefully spread the filling.
  3. Pour the remaining amount of coffee cake mix over the filling.
  4. Take the prepared crumble topping and sprinkle it over the coffee cake batter.  Make sure to spread it evenly across the top.
  5. Bake for about 40-45 minutes for an 11x15 pan and about 50-55 minutes for a 9x13 pan. 
  6. Check the center of the cake with a toothpick to check for doneness.
  7. Remove cake from oven and let cool completely.
  8. Make sure the cake is cool completely before adding the drizzle topping.  If the cake is warm then the drizzle with melt into the cake.  
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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 297Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 4g

Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.

Did you make this recipe?

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Sam

Sunday 2nd of April 2023

Can this be frozen? Does it come out as moist on the reheat?

Linda

Saturday 12th of November 2022

Question for you. In the directions you have baking a 9x13 for 50-55 minutes, but above the recipe you have 45 minutes. I will start checking it at 45 minutes. Thank you

Naiby

Sunday 7th of February 2021

You're right. It looks so fluffy and moist just by looking at your photos. The flavors sound wonderful.

Heidy

Sunday 7th of February 2021

This really was outstanding! I made it for a work brunch meeting, and it flew off the table. I had several requests for the recipe, so I passed on your link. Have a great weekend.

Natalie

Friday 5th of February 2021

Wow, this coffee cake looks fabulous. I love that crumb and all the flavors. I must give your recipe a try this weekend. Can’t wait.

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