Breakfast

Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake

This cinnamon coffee cake is kept moist by adding sour cream and lots of butter. A crunchy brown sugar topping and moist cake is fantastic for brunch!

To recipe
cinnamon coffee cake on a plate
Recipe insights & TIPS

Wake up to a slice of this extra buttery and moist sour cream cinnamon coffee cake! Topped with a brown sugar and pecan streusel, this is my favorite coffee cake ever!

cinnamon coffee cake on a plate

I have a lot of coffee cake recipes on the blog and every one of them tastes great. This simple apple coffee cake tastes like fall or what about an espresso laced coffee cake with chocolate chunks? But this cinnamon coffee cake is by far the best. If you're wondering why, two of the ingredients might give it away. It uses one and a half sticks of butter and almost a full cup of sour cream. That's the reason this is the most moist coffee cake you might ever taste!

If you're lucky enough to have any left after a few days, it'll still be like the first day it was baked and not dry and crumbly like other coffee cakes you might find.

Ingredients you'll need for this cinnamon coffee cake

  • Flour, all purpose is perfect.
  • Baking powder, a pantry staple
  • Baking soda.
  • Butter, I prefer unsalted and it must be at room temperature.
  • 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk.
  • Sour cream
  • Vanilla, extract is fine.
  • Brown sugar, light.
  • Pecans, chopped.
  • Cinnamon
cinnamon coffee cake on a cake stand

Tips for making perfect cinnamon coffee cake

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you begin mixing.

Use a hand held mixer or a stand mixer to get maximum volume in the cake batter for a lighter coffee cake.

As with the majority of baking projects, always make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl at least twice during mixing.

I've made this cinnamon coffee cake in a 9 inch round cake pan as well as a 9 x 13 pan and now this 10 inch tube pan. The bake times will change slightly depending on which one you use.

How to make sure your coffee cake is fully baked

The last thing you want to happen is to take the cake out of the oven early and watch it sink because it wasn't baked long enough. I like to gently press down on the top of the coffee cake with my finger and if the cake springs back and desn't leave a dent, then it should be done.

Let the coffee cake cool before slicing it. The smell it creates when it's baking might make this difficult but it'll cut much better after it has cooled.

cinnamon coffee cake on a plate

Storing leftover coffee cake

To prevent the coffee cake drying out prematurely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or in a sealed container and let it sit on your counter top. No refrigeration is required. You can freeze it for up to two months.

A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Recipe

This is the best coffee cake you'll ever taste! It's packed with butter and cinnamon and makes the perfect breakfast!

Course:
Breakfast
COOKing TIME:
55 minutes
Total TIME:
75 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
20 minutes
SERVINGS:
12

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 10 inch tube pan.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.
  3. Mix together the ingredients for the streusel and set aside.
  4. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Add the vanilla and the eggs and mix well. Scrape down after two minutes and mix until well incorporated.
  6. Add half of the sour cream and half of the flour. Mix and then add the rest of the sour cream and flour. Mix well.
  7. Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle half of the streusel on top.
  8. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan and spread out evenly. Top with more of the streusel and place in the oven.
  9. Check the cake after 50 minutes and using a toothpick, look for it to come out of the cake clean with no crumbs or wetness or press gently on top. If it springs back the cake should be ready.
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

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