Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This sour cream coffee cake is really delicious! It's fluffy with a sweet cinnamon sugar streusel in every bite you take. This cake is super soft thanks to the sour cream.

This coffee cake is one of my favourites. It is a classic that I keep coming back to no matter what time of the year.

The cake has a cinnamon sugar filling and is topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel. The hint of cinnamon flavours mixed with the warm spices and fluffy cake is out of this world.

For more coffee cake recipes, try Applesauce Coffee Cake, Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins, and Brown Butter Coffee Cake.

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients Notes
• Step by step instructions
• Expert Baking Tips
• FAQ
• Check out these recipes
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Why this recipe works

Fluffy simple cake - This is a soft and fluffy coffee cake. It is so good!

Cinnamon filling - A layer of cinnamon and brown sugar is sprinkled in the middle adding even more flavour.

Brown sugar streusel - Full of buttery sugar goodness, this 5 ingredient crumble crisps up while baking and adds the perfect crunch.

Ingredients Notes

Scroll to view a few ingredients notes. Full recipe and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

• Baking soda & baking powder - Make sure it isn't expired!
• Cinnamon - An essential spice in this cake!
• Cornstarch – This helps add a tender crumb to the cake.
• Eggs – Remove two hours before baking.
• Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe and it cannot be substituted for any other type of flour. 
• Sour Cream - Make sure it's at room temperature and it is full-fat sour cream. This is a main ingredient in this recipe.
• Vanilla – Using a good quality vanilla is important to enhance the flavours.

Step by step instructions

Here is how to make and bake this Sour Cream Coffee Cake. You will need an 9×9 square pan lined with parchment paper, three mixing bowls, a spatula, and a whisk.

Step 1 – Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line and grease a 9×9 inch square pan. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. This will be the filling.

Step 2 – Make the streusel. In a medium sized bowl, add flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter. Using a fork or your hands, mix this until combined. Then add 1 tbsp of extra flour on top and using your hands, crumble the streusel into smaller and larger pieces. You may need 1 more tbsp of flour. Set aside in the fridge when done.

Step 3 – Mix dry ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Mix together and set aside.

Step 4 – Whisk wet ingredients. In a large bowl, add oil, butter, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk together until well combined and smooth. Then mix in the white sugar.

Step 5 – Add in dry ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and using a spatula, gently fold to create a soft cake batter.

Step 6 – Layer. Add half of the batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly. Then sprinkle all of the cinnamon sugar topping, and about 4-5 tbsp of the streusel. Add the remaining half of your batter evenly, and then the rest of your streusel on top. I recommend dolloping the batter using a cookie scooper. This helps to evenly distribute the batter without disturbing the filling layer!

Step 7 – Bake. Bake the cake for 35-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. Mine took 45 minutes. If it is wet, then the cake hasn’t fully baked yet so continue to bake at 5 minute intervals. Allow it to cool completely.

Expert Baking Tips

Here are a few expert baking tips from my kitchen to yours

• Make sure all of your wet ingredients are at room temperature. It’s important or else the ingredients won’t work the way we want them too together.
• The type of sour cream you use matters. Make sure it is full fat.
• For the streusel: Make sure the butter is softened. If you make it with melted butter, the streusel will not turn out.

FAQ

Why isn’t there any coffee in this cake?

Coffee cake actually doesn’t have any coffee in it! It’s meant to be paired with a cup of coffee.

Why is there sour cream in this cake and can I taste it?

You cannot taste it at all. Using sour cream in cakes creates a superrrr soft and tender cake. It is what fluffy dreams are made of. If you don’t have any sour cream on hand, use full fat plain yogurt instead.

Can I use bananas instead of sour cream?

Check out Banana Sour Cream Coffee Cake.

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