Sour cream coffee cake is a 9-by-13-inch cake with a cinnamon streusel layer inside and another layer of crumbs on top. Despite the name, there is no coffee in the ingredients. It is a cake to serve with coffee, built from a butter-and-sour-cream batter and a separate flour-based crumb mixture.
Read the two ingredient groups before measuring. Both use flour, sugar, salt, and butter, but they are separate components rather than accidental duplicates. The butter for the streusel is melted; the butter for the cake is softened. Mixing those jobs changes the consistency needed for layering.
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Why This Recipe Works
Sour cream supplies moisture to the batter, and creaming softened butter with sugar helps introduce air. The streusel uses melted butter to bind flour, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon into crumbs. Sour cream coffee cake gets its internal cinnamon layer from half of that mixture, not from adding cinnamon directly to the batter.
The top layer has more exposure to oven heat than the middle. Checking the cake’s center prevents a browned topping from hiding uncooked batter underneath. The desired tester result is a few crumbs without wet streaks.
Ingredients for Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe with Cinnamon
Use the full quantities in each labeled group. There are 2 1/2 cups flour in the streusel and another 2 1/2 cups in the batter. Similarly, the streusel has both brown and granulated sugar, while the cake’s own sugar is measured separately.
For sour cream coffee cake, softened salted butter belongs in the creaming bowl and melted salted butter belongs in the crumb bowl. Full-fat sour cream is the straightforward choice. The four eggs are added one at a time so each can blend before the next.
For the streusel
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.25 cups brown sugar
- 0.5 cups granulated sugar
- 0.5 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup salted butter, melted
For the cake batter
- 0.75 cups salted butter, softened
- 1.25 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoons salt
How to Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe with Cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Whisk the streusel’s flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon together, then stir in its melted butter until clumps form. Set that bowl aside rather than adding it to the cake batter.
Beat the softened butter with the batter’s granulated sugar until creamy and lighter, about 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs separately, scraping the sides between additions. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Combine the batter flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt separately, then mix them in just until no dry areas remain.
Spread half the thick batter over the pan bottom. Add half the crumbs, then place small dollops of the remaining batter across the middle layer. Gently join the dollops with a spatula instead of dragging one large spoonful through the crumbs. Sour cream coffee cake does not need a perfectly smooth second layer; it needs an even distribution.
Scatter all remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50–55 minutes and test the central cake portion with a skewer. If the topping darkens before the center is done, tent it loosely with foil and continue checking. Let the pan rest on a rack before slicing so the crumb layers are easier to cut.
How to Serve
Serve sour cream coffee cake slightly warm or at room temperature, divided into 12 portions. Plain coffee or tea works well alongside the cinnamon crumbs. No glaze is required by this recipe, and the cake can be served directly from its rectangular pan.
Storage
Cover cooled sour cream coffee cake and keep it at room temperature for up to three days. Let it cool before sealing so trapped steam does not soften the topping. Wrap individual portions before freezing, then thaw them covered before serving.
Preparation reference: House of Nash Eats, Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Follow FDA raw-flour guidance.
Tips and Variations
Keep a light hand when spreading the second batter layer. A few gaps are less troublesome than mixing the entire cinnamon layer into the batter. Breaking very large streusel clumps makes the topping easier to distribute across the pan.
Avoid adding extra flour just because the sour cream coffee cake batter looks thick. That thickness is part of the layering method. Use the tester and center texture rather than relying on a darker top to decide when baking is finished.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does sour cream coffee cake contain coffee?
No. The name describes a cake commonly served with coffee. Cinnamon flavors the streusel in this recipe.
Why does flour appear twice?
One amount goes into the streusel and the other into the batter. Measure them into separate bowls.
Can I use melted butter in the batter?
Use softened butter for the creaming step. Melted butter is reserved for binding the streusel crumbs.
How do I spread the upper batter layer?
Place small dollops over the crumbs and gently connect them. Pulling one large scoop across the pan can disturb the middle layer.
What if the topping browns too quickly?
Cover the pan loosely with foil and keep testing the middle. Remove it once the tester shows crumbs without wet batter.
More Recipes to Try
- Air Fryer Mug Coffee Cake
- One Bowl Banana Bread with Melted Butter
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Vintage Buttermilk Vanilla Cake
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe with Cinnamon
Ingredients
For the streusel
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.25 cups brown sugar
- 0.5 cups granulated sugar
- 0.5 teaspoons salt
- 1.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup salted butter, melted
For the cake batter
- 0.75 cups salted butter, softened
- 1.25 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Grease a rectangular 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set the oven to 350°F. Combine cinnamon with the streusel sugars, salt, and flour, then use the melted butter to bind the crumbs.
- Beat the softened cake butter and sugar until airy, about 2–3 minutes. Add each egg separately, followed by vanilla and sour cream. Combine the remaining flour and leaveners with salt, then fold that dry mixture into the batter without prolonged beating.
- Spread half the batter in the pan and cover with half the streusel. Dollop the remaining batter across it and gently connect; scatter the rest of the crumbs on top.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, until a tester in the center shows no wet batter. Tent with foil if the topping colors before the middle sets.
- Rest the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes before cutting into 12 portions. Allow longer cooling before covering for storage.
