This is my FAVORITE recipe for Sour Cream Coffee Cake! My main complaint with Coffee Cake is that there is usually too much cake, not enough streusel. This recipe gives you the max amount of streusel without ruining the light fluffiness of the cake! A vanilla drizzle finishes it off for the perfect cake-for-breakfast situation. Originally posted October 12, 2019.
Table of Contents
- The Best Coffee Cake
- A Day in the Inbox of a Food Blogger
- Funny comments on particular recipes:
- Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- Why is it called coffee cake?
- Streusel Coffee Cake ingredients
- Best Coffee Cake variations
- How to make Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Streusel makes the Best Coffee Cake
- Best Coffee Cake variations
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe FAQs
- How to store Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
- More cake for breakfast recipes you are going to love!
- Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe Recipe
The Best Coffee Cake
Happy birthday to meeee! It’s not actually my birthday, it’s The Food Charlatan’s birthday! Eight years ago I published my first recipe here on this little blog. I called it “The Food Charlatan” because I didn’t know how to cook really at all.
Now here we are 8 years later and I’ve conned you all into thinking that I know what I’m doing. Mwahahaha! Don’t get me wrong, I am much more comfortable in the kitchen than I was 8 years ago, and I never publish a recipe on this blog that I don’t have complete confidence in. (You can trust today’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake, for example. It’s legiiiiit.)
But I still have a lot to learn! It’s so fun sharing my food journey with all of you guys. Seriously, I’m so glad you’re here! Blogging would be boring without you!
To celebrate 8 years blogging, I thought I would share a random sample of emails/comments that I get from readers on a regular basis. These are the fun ones. Reader comments are in italics.
A Day in the Inbox of a Food Blogger
Dear Karen,
I’m sure your a good person, with a kind heart, are you aware that a charlatan is in essence a con man, a ripoff and other unfriendly things?
(You would not believe how many people inform me about my own blog name. I think it’s hilarious.)
Some people are so kind:
Do you have your own cookbook for sale? I would certainly buy it.
I don’t have a cookbook yet, but I hope I will someday! They are a ton of work and I don’t want to miss my kids growing up. Someday when they are older I’ll do it. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I write a cookbook. Probably you will be sick of hearing about it by the time I’m through!
I tried to use your website, but it’s just so busy, with so many videos and ads loading constantly I just could not.
Ah, the frustration with ads. I get it, they are annoying. It makes me sad that some people think all I care about is the bottom line. One guy even told me once that he was sure I was only making a few cents on those ads, so I should take them off.
I make a full time income from this blog. It feeds my family. It’s also a butt-ton of work. I’m providing well-researched recipes to serve my readers. You don’t have to pay to access these recipes (remember when you had to, like, PAY to buy cookbooks??), but you do have to put up with the ads so that I can keep the content coming!
More really nice people:
You sound like a lovely lady of faith and that is a big draw for me. I’m a grandma of deep faith and I love that young ladies are not ashamed to announce that they are as well.
I get emails about my religion on a regular basis, and I love it! I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I believe that Jesus is my Savior and that we have a living prophet on the earth today. It’s awesome. If you have any questions, I’d love to talk to you about it. Message me on Instagram!
Funny comments on particular recipes:
These Homemade Pretzel Hot Dogs from The Food Charlatan take me back to my mall-rat days, when I’d blow my allowance on the sales racks at Contempo Casuals and 5-7-9. (Coincidentally, treats like these are also detrimental to me returning to the 5, 7, OR 9.)
About this Cheesy Overnight Bacon and Egg Breakfast Casserole): I picked your recipe because your name made me laugh!
(I love you! I love you!)
A comment in response to Soft and Sticky Caramel Pecan Rolls, where I announced that I was pregnant and explained that morning sickness kept me from posting new recipes for several months. (Apparently some people thought they were having computer issues):
I’m so happy for you and your family Karen! And most thankful you are no longer having the horrors of morning..noon…and night sickness! I, too, was one of those ignorant folk that could not figure out why I was no longer getting your posts…giving hubby a bad rap (thought he deleted some of my “good stuff”) I will apologize to him when I finish here.)
About my Brown Sugar Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting:
Dear Karen,
I still love you, but if I were to eat that cake with all those carbs, I might die in a week.
I feel you. Sometimes death by cake is worth it though.
Probably my favorite email of all time though was when someone told me that my blog posts were too long. I needed to shorten them up and stop telling dumb stories about my kids because there’s not enough space “on the cloud” for all this content. I swear. I died laughing!
For every annoyed person who messages to inform me that they don’t care about my stories/my kids/”just give me the recipes already,” I get three messages like this:
I have been receiving your emails/blog for a while now and I just wanted to contact you and tell you how much I enjoy it! I love your recipes (I’ve made so, so many and always pass them on to friends), but I also love reading about you and your family! Your blog makes me laugh and I find it so relatable! I am also a stay at home Mom. Your stories remind me of when my kids were younger, and always have me in stitches. As soon as I see an email from you, I get so excited to read what’s been going on in your life – you’ve always got the best stories! Your sense of humour is amazing and I think that’s what keeps Moms going – a great sense of humour!
Thank you, thank you, to all of you who support me in my storytelling. I get that sometimes you just want to get to the recipe, and that’s totally fine, that’s what scrolling is for. But telling stories is the real reason I’ve stuck with this blog for so long, and hearing from my real readers (not just those passing through) that they still want that content is such a motivator for me. Like you, if you got to the bottom of this, you’re a real reader :) Thanks for taking the time! I love you.
Here are links to all my anniversary (ish) posts, if you want to take a walk down memory lane!
(2011) The first blog post on The Food Charlatan: Pumpkin Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
(2012) The Food Charlatan 1st Anniversary: Cake Mix Coffee Cake
(2013) The Food Charlatan 2nd Anniversary: Pumpkin Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies (I did a reshoot of my first recipe)
(2014) The Food Charlatan 3rd Anniversary: The Food Charlatan’s New Blog Design
(2015) The Food Charlatan 4th Anniversary: The Best Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Had
(2016) The Food Charlatan 5th Anniversary: Death by Chocolate Bundt Cake
(2017) The Food Charlatan 6th Anniversary: Upside Down Almond Crunch Cupcakes
(2018) The Food Charlatan 7th Anniversary: Ginger Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
You guys this Sour Cream Coffee Cake is INSANE. I love it so much! I worked on this recipe for a while and had quite a few failure cakes before I landed on this version. (See?? #charlatan)
Why is it called coffee cake?
Coffee cake has no coffee in it, it’s a basic yellow cake with layers of cinnamon sugar streusel meant to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee. Or with a glass of milk, if you’re like me!
I don’t want a yellow cake with some streusel on top. Basically I want some cake with my streusel, not the other way around. I mean, right? Am I the only one who is obsessed with crumbly streusel? It’s SO GOOD. I did the same thing for this Apple Crisp With a Ridiculous Amount of Streusel. It was a lot easier to increase the streusel on that recipe because apples don’t need to rise. It took me a few tries to get the right ratio of cake to streusel, so that the streusel stayed on top and didn’t just sink into a sad, dense cake.
But I finally got it! Here’s how this sour cream coffee cake is going down:
Streusel Coffee Cake ingredients
The good news is that all the ingredients are pretty much kitchen staples, so as long as you have sour cream, you might be good to go without even a trip to the store.
For the streusel:
- All purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt. If you’ll be using table salt in a recipe that calls for kosher salt, always remember to go easy. For this recipe, use ¾ teaspoon table salt in place of 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Cinnamon
- Butter
For the cake:
- All purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt. For this recipe, use 1/2 teaspoon of table salt in place of ¾ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Butter.
- Sour cream
- Large eggs
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
For the icing:
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- Milk
- Powdered sugar
Best Coffee Cake variations
What can replace sour cream in a cake recipe?
If you’re out of sour cream, feel free to swap it for buttermilk. But who are we kidding? No one who’s out of sour cream happens to have buttermilk on hand. So what I really mean is that you can replace the sour cream with a homemade buttermilk substitution. Add about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar into your 1 and ½ cup measuring cup, and then fill to the top with whole milk. Stir and wait five minutes. Boom, you’re good to go!
BUT, disclaimer here, cheater buttermilk is not as rich and thick as real buttermilk, and it’s WAY less rich than sour cream. So your cake isn’t going to be quite as amazing if you cheat. Surprise surprise, right.
How to make Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Here are the basics, plus things to watch out for. Plus photos! All instructions are in the recipe below as well.
- First make your ridiculous amount of streusel. It’s got a full cup of butter in it. This is not an apology. It’s cake, you guys. Embrace it! Use melted butter. I tried a few versions with cold butter cut in with a pastry cutter, and trust me, for this recipe, melted butter works best to get the crumbliest streusel! Half of my streusel is drying out on a pan while I wait to add it to the top of the cake, more on that below.
- For the cake batter, make separate mixtures of dry and wet ingredients. (see photo below)
- Beat the dry ingredients into the butter, then add the wet ingredients in increments.
- Spread alternating layers of batter and streusel in the prepared cake pan, breaking up any too-large pieces with your hands. Do NOT add all the remaining streusel! You’ll be setting aside some streusel on a pan to dry out and add halfway through the bake time. See recipe.
- Bake it up. Don’t forget to add the remaining streusel halfway!
- Finally, drizzle the whole thing with buttery vanilla icing that takes 2 seconds to whip up.
(The photo on the left is after the butter is mixed into the dry ingredients. Photo on the right is the final batter. It’s okay if your finished batter has a few lumps in it, but overall it should be light and fluffy.)
Streusel makes the Best Coffee Cake
We are adding 2 layers of streusel in between cake batter layers. This means you really do get streusel in every single bite, not just a layer in the middle and on top. I really should have just called this Streusel Cake.
Best Coffee Cake variations
I love this coffee cake just the way it is, but don’t be afraid to make it the way you like it! Here are some ideas to inspire you.
- Make the glaze maple instead of vanilla with a little maple extract.
- Skip the icing entirely if you’re not into cake for breakfast.
- Add a cup of chocolate, white chocolate, or cinnamon chips.
- Sprinkle a cup of sliced almonds on top of the cake before baking.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of cardamom to the streusel for a Swedish twist!
- No sour cream? Substitute plain or vanilla yogurt.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe FAQs
Your streusel is going to sink if you don’t have enough leavener in your cake (baking powder, etc). That’s no problem in this cake, it has plenty. The only other thing to worry about is your streusel just being too heavy, so we are adding it in layers.
You don’t want all of your streusel mixed into the cake batter. You want a nice crumbly topping and layers in between. So be sure to gently add the top layer of streusel and then put it directly into the oven without disturbing the pan much. We are also adding an EXTRA layer of streusel on top halfway through the bake time, to allow our cake to rise properly. GIMME ALL THE STREUSEL. If you add it all at the beginning it won’t rise well because of the weight of the streusel.
Sour cream provides moisture and fat for your cake, two things you absolutely need to make sure your cake isn’t dry! We are using a full cup and a half of sour cream for this coffee cake! It makes for a very moist and slightly tangy cake.
The sour cream adds a delightful tang to your cake, but it’s not overwhelming. I add sour cream to literally every cake I make (yes, really). It provides incredible moisture without taking over the flavor of whatever kind of cake you are making. Trust me on this one, sour cream is an amazing ingredient in cake! A person who didn’t know it was an ingredient wouldn’t be able to tell.
Streusel is just another name for crumb topping and anyone who says otherwise is adding some super strict definitions to streusel, ha! Maybe it’s a regional thing. I read an article recently that said crumb topping is the “street name” for streusel, lol.
But for this coffee cake, the difference between a crumb topping and streusel is that we’re going to be lacing that streusel all throughout the cake. Not saving it just for the top! And not just one layer, oh no.
How to store Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Can this Sour Cream Coffee Cake be made ahead?
The great thing about coffee cake is that it’s delicious right out of the oven but also saves well. To make this ahead, bake as directed. Make the frosting but don’t drizzle it yet. Once the cake has cooled, cover and store the cake and frosting separately. Both can be stored at room temperature.
And don’t forget to heat before you serve! (Fine, maybe you like cold coffee cake, but maybe you like eating dirt, too. I’m not responsible for that.) Put the whole cake in the oven on the warm setting (170 F) until the cake feels warm throughout, should take 20 minutes at least. Drizzle the room-temperature frosting over it.
To reheat, just zap individual portions in the microwave for 15-25 seconds.
Does Sour Cream Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake freeze well?
Yes please! A tasty treat for later! To freeze coffee cake, seal it very well. A lot of cake pans have a lid that isn’t a true seal. Consider wrapping the whole pan in plastic wrap or putting the cake by large slices into a ziplock freezer bag. To reheat, microwave works fine for individual portions or you can heat in an oven at a low temperature.
You are going to be everyone’s favorite person when you make this Sour Cream Coffee Cake! Seriously all this streusel is life changing. It would be perfect to make on Christmas morning! Or basically anytime you want to impress!
More cake for breakfast recipes you are going to love!
- Maple Butter Twist Coffee Cake << this is from my BFF’s mom, Anne. An amazing baker! This cake is so good.
- The FLUFFIEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls of Your Life << For real. We just made these again for general conference weekend. So good!
- Soft and Sticky Caramel Pecan Rolls << make these for Christmas breakfast. Everyone will love you!
- Easy Pumpkin Pie Cake << this is a doctored cake mix but with Pumpkin in the middle. It’s SO good!
- Cake Mix Coffee Cake << from my famous Aunt Shirley! She is a wonderful baker! We had this all the time growing up.
- Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole << this is another great special breakfast that my family loves!
- Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole << Blueberries forever!!
- Apple Crisp, with a Ridiculous Amount of Streusel << for all you streusel fanatics out there like me
- Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake from Shugary Sweets
- Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake from Oh Sweet Basil
- Cinnamon Cake Roll from Wine and Glue
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Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the streusel
- 3 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup butter, 2 sticks, melted
For the cake
- 2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup butter, 1 and 1/2 sticks, softened but still cool
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the icing
- 1/4 cup butter, half stick, very soft
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup milk, more to taste
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch cake pan* with nonstick spray or rub with butter.
- Make the streusel: In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
- Melt 1 cup butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Pour into the larger bowl and stir the butter into the flour. You should end up with a bowl of what looks like wet sand, with lots of big chunks. Don’t try to smooth it out. See photo.
- For the cake: In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together 2 and 1/4 cups flour, 1 and 1/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
- Chop 3/4 cup softened butter into chunks. You want the butter to sit out of the fridge for several minutes to that it’s not rock-hard, but don’t let it soften so much that it’s completely creamy.
- Add the chopped butter and 1/2 cup sour cream to the flour mixture. Use the paddle attachment (or electic beaters) to blend the butter in. Eventually the butter will moisten the flour and it will all come together in a ball. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Don’t over mix, just beat until all the butter is incorporated.
- In another large bowl, whisk together 4 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Beat well until the eggs are well blended.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in 3 additions, beating for about 20 seconds after each one. Once all the egg mixture is added, beat for another 1 minute until the batter is light and fluffy.
- Spread 2 cups of batter into the bottom of your prepared cake pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of streusel evenly over the top, breaking up any too-large pieces with your hands.
- Spread another 2 cups batter on top and spread it around as best you can.
- Add another 1 cup streusel on top.
- Add the rest of the batter and spread evenly.
- Evenly spread another 2 cups of streusel on top of the cake. Do NOT add all the remaining streusel! There will be some left over. Spread the remaining streusel on a baking sheet to dry out a little bit.
- Bake the cake at 350 for 25 minutes.
- Do this next part fast. Remove the cake from the oven and shut the oven door. Use your hands to sprinkle all the remaining streusel on top of the cake, focusing on any areas where the cake batter has puffed up from the center. Move quickly! Get the cake back in the oven as soon as you can, and keep the oven door shut as much as possible.
- Bake for another 20-25 minutes.* The total bake time for the cake should be about 45-50 minutes, depending on your oven and whether you use a glass or metal pan. Test the cake with a toothpick. It is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter on it. The cake should not wobble around at all when you shake the pan.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 15-20 minutes for cutting into it.
- Make the icing: In a medium bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter until smooth. (I actually did it by hand with a whisk. You can do this if your butter is ultra soft.)
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup milk, and 2 cups powdered sugar. Beat with a mixer or by hand until very smooth.
- Drizzle the icing over the cake. You can either drizzle it over the whole cake or drizzle each individual serving. I like to drizzle about half the icing over the whole cake, and then save the rest of drizzling over each serving.
- The cake is best served warm! Zap individual servings in the microwave for 10-20 seconds if you are serving after the cake has cooled.
- This cake will keep well covered on the counter for 2-3 days. After that, put it in the fridge.
CRAP! my batter curtled…. why!!!! It happened when I added the butter and sour cream… the butter was fresh + sour cream was room temperature. I’m so confused.
Hi Paula! I’m wondering what could have happened too…I think there’s a possibility that your batter didn’t really curdle, but just had a curd-like appearance when the butter and sour cream were added. If your butter was still relatively cool, it probably just didn’t fully blend into the other ingredients. And that’s totally ok! The batter isn’t curdled. Next time, I recommend just letting the butter soften a little longer. It’s kind of a balance between too cold, straight from the fridge, and too warm, totally softened at room temperature.
Any recommendations for back time if you halve the recipe and bake in a 8×8 glass pan?
Hi Maddie! Yes, if you halve the recipe and bake it in an 8×8 pan, you probably won’t be reducing the time very much. I’d begin by baking the cake for 25 minutes, adding the streusel as described, and then letting the cake continue to bake. Start checking after an additional 15 minutes (instead of 20-25). Enjoy!
I made this for my Bible study. It was a huge hit! Some of the ladies asked for the recipe. Although it was labor intensive I feel the results were worth it. My 9 X 13 dish was filled to the top and there was a lot of icing. I cut salt in half on icing and I still tasted salt in the finished product. I only had course Kosher salt so that may be why I tasted salt but it was not overwhelming.
So glad this was a hit at your Bible study Sandra! Coarse Kosher salt could definitely change the level of saltiness in the icing; if you’re able to use fine Kosher salt next time it will combine with the other ingredients better and won’t give you a salty taste. Thanks for coming and telling us how your coffee cake turned out!
OMG!!! Can you say LOVE? Awesome, AWESOME! I am not a professional, just a simple home baker known by family and friends for my cakes. Each time I make a different kind of cake, it always seems to be liked more than the previous one. This cake absolutely —Takes The Cake— pardon the pun. It is so rich, moist, and flavorful. The only drawback (not with the recipe) was that I had greased a 10-inch tube pan before locating this recipe and in my laziness opted not to use a 9·13-inch pan as the recipe called for. I made the cake but discovered, upon completion, that there was quite a bit of the streusel leftover (which has been frozen for later use). However, though, this took absolutely nothing away from the rich and bountifulness of it. It still came out to be the tastiest I’ve ever baked, and I have been doing this for over 50 years. I always thought coffee cake was something mundane. But, I believe this recipe would be one of the most awe-inspiring found in any high-end bakery. The next time I wish to highlight my baking skills or give a sumptuous food gift, this cake will definitely be the shining star. Oh, and the glaze… that was absolutely TDF. Some of this was leftover as well, enough, in fact, to drizzle extra on every slice. I can hardly wait to try making another one of your lavish cakes.
I’m so happy to hear you loved the cake Joan! I was in the same boat as you, thought coffee cake was ho hum for years. turns out we just needed more streusel 😂😂 Thanks so much for chiming in, i love hearing from you!
Came to try this from pancake princess’s review. My cake had thin gummy band running through. It’s possible I may have over mixed. Can you update your recipe to add more clarity on the speed needed for “beating” at the various points? I know mixers differ. But at least low, high, medium if not numbers on a mixer.
Hi there! So sorry to hear that part of your coffee cake was gummy. The speed of the mixer (or over-mixing) isn’t the problem here – it’s how long the cake is baked. Whether you mix the batter at a lower, medium, or high speed isn’t as important as following the instructions for making sure that ingredients are well blended or just incorporated – it might take more or less time, depending on mixer speed, but none of that will cause gumminess. When the cake is done, it will pass the toothpick test and won’t wobble at all. It might take longer than you think depending on whether you’re using a glass or metal pan and how hot your oven is. I hope your next coffee cake turns out perfectly!
I was so disappointed in this recipe. It seemed to take forever to make and I followed it to the exact measurements. When putting it together I only had enough batter for the bottom and about 1 1/2 cup left for the second layer. Instead of baking it that way I had a boxed pound cake and made that up to cover the second layer. Had a lot of topping. We will see how it turns out. Not sure why this didn’t work out.
Hi Karla! You added a whole other cake to the recipe?? I’m not surprised it didn’t work out! Next time add less batter on the first layer and you will have enough!
I”ve been looking for a new coffee cake recipe and hoped this might be it. Mine did not turn out well and I”m an experienced baker. There was not enough batter for three layers. Your photo seems to only show two layers rather than three. Followed directions to the letter and did not over bake (I have oven thermometer) but cake was very thin and dry. Ended up throwing most of it away. I”ll keep looking.
Well, mine didn’t turn out as expected although I followed directions. All of my streusel settled to the bottom during baking. So I have cake on top and streusel on the bottom. That being said, the coffee cake was still delicious.
Love this coffee cake! Oh so buttery! I’ve made it 3 times to take to events and everyone loves it. I’ve made it exactly per instructions with no problems.
I think the comments about the 3rd layer of batter is just a misunderstanding. The 3rd layer of batter isn’t the same size as the first 2. It’s just to cover some of the streusel. Just go with it!