Sour Cream Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
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.
Sour Cream Streusel Homemade 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
Sour Cream 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:
Homemade 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
How to Make the Best 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.)
What does sour cream do to cake?
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.
Can you taste sour cream in 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.
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.
What is the difference between a crumb topping and a streusel?
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:
Streusel for days
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.
Why does my streusel sink?
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.
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.
Notes
Nutrition
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I saw this recipe and gave it a try for a girl’s coffee morning. Super moist and so yummy! Thank you for sharing and thank you for making the steps and measurements so easy. (I’m not good at figuring out what a third cup of batter is)
Will definitely make this again!
Ya, but Karen you forgot about the funniest compliant along long time ago from a guy that sais something like I thought your were a gourmet cook and I see now that you’re not blah blah I forget what he said exactly but it was very very funny and I laughed really hard about it because your response to him was funny as well! You made some joke like me a gourmet cook? I wish I saved it it was the best complaint and response! Do you remember what I’m talking about. It’s so long ago!
Christine
I don’t remember Christine!! I searched “gourmet” in my comments but it didn’t come up. Bummer! Reading old angry comments is one of my favorite things! 😂😂
I looks amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This is absolutely crazy good!
My cake didn’t come out as good as in the pictures…The cake was fluffy and pretty moist but I wanted it to be a little sweeter and the streusel got so dry and crumbled when I cut into the cake😞 I still somehow got too much cake. There wasn’t enough batter to make 3 layers in a 9×13…That got me upset when I was trying to spread it. My husband loves coffee cake and I will need to keep looking for a recipe…I really like the idea of layering the streusel though and will use that technique. I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work for me.
You must have done something wrong along the way, I’ve made this cake about ten times and never have had an issue. It’s sweet, perfect texture crumb, and plenty of topping that stays put. When people leave reviews like this without admitting their error it gives people the wrong impression and that’s not fair to the creator of this blog. Try it again and follow directions to the T. Best of luck
I love the taste of this coffee cake, but I have an issue with three layers. Your picture only shows two layers. When I tried to do three I did not have enough batter so I ended mixing everything in the baking dish with a toothpick and topped it with the streusel. It tastes great!!! Next time I will only make two layers. I am going to make half of the streusel as well.
What alterations must you do if adding apples?
Probably a lot of alterations Lynn, haha! Haven’t tried it.
Cook apples on the stove but don’t let apples get too soft. ❤️Apples,sugar and cornstarch with a bit of lemon juice or water. Look up apple filling on Google. I bet it would be delicious just make sure to drain if Apple filling if it is to runny before adding in streusel layers . I don’t normally comment but this sounds delicious! I might try.
Excellent coffee cake a crowd pleaser.
OMG The best ever coffee cake I’ve made!!! Moist, flavorful and full of cinnamon, sugar and nuts. cut the recipe in half and made a 8 x X inch but now I plan on making the entire 13 x 9.
Saving the recipe and sharing with my friends.
Hi – Thank you for posting what looks to be a delicious recipe; I’m looking forward to trying it! I was curious about why you suggest the reverse creaming method? Typically for cakes, I cream the butter and eggs first, to maximize the air incorporated and to avoid developing gluten by over mixing the flour. Why blend the flow and butter first here? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, great question! With reverse creaming, you coat the flour with fat in the beginning to inhibit gluten formation. We are giving up the process of aeration that usually occurs during the creaming process because you sacrifice a liiitle bit of the tenderness with all that beating. The reverse method results in a finer, tender, more velvety crumb, which is what we are going for with this cake. Basically, we are sacrificing a high rise in the name of a tender cake. I hope this makes sense! You can totally make this cake with the creaming method if you like. Tell me how it goes!
I usually never leave comments on recipes, but this cake is just so DELICIOUS that I had to! Seriously one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. Soooooo incredibly moist and really great flavor. The steps looked complicated but they aren’t if you just follow the recipe. I did everything exactly like the recipe, except I always use salted butter in all my baking. Thank you for this great cake recipe!
This sounded scrumptious so I had to try it. The cake was good, however, overall, waaaaaaay too sweet for us. We couldn’t eat it.
I packed it up and sent it to work with my husband for his employees and they loved it !!
I’ll keep the recipe for his work staff but not for our family…I guess I’ll keep looking for that perfect coffee cake.
Delicious but yes too sweet
Dorri the cake was super yummy and not as sweet today as it was yesterday 😆.
I made this today and it was very good. I followed your recipe and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I made this cake yesterday for our end of the year baking frenzy. I have to say it was fabulous!!! My adult children, MIL and hubby were raving about it! It looked like a lot of work at first, (thanks for writing out every step!!!!) but was well worth it. I will be using this recipe again. My daughter is in love with the icing also. We just finished having it for breakfast.
I would rate this as OK, the cake part has good density and texture, the streusel is very dry and I just keep a taste of flour in my mouth. It did pass the kid test though!
This looks delicious. I’m going to try this recipe but I want to know if you can freeze this? It makes a lot so I wanted to
Freeze for another time. Another thing is
Should I use a glass or metal pan? Which works best? Thanks in advance for the recipe 😋
Hi Tamara! Yes you can freeze this cake! Seal well. I would save the icing separately (you can freeze that too) and add it after it’s thawed out. And a glass or metal pan works great, it will just cook a few minutes faster in a metal pan so be sure to check it a couple minutes early.
This is the best coffee cake recipe EVER! I’ve made it many times and I always get tons of compliments. Many people have told me it is the best coffee cake that they have ever had!
I’m so happy to hear it has been a hit Ashley! Thank you so much for taking the time to review!
Can I add grated apples to this recipe?
That sounds delicious Kelly! Let me know how it goes!
Love all of your recipes. I have tried most of them. They are all so yummy and family friendly. Keep up the good work. It is hard to find normal recipes for ordinary families. You do a wonderful job. Thank you again!
Thank you so much Joannie! I’m happy to hear you are enjoying the normal recipes, haha! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, you made my day :)
Karen, Karen, Karen! You’ve now shown me what a waste of time it is to spend on another coffee cake recipe! This is OUTSTANDING! Made it yesterday and shared some with our friend. Had a piece this morning for breakfast this morning and I dare say, it’s better than last night. How’s that possible? Thank you so much for sharing this. My search is over!
I’m so glad you loved it Cherie!! Isn’t it so amazing when baked goods are magically better then next day? Not sure how that works ;) Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This recipe is fantastic! I made half size and it was still just perfect. I also omitted the icing (ran out of butter and time!) and it was still excellent. Heating it up briefly before eating is recommended. Plan to definitely make it again!
I will be making this but can you put things like raspberry in it?
Hi Samantha! I haven’t tried that but it sounds delicious!
Best coffeecake award goes to…THIS!!!!
I’ve been making/baking/taking coffeecakes every week for my coworkers and this one…this one…wins the prize!!! Over the top delish! The layers make it just like you said. Your instructions are so helpful, especially including the amounts of each item again, so you don’t have to wonder if you messed up (or have to go back and forth lol). So thank you for that. Honestly, it’s my dream coffeecake 😂. It got rave reviews from everyone. A few of the guys asked me what was in it exactly lol. So cute. Thanks again. The crumb topping and all the layering of that brought this to a higher level. Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed reading all about it too. Always helps to understand the recipe better. Eating oatmeal right now but wishing I was biting into that crumb cake instead lol. Take care.
Literally this is what I think every time I’m eating oatmeal. “I wish this was coffee cake.” lol!!! I’m so glad the recipe was a hit Robin, thanks so much for chiming in with your review!
Have you ever made this in a bundt pan?
I haven’t tried it Rachel! I would check through the comments to see if anyone has had success!
Really enjoyed this splurge…so tasty. I made it for my husband who loves coffee cake. My 3 and 7-year olds loved it too! We skipped the icing at the end. I couldn’t have much, because 1/16th of the entire dish was 15 points on the Green plan, which is half my daily total allotment. But boy oh boy did I enjoy it! Thank you for all the time you spent researching and developing this wonderful recipe.
This is SO unbelievably good!!! I cut the recipe in half but made the full amount of icing. Followed the directions perfectly and it turned out PERFECT.
Half recipe, full icing. you’re my kind of person Jess
This looks so good. Can’t wait to try it!
This cake won pancakeprincess’s bake off!! https://www.thepancakeprincess.com/2020/10/09/best-coffee-cake-bake-off/
It sure did Caleb!! Thanks for the link!! Erika’s bake offs are SO FUN right?? Love reading through them all!
Made this for Easter and it was a huge hit. thanks for a great recipe.
My husband says this is the best coffee cake I’ve made yet. More please!
Hooray! So glad it was a hit Janice! Thanks for your kind review :)
The photo of this recipe looks amazing and I would love to try it, but cannot bring myself to keep scrolling to get to it. Please add a “jump to recipe button”
Hi LK! Thanks for visiting my blog! The time you spend just being on my website helps to support my family. it’s kind of funny that you are complaining about scrolling on this particular post, where I address and explain some of the mysteries of why food bloggers do things the way they do ;) If you’re curious, take a look!
After I took it the cake out of the oven everyone loved the fluffiness of it. But after it’s sat on the counter for a day it became very dense and heavy. we did put it in the microwave to warm it up a little bit but it really did not help anything. I follow the recipe to a tea don’t know what went wrong but it’s extremely heavy. Otherwise it has a great taste.
As soon as I saw the picture of this coffee cake, I thought, “that’s more like what I am looking for!” My mom-in-law always makes sour cream coffee cake for Christmas and everyone loves it. To me it’s too bland-needs more filling. I cannot wait to try this recipe and since we are not near his mom this year, my hubby will wake up to this !
I have been looking for Cooking Light Magazine’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake for a bit more than 20 years; this one comes close. I made it a couple of times, but lost the recipe. I do like the extra streusel in your recipe.
Hi Judy, Most of the older cooking light recipes are found under “myrecipes.com”. The Sour Cream Coffee cake from January 2001 is the one you were looking for. I love it too. This one is indeed close, but a tad over the top for me.
Could these be done in muffins?
Hi Meagan! I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes!
Made them in muffins today! Amazing! Highly recommend
Is it possible to make this in a fluted bake pan (bundt cake pan)?
Hi Megan! I don’t think it will fit! This is a pretty big cake. I haven’t tried it.
Hi,
Would love to make this for Thanksgiving morning but wondering if I can prep this evening and bake in the morning? Thanks!
Hi Sandy! I would be nervous that the leavening agents would not work as well if you mixed the batter and let it sit overnight. You can prep all the streusel though! Enjoy!
First time on your website! First time leaving a comment on a cooking site too, actually! That’s how good this cake is :) I was searching for a recipe to use my half of a container of sour cream that I had left in the fridge, and then I saw the words “ridiculous” and “streusel.” I’ve never made streusel with melted butter, so I decided to give it a try and was surprised to find that it worked out great! I also wanted to comment on the fact that you include the amount of ingredients in the actual recipe rather than having to go find them back at the beginning. So helpful! Thanks for a great cake, and I’m sure to be back!
Ha, I’m so glad you liked it D’naenae! I was surprised in all my testing to find that I like a melted butter streusel too. I’d always done a cut-in-butter streusel. And I’m so glad the ingredients within the recipe is helpful :) Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Hi! Just wondering can I use a metal angel food cake pan for this recipe ?
An angel food cake pan is not sealed, it is a special pan that doesn’t work for most cakes. Did you mean a bundt cake pan? I’m thinking there is too much batter.
This recipe is FAbulous!!!! I could never get enough struesel until THIS recipe!
Streusel for the win, right Melissa? :) I’m so happy you loved it. Thanks for reviewing!
I made this and brought it to work. Everyone asked for the recipe. Best coffee cake
Hooray! So happy to hear it was a hit Sandra. Lucky coworkers! You are so nice. Thanks for commenting with a review!!
I tried out cake with the above recipe. The cake was very soft and tasty. Thank you.
What are your thoughts on freezing the cake?
Hi Courtney! If it is sealed well it should freeze just fine! I would wait to drizzle with frosting until after you freeze.
HI. I made this yesterday and it was very yummy. I might have slightly overbaked (metal pan) so will reduce for next time. I did have a question about the streusel. I used light brown sugar and looking at your pictures, mine didn’t look like yours. My streusel was pretty light in color. Did you use light or dark brown?
Hi Laura, great question! I usually have dark brown sugar on hand and I’m pretty sure that’s what I used. Either one will work! I’m so glad you liked the recipe, thank you so much for reviewing!
Loved this recipe! Super tender cake. I ended up with a lot of streusel topping for the last layer, so the slices were a mess because they didn’t all stick to the cake. Nevertheless it was delicious! I added a cup of toasted pecans and it was wonderful. Will definitely make again! Thank you!
Ooh I love the idea of adding in pecans Carol! That’s a great idea! So glad you enjoyed the cake. Thank you so much for coming back to review!
Hello. Made this last night for my son’s birthday breakfast. Very good but my wife and I noticed there was a salty aftertaste. I think it may be in the streusel? Not sure,but wonder if Kosher salt is stronger than iodized salt? Can you cut back on the salt? Will definitely make it again. Thank you.
Hi Alan! Table salt is actually stronger than kosher salt. Kosher salt has bigger crystals. There is more salt in a teaspoon of table salt than a teaspoon of kosher salt. If it was too salty for you, yes definitely cut back on the salt wherever called for in the recipe! It might be the vanilla drizzle that has too much for you. I know not everyone likes salt in their icing, but I love it! Enjoy!
WHat happened to the 1 cup sour cream?
Hi Liza! Add it in step 7!
This looks great! I’m a huge fan of streusel so can’t wait to make it. I just wanted to know if there are adjustments needed for altitude. I’m btwn 5000-6000 ft.
Hi MaryLou! I live at sea level so unfortunately can’t test this for you. Check out this article from King Arthur Flour that will hopefully be helpful!
I just made this at the same elevation, I had to bake it for 50-52 min to get the middle to set but it wasn’t dry or over baked.
So awesome Lana! Thank you for chiming in about your high elevation experience!
Hi Karen!
I can’t wait to try this! I’m a streusel fanatic! I love your blog and tell people about it from time to time, and I love your stories. Your humor is awesome and so glad this blog takes up space on the cloud!! Ha ha, keep the stories and recipes coming!
This is the absolute best coffee cake I have ever made!
That is awesome Martha! Thank you so much for reviewing! I’m so glad you liked it.
I found this recipe recently and made it for the first time today. This cake turned out amazingly delicious! I will definitely bring this to a potluck or serve it to house guests. I don’t do instagram, but I can still give you praise for this recipe. Yummy!!
Hi Filomena, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! This would be perfect for a potluck, I think you would be very popular :) Thank you for reviewing!!
made the coffee cake today exactly as written and it was so delicious my husband and I ate way to much. Next time I will check doneness earlier, baked a tad to long but was still very very good I used the kosher salt in the icing and it tasted great. Will definitely be making this again.This is the first recipe of yours that I have made and I will be making more of them for sure. By the way I love your Blog and all your stories too Thanks so much Jackie
I’m so happy the cake turned out Jackie!! The nice thing about this cake is that even if you over bake a little bit you can cover it up with that delicious icing ;) Thank you so much for reading Jackie, and for leaving a comment! It’s so nice to hear from you!
Is there really three cups of flour in the streusel?
Yes indeedy, 3 cups! Enjoy!
What do you think about using a bunt pan? Y/N? Thanks!
Hi Laura! I haven’t tried this in a bundt pan and I’m not sure it would fit. Let me know how it goes!
Should I reduce the recipe by half, so I can bake it in an 8×8 inch pan?
Yes Raneem, that will work perfectly!
This is the best coffee cake I’ve ever made thank you
So happy to hear that Margaret! Coffee cake for the win! Thanks so much for commenting :)
I want to make this, but want to clarify sour cream is listed in the cake recipe twice 1/2 and 1 cup, which is it?
Hi Katie! It’s both! Add 1/2 cup and then later 1 cup, as the recipe specifies. :) Happy Easter!
Hi in the itemized ingredients list you had it listed as one tsp.baking powder but in the directions your listing it as 1tlbs.
Hi Rusty! They both say 1 tablespoon! Enjoy the cake!
I’m going to be perfectly honest here, I made this for the streusel (I LOVE streusel). And since I cannot tell you the last time I bought sour cream I subbed Fage Plain Greek Yogurt (fat free because that’s what I had). Worked perfectly.
Streusel for the win! I think that’s secretly why everyone makes coffee cake ;) Thanks Karen!
Just made this awesome coffee cake recipe of yours. I didn’t use the “drizzle”. Partly because I was lazy and partly because I didn’t think i needed the extra sugar. This is the BEST coffee cake ever! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes! Oh, and ignore, and laugh, at those comments that are rude and uncalled for!! Thanks for a great recipe and blog
Hooray! I’m so glad you loved the recipe Elena! Coffee cake forever! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
I have now made this recipe at least 6 times. I’ve taken it to work and my co-workers love it. I’ve made it for the house a few times. Made it for a friend’s house warming brunch and came home with an empty pan (I made 2 for the party!). This is by far the best coffee cake recipe I have ever used. Thank you amazing.
I’m so happy to hear you are loving the recipe Marissa! You have lucky coworkers and brunch friends :) Thank you so much for taking the time to review!!
Question…. can plain Greek yogurt be substituted for sour cream?…. oh wait, vice versa… you know what I mean. Ha ha. We use plain yogurt in place of sour cream for many other things because of the probiotics, but I wasn’t sure if it would work with baking.
Thank you very much for your time. This recipe looks delicious. :)
Hi Ky! I haven’t tried it but I think it would work ok! Use full-fat. Let me know how it goes!
I used 2% Greek yogurt because that’s what I had and it turned out great! I also (like another commenter) had to bake it an extra 23 min before it was no longer wobbly and the toothpick came out clean. It was very wobbly at the recommended amount of time so I’m surprised others didn’t have to bake it longer 🤷♀️. I used a glass 9×13. DELICIOUS and I love the amount of streusel! Thanks for the recipe! Haven’t yet tried it with the drizzle, but I’m debating about making some to add to the rest of it. It is good without too!
Hi Ashley, so glad you enjoyed the cake! Good idea using Greek yogurt! Thanks so much for commenting!
I’m getting this all prepped to make tomorrow morning easy. Can’t wait to make it (my littles guys will help me😊). About those adds…. that’s life. They certainly don’t bother me. We all have people to feed and support. Good for you making a living off of your blog!
Thank you so much Jen! You are so sweet. Hope you had fun making this with your little ones, and that the cake turned out delicious!
Hi! I’m interested in doubling this recipe and baking it into individual loaf pans 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 instead of a 9 x 13. As an estimate, how long do you think they would need to bake for? I figure the times would be much shorter, but I would like to know your thoughts.
Hi G! I haven’t tried this with any other size pan so I’m not much help! I would check it early and just keep an eye on it, do the toothpick test. Good luck!
Thanks for the reply! I’ll experiment to the best in my ability.
I do have one more question about the shelf life of the coffee cake: how long will it keep at room temperature with the icing on it?
Hey there! This looks delicious, but if my husband found out I used sour cream he’d probably kill me, LOL. Is there a way to leave this out? Or substitute? (Yogurt is also off the table 😂)
Ahaha! What’s with all the sour cream haters?? I really don’t know what to tell you Ashley, the sour cream is kind of essential for flavor and getting all that moistness in. You MIGHT be able to try very thick buttermilk, but that would be an experiment and I can’t guarantee results. Let me know how it goes!
I love how you put the measurements throughout your recipes, it is so handy, so I don’t have to scroll back and forth between measurements and method.
Thank you Cindy! I just started doing that on all my new recipes within the last year and I’m happy to hear that it’s been helpful! Thanks for the feedback!
Hi! How long does the icing keep? It needs to be refrigerated right? I just made this cake and can’t wait to try it. It smells amazing!!
Hi Katie! I like to store mine on the counter for days one and two. After that stick it in the fridge. The icing will be fine. Enjoy!!
Hi! I was wondering if it would be ok to make the batter and the streusel the day before and assemble it in the morning for baking?
Hi Temple! You can definitely make the streusel ahead of time. I’ve never made the batter ahead and can’t guarantee results. sometimes resting dough that uses baking powder/soda messes with the rise. I would make it the day of!Enjoy!
Oh my gosh… I LOVE this. Just made it this morning. It is EVERYTHING it promises and THEN SOME! Very good and totally worth all the sugar 🤣
Hooray, coffee cake success! So glad it was a hit, thank you for reviewing Caitlin!
I enjoyed the coffee cake but I thought the icing was rather salty, not a good taste. I think text time I’ll try a different icing.
Hi Steve! did you use kosher salt? I’m sorry it wasn’t for you! I like salt in my icings to cut the sweetness.
Happy Anniversary!! I love your blog, and the stories that come with the recipes!! Definitely keep them coming!!
I just tested out your recipe for the best chocolate cake you’ve ever had…and realized after the cakes were baked and the butter for the frosting was creamed that I, in fact, did NOT have a brand new bag of powdered sugar in the pantry! Since it was 7:00 PM and we are a solid 25 minutes away from the closest grocery store, I improvised and doctored up a can of vanilla frosting, but it didn’t even come close to doing justice to that cake. Just when I think I have it together in the kitchen…. there’s always next time right?
Thank you so much Haley! You are so sweet! And I have serious cake sympathy for you that you had to use storebought frosting. That is just tragic. Also I’m trying to imagine my life being 25 mins away from a grocery store and I think I would die. You must be a way more organized human than me! Next time buy 3 bags of powdered sugar, stuff keeps forever. Also, isn’t this just another excuse to make cake? :)
I baked this coffee cake this afternoon, and though the method was interesting and different, and a little more time-consuming, it was worth it. Delicious! I’ve never had such a light-textured coffee cake. It may have helped that I spooned the flour into the measuring cup instead of my usual scoop-with-the-cup method. Thanks for another great recipe that will go into my repertoire!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake Terrie! Sometimes a good cake is worth a few extra steps :) And I’m glad you spooned the flour, very important! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment!
Congrats on your big anniversary Karen!! I love your blog so much and am so proud of you and how hard you’ve worked to get it where it is. I brag about you every chance I get. I’m sure I refer to this blog several times a day and I also look forward to every new post-for the recipes but really, more for the stories. They are the best. Love you sweet girl.
PS this recipe looks like one piece will pretty much be my entire calorie allotment for one day. Oh well, like you say, embrace it! It’s CAKE for heavens sake!!
I made this yesterday. It is so delicious!! I made it just as written; no substitutions. Finally…enough streusel! It was perfect for a Sunday brunch-time snack.
Thanks for always tempting me with recipes I MUST try immediately! My family thanks you, too!
Finally, enough streusel!! Haha, that’s exactly what I want to hear! So glad you enjoyed the recipes as-is Therese, thank you for reviewing. It helps me out so much!
I cannot wait to make this coffee cake!! My philosophy is that you can NEVER have too much streusel. What a fun post to read. I loved the comments you shared from your readers. I have loved and followed your blog for years and will continue to love it follow it. Your photos are gorgeous and your recipes are amazing! Congratulations❤️!
I’m with you, long live the streusel!! Thank you so much for following along through the years Jodi, your support means everything to me! I hope you get to try the cake soon :)
Congratulations on 8 years!!! 😊
Literally have tears rolling down my cheeks from the funny comments you posted above from your customers! 😂
Just recently in the last year or so I came across your blogs/ recipes and I am so glad I did! I have enjoyed using the recipes you shared to making wonderful meals and the delicious desserts!
Thank you again and wish you many more years of success on your wonderful blog/ recipes.
Many Blessings,
Sue
Thank you so much Sue! I’m glad the comments made you laugh as much as they made me laugh, some people are just so funny. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, it’s nice to hear from you!
Congratulations on 8 years! I’m so glad that I found your blog. I love your recipes and I love your stories just as much. I look forward to seeing you in my inbox and worry when you don’t post regularly! Here’s to 8 more enjoyable years. Thanks for being so helpful in the past. You’re terrific Karen!
Thank you so much Pamala! I really appreciate you being here! If you see me not posting like that again, that means we’re going for a 5th I guess. Haha!! Nothing but morning sickness can keep me from this blog!
Hi Karen. I’m really looking forward to making this coffee cake.
Before I do, please clarify the amount of flour needed for the cake. In the list of ingredients for the cake, it calls for 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour. But in Step 4 it says to add 2 and 1/4 cups flour for the cake mix. Please clarify if this should be 1 and 1/4 cups flour or 2 and 1/4 cups flour. Thank you!!
Hi Cheryl! Great catch, thanks for letting me know! I fixed it. It’s 2 and 1/4 cups flour. Enjoy!!
Happy Anniversary!! I LOVE your blog – your stories, your recipes, pictures, and whatever else you’d like to add! I’m a grandma and love having something special to give my kiddos when they’re here. I have to save your post in my email, so that I can come back over and over and check out all the links!! And – that’s a good thing :) Can’t wait to try this sour cream coffee cake!
As always, thanks for sharing everything!
I’m so happy to hear that Kris, thank you for the encouragement! It is so nice to bake for the ones you love, right? Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Hello. Your food always looks so appetizing. For this recipe, are you using light or dark brown sugar? It looks dark to me but I like knowing for sure. Thanks for the recipe. I love my streusel and lots of icing.
Hi BJ! I used dark brown sugar but you can use either kind! It will taste great either way. Enjoy the cake!
Regarding flour
for cake u have listed 1 1/4 cups flour but in instructions u list 2 1/4 cups of flour . This is for recipe for the cake
You’re right Marian! So sorry about that! I fixed it and it’s 2 and 1/4 cups flour!
I’m all about the streusel topping. The more the better. Once again our minds were synced, we just finished eating our traditional quiche and coffee cake for conference. I am excited to try this version!
Amen, bring on the streusel! I know, I wish I had gotten this recipe out in time for conference! Your mom’s cake is still one of my favorites. Ah memories.
The ingredients call for 1 1/4 cups of flour but the directions call for 2 1/4 cups flour. Which one is correct?
Thanks
Thanks for pointing that out Karen, the correct amount is 2 and 1/4 cups!
Why can’t I find the actual recipe for the coffe cake?
Probably because I blathered on too long about blogging for 8 years. Just keep scrolling! I’m just trying to make money off of you, didn’t you know?? (That’s a joke. :)
I’m reading and loving this recipe! Can I make this in 2 9X9 pans instead of a 13X9? Or do you think it would be too thin? Thanks
Hi Karen! Yeah you could totally make this in 2 square pans! I think it will work out perfectly! Let me know how it goes!