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Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Tender, buttery, and streaked with a rich cinnamon-nut streusel, this classic coffee cake is exactly what your weekend morning needs. The secret to its incredibly moist crumb is a generous dose of sour cream, which adds just enough tang to balance the sweet vanilla glaze. It's a comforting, old-fashioned bake that fills the kitchen with the most amazing aroma. You'll want to pour a hot cup of coffee the second it comes out of the oven.
Ingredients
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup finely chopped nuts
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 to 3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 10-inch tube pan, a 12-cup fluted tube pan, or two 9x5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray or shortening.
- 2Combine the brown sugar, chopped nuts, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl to create the filling. In a separate large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- 3Beat the granulated sugar, softened butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla, and the eggs in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- 4Add the flour mixture and the sour cream to the butter mixture alternately, working in four batches. Mix on low speed until the batter is just blended. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears so the cake doesn't become tough.
- 5For a tube pan, spread about 2 cups of the batter into the bottom and sprinkle with one-third of the cinnamon-nut filling. Repeat this layering process two more times. If using loaf pans, spread about 1 1/2 cups of the batter into each pan and top with one-fourth of the filling, then repeat once.
- 6Bake the tube pan for about 1 hour, or the loaf pans for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- 7Turn the cake out onto the cooling rack and let it rest for 20 minutes. Whisk the powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, and 2 to 3 teaspoons of milk in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle this glaze over the top of the warm cake.
Notes
- Pan removal: To easily remove the cake from a tube pan, run a thin metal spatula around the outer edge and the center tube. For a two-piece pan, push the bottom up to release the sides, then slide the spatula under the base.
- Storage: Keep the cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze unglazed slices for up to 3 months.
- Nut swap: Pecans or walnuts work beautifully in the streusel filling.