This moist Sour Cream Coffee Cake only takes 15 minutes to prep and is sweet and delicious with the crunchy cinnamon pecan streusel. Enjoy it for brunch, with coffee, or dessert.
If you love sweet brunch recipes try our Sheet Pan Pancakes, French Toast Casserole, Homemade Scones, or Hawaiian French Toast Casserole.
Simple, delicious Coffee Cake.
Simple, delicious Coffee Cake.I am going to say it – this is the BEST Coffee Cake recipe! The cake is soft and moist, and not only does it have a crunchy cinnamon pecan streusel on top, but we even layer it in the middle of the cake! Serve it with a cup of hot tea of coffee, or a side of fruit, for the perfect easy weekend brunch! We serve coffee cake most often at brunch, holidays and special occasions.
How to make Coffee Cake:
Make Batter: Cream together sugar and butter then mix in egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
Layer: Combine all of the ingredients for the pecan topping in a bowl. Grease an 8×8 square baking dish then pour in half of the cake batter. Sprinkle half of the pecan topping over the batter then repeat with the rest of the cake batter and sprinkle the rest of the pecan topping on top.
Bake: Preheat to 350°F then bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check it halfway through and lay a piece of aluminum foil loosely on top if it's getting too brown. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Coffee cake is best served the same day, but you can make it in the morning or even the night before. Store covered at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To Freeze: Allow coffee cake to cool completely, cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
More Sweet Brunch Recipes:
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Donuts
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Blueberry Muffins
- Blintzes
- Snickerdoodle Muffins
Follow me for more great recipes
Recipe
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Topping:
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans , finely chopped
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Crumble topping: Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add butter and cut in with forks or a pastry blender until there are no large pieces. Stir in nuts.
- Batter: In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg and mix. Add sour cream, milk, and vanilla then mix. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture then mix just until combined.
- Assemble: Spoon half of the batter into your prepared pan and smooth into an even bottom layer. Sprinkle half of the topping mixture over the top. Spoon remaining batter on top then smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining topping mixture over the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with few crumbs. Check it half way through baking and cover with a piece of aluminum foil if browning too much.
- Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Create a FREE Account to save your favorite recipes and create meal plans
Follow Me
I originally shared this recipe December 2016. Updated March 2020 and November 2024.
This post contains affiliate links.
WOW!!! This coffee cake is out of this world!
I doubled the recipe and baked in a 9×9 pan. It did take a tad longer to bake (about an hour in all). I saw lots of comments saying this coffee cake was too dense, but I did not seem to have this problem. A trick I found to work well to avoid this issue is beating the butter and sugar for upwards fo 5 minutes to really incorporate some air.
Also, the sour cream keeps it so moist and adds a delicious tang to a sweet dessert!
Highly Recommend 🙂
I made this recipe today and it was a big hit. I did double the recipe and used a Bundt pan. I also cooked it at 350 for 35 min. It was moist and flavorful
Really wish I’d trusted my gut (recipe didn’t seem right while I was making it) or read the comments first (which mentioned the same issues I had). Not worth trying to figure out how to fix it; just find another recipe.
READ CAREFULLY! The ‘1 stick’ part of the butter listing does not double/triple. 1 stick of butter is 1/2 a cup! I made this mistake like I think a few other people in the comments and the batter was too thick (obviously). The cake itself was still edible and I can see the potential of this recipe turning out great if done right so I will give it another try sometime soon.
Like many other people, I think this recipe was kind of a dud. The batter was much too thick, based on just the instructions as written. I wondered if something was omitted or whether the butter should have been melted. We ended up adding a little bit more sour cream and a splash of milk but this made for a very soggy gummy texture. will not be making again.
Way too dry. Not moist at all. Needed more something. Either cream or milk. I didn’t even leave in the minimum 35 minutes and still too dry. Disappointing.
I just made this coffee cake. I liked the it was simple and a small size. I found the description and photos to be accurate. As with any recipe I haven’t tried yet, I tested for doneness before the suggested time, and with my oven I found it done just before 35 minutes. As described, it is not overly sweet, and the batter is thick. I would make again.
I do agree that the batter is thick- in a fine way- not unlike cottage pudding. I doubled the topping but didn’t use all. The cape turned out very well/ it’s a small cake- which is what I wanted. Flavor is delightful. Very nice basic coffee cake recipe.
I’d recommend just going with a different recipe. The cake part turned out well, but I had to add a big splash of milk to make it at all spreadable. It also didn’t come out to the volume I expected (definitely didn’t fill the 8×8). Lastly, the struesel isn’t enough, just a very thin layer both in the middle and on the top. And the struesel needs butter. I added a bit to the top of mine after it came out of the oven.
I believe the recipe should say an 8 ounce container sour cream, because I put in a half cup and it was extremely sticky and hard to spread. I decided to watch the video and it looks like she put in 8 ounces. We’ll see how it turns out, but I don’t have my hopes up
I am sad…I will reiterate what others have said… very hard to spread anywhere near adequate…and no way did this batter in an 8×8 pan make the ‘tall’ cake in the picture…? double recipe maybe in 8×8? Is bland… and dry straight out of the oven – my oven a little ‘cool’ …longer would have been toast – only cooked 40 minutes. I needed some quick sugar …1 star for quick 1 for sugar..but I won’t make it again. 🙁 🙁
I have made this recipe in a 8 by 8 pan,it is the best coffee cake I have ever tasted in my life!
I am a baker by nature!
I should have made the large large one! I give it 10 stars!!!!
I wish I’d read the reviews first. It’s impossible to spread in that size pan. Batter is bland and too dense. I added some vanilla to mine, and changed the topping to strussel, so here’s hoping. Not everyone should have a food blog apparently.
Absolutely ridiculous, the batter is too thick to spread and is definitely missing wet ingredients. Waste of time and money.