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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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe December 2016. Updated March 2020 and November 2024.
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 🙂
This was so simple and delicious– will be making often. Thanks for sharing.
This is my go to recipe for coffee cake. Perfect! I’ve made this many, many times to take to grandkids, for bake sales, farmer’s market and church coffee hour. It never disappoints. Thanks so much!!
My oldest son is 51 & I have made this coffee cake every Christmas of his life . I have doubled & tripled this recipe . It is not only delicious but easy and convenient. I absolutely love it . I have an old recipe card for this recipe that is packed away due to us remolding ..so I had to Google it ,hoping to find it and I did . Our Christmas will be complete now ..Thank You !
Should have read the reviews but this batter was already so dense and thick that spreading it was a chore. Good reminder to not make a decision after viewing the ratings but to read the comments too!
If you follow the recipe, it turns out fine.
The dough is dense, but I used a knife to spread the bottom layer, then I used a spoon to dollop the top layer. Thought it was very good. The only thing I’ll do differently next time is make a little more topping (personal preference).
Can I make this into a loaf?
I haven’t tested it in a loaf pan but imagine it would work.
Making this recipe as it is written produces a dense and unappealing cake. A massive disappointment. It’s insane that there is a better advice and ratios for this recipe in the reviews than in the actual recipe. I won’t bother trying any of the suggestions and I will never use a recipe from the website ever again. What an absolute waste of my time and ingredients. So disappointed
Maybe your measurements were off a bit or egg was on the small side. If it seems too dense for your liking you can add a little liquid. Even a tablespoon of vanilla soy milk or if you add sliced apples it also provides some moisture to the batter. Really a old recipe that has been used for years……Love it!!
Good luck
I looked for an easy coffee cake recipe. This one filled the need. I read the comments from other cooks; so I was prepared for some issues. With that in mind I did change the recipe by adding more of the ingredients- 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 3/4 cup sour cream, and 2 eggs. The batter was a little thick but not overly thick. I baked it in a loaf pan, since I not have an 8×8 pan, at 350 degrees for an hour. I live in a high altitude state; it takes longer to cook/bake items. The cake was delicious and easy to make. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe. Dee
Loved the coffee cake. Only thing I would do differently would be 1 1/2 of the cake mix.
Cake was a little small.
Thanks!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
My previous comment was before the coffee cake was baked. I’d like to update… after reading previous comments I thought,”what if I made a mistake?” Well rest easy! when it cake out of the oven it was risen to a nice level, it was moist and very delicious! Dont know why others had difficulty but mine was perfect! We took it to my stepdaughters brunch and everyone loved it! I’m a believer! I have updated my rating to 5 stars!
Thank you Selma!! So glad to hear it was enjoyed by all!!
In the oven now. Very thick and a messy prep. Hope it is worth the work!