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Sour Cream Coffee Cake is the ultimate cozy breakfast bake, an impossibly moist cake layered with buttery cinnamon crumble and finished with a sweet sour cream glaze, and it is the first thing my family reaches for on slow weekend mornings. I made it for a lazy Sunday brunch and the whole 9×13 pan vanished before noon. If you love our lemon blueberry coffee cake, this sour cream version is even richer and more tender.
Two full cups of sour cream in the batter are the secret to a cake that stays soft, moist, and tender for days.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 1 hour
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 770kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Moist, buttery cake with sweet cinnamon crumble and a tangy sour cream glaze
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as simple as our banana nut muffins
Quick Answer
Whisk the dry ingredients, then beat together sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs. Alternate stirring in the flour mixture and sour cream until just combined. Make a cinnamon crumble by working cold butter into brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Layer half the batter and half the crumble in a 9×13 pan, repeat, and bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool, then drizzle with a sour cream glaze.
Jump to:
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake FAQs
- Other Recommended Sweet Breakfast Recipes
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Sour Cream Glaze
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Sour cream keeps it ultra moist. Two cups of sour cream add fat and acidity, giving the cake a soft, tender crumb that stays moist for days.
- A double layer of crumble. Layering half the crumble in the middle and half on top means buttery cinnamon streusel in every single bite, not just on the surface.
- Melted butter makes it foolproof. Using melted butter instead of creaming means the batter comes together fast with just a whisk and a spoon, no mixer required.
- The sour cream glaze ties it together. A simple glaze of sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla adds a sweet, slightly tangy finish that complements the cinnamon.
- It is a true 9×13 crowd pleaser. One easy pan feeds twelve, making it perfect for brunch, potlucks, and holiday mornings.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is bakery level moist and tender thanks to all that sour cream.
- There is buttery cinnamon crumble layered through the middle and on top.
- It feeds a crowd from one easy 9×13 pan, just like our lemon blueberry coffee cake.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry and fridge staples come together for this moist, crumbly coffee cake.
- Sour cream: The star ingredient, adding moisture and a subtle tang to both the cake and the glaze.
- All-purpose flour: The base of both the tender cake and the buttery crumble topping.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon: Combined with butter and flour to make the sweet, crumbly streusel layers.
- Melted butter: Keeps the batter quick and easy to mix and adds rich flavor.
- Powdered sugar and vanilla: Whisked with sour cream into a sweet, tangy glaze for drizzling.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make this coffee cake your own with a few easy swaps.
- Fold fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter for a fruity twist.
- Add a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumble for extra crunch.
- Swap the sour cream glaze for a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze if you prefer.
- Stir a handful of chocolate chips into the batter, the way we do in our baked cake donuts.
How to Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs, then alternate stirring in the flour mixture and sour cream until just combined.
- Work cold butter into the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the crumble looks like wet sand with a few larger chunks.
- Spread half of the batter evenly into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle half the crumble over the batter, then repeat with the remaining batter and crumble. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- While the cake cools, whisk the sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a smooth glaze, then drizzle it over the warm or room temperature coffee cake.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not overmix the batter once you add the flour and sour cream, or the cake can turn dense and tough.
- Use cold butter for the crumble so it works into proper crumbs instead of melting into the sugar.
- Check it early. Ovens vary, so start testing with a toothpick around the 50 minute mark.
- Cool before glazing so the sour cream glaze sets on top instead of soaking in and disappearing.
- Grate frozen butter for the crumble if you do not have a pastry cutter, it works perfectly.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, the sour cream keeps it moist.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This sour cream coffee cake is made for slow mornings. Cut it into generous squares and serve it warm with a hot cup of coffee or tea for the coziest breakfast or brunch.
It is right at home on a brunch spread next to our banana nut muffins and baked cake donuts for a sweet, crowd pleasing lineup.
Leftovers are just as good. Warm a square for a few seconds in the microwave and the crumble and glaze taste freshly baked all over again.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake FAQs
Sour cream adds fat and acidity that give the cake an exceptionally moist, tender crumb. It also adds a subtle tang that balances the sweet cinnamon crumble and glaze.
Yes. Bake it a day ahead, cool completely, and store it covered at room temperature. Add the sour cream glaze the day you serve it for the freshest look.
This recipe is written for a 9×13 inch baking dish, which gives you the classic layered crumble cake that feeds a crowd of about twelve.
Yes. Freeze the unglazed cake well wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then add the sour cream glaze before serving.
You can substitute full fat Greek yogurt one for one for the sour cream in both the cake and the glaze. The texture will be very similar and just as moist.
Make sure the crumble is in proper crumbs with some larger chunks and that your batter is thick. Layering it between batter layers also helps it stay distinct instead of sinking.
Made this sour cream coffee cake? I would love to hear how it turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below and tell me how you served it!
Craving a fall dessert? Make our caramel apple dump cake.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Sour Cream Glaze
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups sour cream
Crumble Topping & Filling
- 1/2 cup cold butter small diced or grated
- 2 cups light brown sugar packed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with baking spray and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl, set aside.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, pinch of salt
- Place the sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs into a large bowl and whisk together until smooth.1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 3 large eggs
- Add half of the flour mixture and stir in until combined.
- Add half of the sour cream, stir until combined.2 cups sour cream
- Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream, do not overmix, set aside.
- For the crumble, place the butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon into a large bowl.1/2 cup cold butter, 2 cups light brown sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work the mixture until it resembles wet sand with a few larger chunks mixed in.
- Add half of the cake batter to the baking dish and smooth it out evenly.
- Add half of the crumble topping evenly over the batter. Repeat.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- While the coffee cake is cooling, make the glaze by whisking together the sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl until smooth.1/2 cup sour cream, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Serve the coffee cake warm or room temperature with the glaze.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients: Let your large eggs and sour cream sit out for about 30 minutes. This helps everything blend smoothly and results in a more tender cake.
- Low speed, then medium speed: When adding flour, start on low speed to keep from puffing the dry ingredients into the air. Then switch to medium speed if using an electric hand mixer.
- Don’t Overmix: The second you see the flour mixture is combined, stop. Overmixing leads to a dense cake instead of a soft crumb.
- Test with a Toothpick: Insert one into the center of the cake; if it comes out with just a few moist crumbs, you’re good.
- Let It Cool on a Wire Rack: This prevents the bottom from getting soggy. If you flip it out too soon, the top of the cake might tear.
- Save Leftover Streusel: If you happen to have extra, freeze it in a bag. Next time, you can toss it on muffins or even a chocolate cake for an interesting twist.
Nutrition
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