Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Double Cinnamon Crumb

Remembering a volunteered breakfast for a 7 AM PTA meeting at ten on a Tuesday night, with the idea of waking up at 4 AM to bake feeling genuinely offensive, is exactly what led to this sour cream coffee cake. Evening off the edges until a quarter of the pan disappeared before sunrise counts as a real incident that actually happened.

Anyone who has tried a dry, sad breakfast pastry that tasted like sweetened cardboard will find genuine healing in this recipe. An absurd amountof buttery streusel both inside and on top, hiding my uneven slicing perfectly. Here is exactly how I do it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One bowl crumb topping. The exact same mixture works for the middle ribbon and the top layer, saving extra dishes.
• Foolproof moisture. This sour cream crumb cake stays incredibly forgiving, even after a few extra minutes in the oven.
• Crowd control. Feeding a whole table of hungry people looks like far more effort went into it than actually did.
• Make-ahead magic. Tasting better on day two lets anyone sleep in while everyone else thinks dawn baking happened.

Tools You’ll Need

Nothing fancy, I promise.

• 8-inch square baking pan – Metal is best here, but glass works if you bake it just a few minutes longer.
• Pastry cutter. Two forks substitute fine for anyone who enjoys a mild forearm workout.
• Parchment paper. This lifts the whole cake out without destroying the first slice.

Ingredients

For the Crumb Mixture

• 2/3 cup packed dark or light brown sugar – Moist brown sugar keeps the crumb soft instead of rock hard.
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour – Spooned and leveled so your topping does not get too dense.
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon – The absolute star of the show.
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter – This must be cold and cubed, or your streusel will melt into a sad puddle.

For the Cake

• 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour – Sturdy enough to hold up the heavy crumb layer.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder – Helps the cake rise.
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda – Works with the sour cream for lift.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt – Balances all that sugar.
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature for the batter.
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar – For creaming with the butter.
• 2 large eggs – Room temperature is best so the batter does not curdle.
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract – Measure with your heart, honestly.
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream – The non-negotiable secret to a classic sour cream coffee cake.
• 2 Tablespoons milk – Just a splash to thin the batter so you can actually spread it.

For the Vanilla Icing

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar – Sifted if you have the patience, but I usually just whisk aggressively.
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract – For flavor.
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk – To get it to drizzling consistency.

How To Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Do not let the double layers intimidate you; the oven hides all of your spreading struggles.

1. Prep the pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square pan with lightly greased parchment paper. If you skip the parchment, getting the first slice out will be a structural disaster.
2. Make the crumb: Combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture is in pea-sized crumbs. Some larger chunks are totally fine, nobody is grading your streusel uniformity. Refrigerate this.
3. Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
4. Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the wet ingredients: Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined. Beat in the sour cream. The mixture will look lumpy and slightly alarming at this stage—don’t panic, this is normal.
6. Finish the batter: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and beat on low speed until just combined. Finally, beat in the milk. Do not overmix this unless you want a tough, rubbery cake.
7. Layer it up: Carefully spread about half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of the crumb mixture evenly on top. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top. Spreading thick batter over loose crumbs is deeply annoying, just do your best. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly on top.
8. Bake: Bake for around 35–40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
9. Ice and serve: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and drizzle over the warm cake. If your icing is too thick, just add another drop of milk.

Make it yours

• Pecan version. You fold chopped pecans into the crumb mixture for extra crunch alongside the cinnamon.
• Chocolate chip version. You sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the middle crumb layer for a dessert-leaning twist on this classic sour cream coffee cake.

Perfect Pairings

This cinnamon sour cream coffee cake suits two specific pairings particularly well.

• A cold glass of milk works well for feeding a five-year-old or just channeling one.
• A chaotic holiday morning needs exactly this kind of bake while everyone opens presents.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This sour cream coffee cake proves that a genuinely impressive breakfast bake can come together from a last-minute panic session and a tub of full-fat sour cream. This sour cream coffee cake recipe layers a double cinnamon streusel around a tender, moist crumb, delivering everything a proper classic sour cream coffee cake should taste like. Whether served at a chaotic holiday morning or sliced for a quiet weekday afternoon, this cinnamon sour cream coffee cake earns a permanent spot in the regular rotation.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 9 servings

Course: cake

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2/3 cup (135g) packed dark or light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter cold and cubed
• 1 and 1/3 cups (166g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature*
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk (any kind dairy or nondairy, is fine)
• 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream or milk

Equipment

• 8-inch square baking pan
• Pastry cutter
• Parchment paper

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square pan (9-inch square is too big, see Notes for other pan sizes) with lightly greased parchment paper or directly grease the pan. I usually use this square pan or this square pan.
2. Combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry cutter or two forks (or use a food processor or your hands) until the mixture is in pea-sized crumbs. Some larger crumbs are OK. You’ll have a little over 2 cups of crumb. Refrigerate until step 5.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.)

   Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Beat in the sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula and beat again as needed to combine. Mixture will be lumpy.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and beat on low speed until just combined. Finally, beat in the milk. Do not overmix this batter. The batter will be thick. You’ll have about 2 and 1/2 cups of batter.
5. Carefully spread about half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 cup (about half) of the crumb mixture evenly on top. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top (every last drop of it!).

   This can be a little tricky since you’re spreading thick batter on top of crumbs, but do your best. I usually use a spoon or small offset spatula. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly on top.
6. Bake for around 35–40 minutes or until the cake is baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done. Allow cake to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
7. Whisk all of the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm cake.
8. Lift the cake from the pan using the overhang parchment paper around the sides and slice into squares. Or, if you didn’t use parchment, slice directly in the pan. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.
9. Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up 1 week.

Recipe Notes

Sour cream: I always use full-fat sour cream, since low-fat or yogurt substitutes leave the cake noticeably drier.

Butter: I keep mine cold for the crumb and softened for the batter, since each component needs a different texture.

Cinnamon: I use a generous amount in the crumb, since this spice carries the entire flavor profile.

Flour: I always spoon and level mine into the measuring cup to avoid a dense, dry cake.

Milk: I use just a splash to thin the batter enough for spreading.