Sour Cream Coffee Cake
by Sommer Collier — on Oct 28, 2026 
Cake for breakfast? You know I’m in, especially when it’s my easy-to-make sour cream coffee cake with cinnamon streusel ribbons and buttery crumbs on top! Sour cream is my simple trick for keeping the cake soft and moist, and its little bit of tang keeps all that sweetness in check.
The name “coffee cake” always makes me chuckle… It’s not a dessert-y cake like when you think of a traditional vanilla homemade cake recipe. And there’s no coffee in there, which can be confusing. But it is a sweet, light yet tender and almost pastry-like baked treat that’s most commonly enjoyed at breakfast with coffee (or whatever your breakfast beverage of choice). There are several different types of coffee cake recipes, some with nuts and other more high-end ingredients. However, I leave the nuts out to make my super moist sour cream coffee cake recipe as budget-friendly as possible, and great to feed a crowd that might be nut-free. This also keeps the cinnamon sugar flavors and lightly crisp, crumbly topping as the focal point, which is exactly why we’re here. That said, feel free to add chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter, if you like! I won’t be offended.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Fabulous Texture and Taste – Some coffee cakes are dense and somehow both crumbly and doughy. I’m not a fan of those. My recipe has a lighter moist crumb, with cinnamon included in a ribbon through middle and crumbly topping.
Easy Baking Recipe – I used to think of coffee cake as being an intimidating recipe to make… With multiple layers and the iconic topping, surely this had to be complicated, right? Wrong! You are basically making a regular cake batter with a few tweaks in the steps and simple crumble on top. It’s even easier than my kahlua coffee cake recipe which is also a snap (and is fantastic if you’re having a 21+ brunch). You’ve got this!
Made to Share – Coffee cake was created as a treat to share among friends when they gathered for coffee. My version makes 12 perfect slices, surely enough to share with a few friends if you can keep your fingers out of it before that arrive! It’s also great to freeze and have ready for any last-minute plans.
Key Ingredients and Tips
Crumble topping – I use brown sugar, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter kept cold, cinnamon, and salt to make the crumbly top. Even though these are simple pantry staples the crumble has an incredible depth of flavor.
For the Cake Batter
- Wet ingredients – More butter, eggs, sour cream, and high-quality vanilla extract. It helps to sit the butter, eggs, and sour cream on the counter for about 15 minutes to let them come to room temperature a bit. Adding these ingredients cold can throw off the baking time.
- Dry ingredients – I use light brown sugar with all-purpose flour, both baking powder and baking soda, and a smidge of salt.
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Make the Crumble – I start by getting out a large mixing bowl and my pastry blender. (Two forks will also work well if you don’t have one.) I first add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt to the bowl, and give them a stir. Then I chop up the cold butter into smaller pieces and toss them into the bowl. Use the pastry blender, or forks, to cut the butter into the cinnamon sugar mixture to make coarse crumbles. They should be about the size of a pea or slightly smaller chunks.
Go ahead and pop the bowl of crumble into the fridge while you make the cake batter. Keeping it cold makes those buttery crumbles stay firm, so they stay tightly packed on top when the coffee cake bakes.
Combine Wet Ingredients – Next, I preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease my 9 x 13-inch baking dish with softened butter or nonstick spray. While the oven preheats I get out my stand mixer (or electric hand mixer and another big bowl) and add the softened butter and light brown sugar to the bowl. Turn the speed up to high and beat the two together for several minutes until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and fluffy. Don’t try to skip or rush this step… The fluffier the butter, the more soft and light your cinnamon coffee cake will be!
I turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula before mixing in the eggs, one at a time. Then I turn the speed to low, and mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract to create a smooth batter.
Add Dry Ingredients – I turn off the mixer again and add the baking powder, baking soda and salt to the bowl. Then I give those a quick mix on low before gently pouring in the flour, bit by bit. I don’t go too fast or the flour won’t evenly mix in and the batter could get weird. I turn off the mixer as soon as the last of the flour has been incorporated. The breakfast cake batter will look slightly thicker than a traditional dessert cake batter.
Add Half the Batter – Now I spoon half of the cake batter into the prepared baking dish, and smooth it out into an even layer.
Add the Crumble – Then use a spoon to sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar crumble evenly across the surface of the cake batter. I usually aim for the smaller crumbles here, and leave the large pieces for the topping.
More Cake and Crumble – Ever so gently, I spoon and smooth the remaining batter overtop of the crumble mixture, again, in an even layer. Try not to press down too much as you smooth it or the cinnamon streusel ribbon can sink to the bottom. Lastly, I sprinkle the remaining buttery crumble over the top of the batter.
Bake! – Now I slide the pan into the oven and bake the cinnamon coffee cake for 50-55 minutes. I know when it’s done with the center of the cake has puffed up slightly, and those buttery crumbs on top have turned into a deep golden brown. To be extra sure I stick a toothpick directly in the center of the cake… If it comes out clean (a few moist crumbs hanging on is totally expected) it’s thoroughly baked.
Cool – Once done, I take the pan out of the oven and let it to cool for at least 10 minutes. The layers of the sour cream coffee cake will set more firmly together as it cools down. This makes it easier to cut neat slices to serve.
Expert Tips
- Keep the butter cold, and warm – I use cold butter to make the crumble topping, and room temp butter to make the cake. This creates firm crumbles and a fluffy cake texture, so pay attention to both! And remember to put the prepared buttery crumble in the fridge to keep it cold until it’s time to add it as the middle layer and on top.
- Take care to not over mix the batter – The mixer needs to be shut off the moment that the last streak of flour disappears. Over-mixing the delicate sour cream coffee cake batter can make it lose that light and airy texture.
- Don’t press down – I take care to carefully add the cake batter and cinnamon sugar layers on top of one another, so as not to smoosh them together. We want a nice ribbon of the cinnamon to evenly cut between the two layers of cake!
Storage Notes
I want to keep the breakfast cake as moist as possible, so I wrap each piece or larger section tightly in plastic wrap. But not too tightly that it completely squashes the crumble topping. You can also place it inside an airtight container or plastic ziploc bag. The cake will technically keep well at room temperature for up to 3-5 days, although I think the crumbs start to get a bit too moist for my liking by day 4. So for longer storage I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator, where it will last for up to 10 days.
As I mentioned earlier, this sour cream coffee cake recipe is great to freeze! I wrap the cake in a few layers of plastic wrap… Again, trying to not squash the top. Then wrap tightly in a couple of layers of aluminum foil or seal tightly in a freezer-safe plastic ziploc bag. The cake will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Then I thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the countertop in less than an hour to share, or not!
Serving Suggestions
To round out breakfast, I like to serve a slice of this coffee cake with something savory and full of protein. Here are some of my favorites:
Also, don’t forget the coffee… Or tea!
Frequently Asked Questions
Since my cinnamon coffee cake recipe includes sour cream, which keeps the crumb moist, a dry cake is likely the result of either over mixing the batter and/or over baking the cake.
If the sugar, cinnamon and butter crumble mixture is not cold, it essentially melts. This is why I emphasize using cold butter and keeping the streusel mixture in the fridge until the last minute when I’m ready to assemble the cake.
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More Breakfast Recipes
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Crumble Topping
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes (1 ½ sticks)
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Cake Batter
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 16 ounces sour cream about 1 ¾ cups
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- For the Crumble: Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until evenly combined.
- Add the cold butter cubes and use a pastry blender (or two forks) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse crumble forms. The mixture should have both small crumbs and larger buttery chunks for the best texture. Refrigerate the crumble topping while preparing the cake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- For the Cake Batter: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for 3- 5 minutes, until light, fluffy, and noticeably lighter in color. This step creates a soft, tender cake, so don’t rush it.
- Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Then add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until smooth.
- Add the salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix briefly, then slowly add the flour, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix! Once the flour is incorporated, turn off the mixer to keep the cake light and tender.
- Spread half of the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half of the chilled crumble mixture evenly over the batter.
- Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the crumble layer. Gently spread it into an even layer, taking care not to disturb the crumble underneath. Finish by sprinkling the remaining crumble evenly over the top of the cake.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the center is puffed, the topping is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the coffee cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This gives the cake time to set, making cleaner slices.
