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–+ servings

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This bakery style Sour Cream Coffee Cake is incredibly moist, buttery, and layered with a thick cinnamon brown sugar swirl and big soft crumb topping. A classic 9×13 coffee cake perfect for breakfast, brunch, holidays, and cozy mornings. It is tender, flavorful, and loaded with warm cinnamon, the absolutely perfect crowd pleasing homemade crumb cake.
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Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Breakfast coffee cake, cinnamon coffee cake, cinnamon crumb cake, coffee crumb cake, crumb cake, homemade coffee cake, homemade crumb cake, sour cream crumb cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Chill Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 1 9x13" pan

Ingredients 

Chunky Cinnamon Crumb Topping

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ¾ cups light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 6 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp espresso powder optional
  • ¼ tsp salt

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Swirl

  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt

Sour Cream Cake Batter

  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 1 ⅓ cups sour cream
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

Prepare the Crumb Topping

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
  • In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, espresso powder if using, and salt.
  • Add the softened butter and mix until the butter is incorporated and large crumbs begin to form. The mixture should be crumbly but should hold together when squeezed.
  • Use your hands to squeeze handfuls of the mixture together, then break it into large, chunky pieces. Don't crumble everything too finely, you want those big pieces.
  • Place the crumb topping in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the cake.

Make the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Swirl

  • In a medium bowl, combine the melted and slightly cooled butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, flour, and salt.
  • Stir until smooth and fully combined. The mixture should be thick, glossy, and spreadable. Set aside.

Make the Sour Cream Cake Batter

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a large mixing bowl and hand mixer, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs and egg yolks and mix until combined.
  • Then add the vanilla and sour cream and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
  • Add the whole milk and mix briefly, just until incorporated. The batter will be thick.

Assemble the Coffee Cake

  • Spread half of the cake batter evenly into the prepared 9×13-inch pan. Because the batter is thick, use a spatula or offset spatula to gently spread it into an even layer.
  • Spread the cinnamon brown sugar swirl evenly over the first layer of batter, leaving a small border around the edges.
  • Add the remaining cake batter and carefully spread it over the cinnamon layer. Take your time so you don't pull too much of the filling into the top layer.
  • Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator and scatter the large pieces evenly over the top of the cake. You want a generous layer of chunky crumbs covering the entire surface.

Bake

  • Bake at 350°F for 55-60 minutes, beginning to check for doneness around 50 minutes.
  • If the crumb topping is becoming too dark before the center of the cake is finished, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking.
  • The cake is done when the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Remove from the oven and allow the coffee cake to cool completely in the pan before slicing.
  • Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Notes

  • Use softened butter rather than melted butter and squeeze handfuls of the crumb mixture together before breaking it into pieces.
  • Make sure the melted butter has cooled slightly before combining the swirl ingredients. The finished mixture should be thick and glossy.
  • Start checking the cake around 50 minutes. Oven temperatures and baking pans can vary, so use the doneness cues rather than relying solely on the clock.
  • Store the completely cooled, tightly covered coffee cake at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for longer storage or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.