Description
This Sour Cream Streusel Coffee Cake is a moist, tender, and delightfully cinnamony treat layered with crunchy streusel and topped with a smooth vanilla icing. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert, it combines a rich sour cream cake with a buttery cinnamon streusel topping baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Streusel
- 3 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks, melted)
Cake Batter
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks, softened but still cool)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Icing
- 1/4 cup butter (half stick, very soft)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup milk (more to taste)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13 inch cake pan using nonstick spray or butter to prevent sticking.
- Make Streusel Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons cinnamon until combined.
- Add Melted Butter to Streusel: Melt 1 cup butter and pour it into the streusel mixture. Stir until the mixture resembles wet sand with chunky bits; do not overmix or smooth it out.
- Mix Dry Ingredients for Cake: In another large bowl or stand mixer, whisk 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Prepare Butter for Cake Batter: Chop 3/4 cup softened butter into chunks making sure it is soft but still cool to the touch.
- Combine Butter and Sour Cream with Dry Ingredients: Add chopped butter and 1/2 cup sour cream to the dry ingredients and mix with paddle attachment or electric beaters until it comes together in a ball, scraping as necessary without overmixing.
- Whisk Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract until well blended.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in three additions, beating about 20 seconds after each. After the final addition, beat for 1 minute until light and fluffy.
- Layer Batter and Streusel – First Layer: Spread 2 cups of batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of streusel over the batter, breaking up large pieces.
- Layer Batter and Streusel – Second Layer: Spread another 2 cups of batter over the streusel, spreading as evenly as possible.
- Add Streusel Layer: Sprinkle 1 more cup of streusel evenly over the batter.
- Layer Batter – Third Layer: Spread the remaining batter evenly over the streusel layer.
- Top with Streusel: Spread 2 cups of streusel on top, reserving some streusel for later. Place leftover streusel on a baking sheet to dry slightly.
- Bake First Stage: Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- Add Remaining Streusel Quickly: Remove the cake from the oven and quickly but carefully sprinkle the reserved streusel over puffed areas, then return the cake to the oven immediately to keep heat sealed.
- Bake Final Stage: Continue baking for an additional 20-25 minutes, for a total bake time of 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and the cake is stable.
- Cool Cake: Remove the cake and let cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes.
- Make the Icing: Beat 1/4 cup very soft butter in a medium bowl until smooth, then add vanilla, salt, milk, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and lump-free.
- Drizzle Icing Over Cake: Drizzle icing over the whole cake or individual slices according to preference, reserving some icing for serving if desired.
- Serve Warm: For best flavor, serve the cake warm. Reheat individual slices in the microwave 10-20 seconds if cooled.
- Storage: Keep the cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days, then refrigerate afterward to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Be sure not to overmix the streusel topping; the texture should resemble chunky wet sand.
- Softened butter for the cake batter should be cool to maintain good crumb and texture.
- The baking time may vary depending on your oven type and cake pan material (glass or metal).
- Quickly adding the final streusel layer after the first bake is vital to keep the topping from sinking and to maintain texture.
- The cake is best served warm but can be refrigerated and reheated.
- Leftover streusel can be enjoyed as a snack after drying on a baking sheet.
