This Sour Cream Coffee Cake is not only incredibly EASY to make, it’s absolutely delicious! A tender crumb cake with cinnamon pecan topping. You wont be able to stop at just one piece.
Nothing says brunch like homemade coffee cake! If you love breakfast/brunch recipes, you may also like this Apple Coffee Cake, Quiche Lorraine, Easy Homemade Scones, and Lemon Blueberry Bread.
Why I Love this Recipe:
1. Ingredients I have on hand. This recipe uses simple pantry ingredients which makes it perfect for an easy brunch or dessert.
2. The pecan topping. The topping is where this cake really shines. It’s layered both inside the cake and on top, adding the best cinnamon sweetness throughout, and the perfect crunch on top.
3. Enjoy it anytime of day. The cake is soft and tender without being overly sweet and I feel like it can pass as breakfast, brunch, or even dessert. Make sure to try this Apple Coffee Cake too!
Why is it called coffee cake?
Coffee cake is a term given to foods that are intended to be eaten with coffee, or other brunch type foods. Imagine little cakes you would serve at a tea party or having coffee with a group of friends. There is generally not coffee in the actual cake but it is usually a sweet cake with light streusel or icing.
How to make Sour Cream Coffee Cake:
1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, sour cream, milk and vanilla and mix.
2. Add dry ingredients: In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix just until combined.
3. Add ½ batter to pan. Make the pecan topping by combining the ingredients in a bowl. Spoon half of the batter into a greased 8×8 pan and smooth into an even bottom layer. Sprinkle half of the pecan topping over the batter.
5. Add remaining batter. Spoon remaining batter on top and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining topping mixture over the top.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Check the mixture about half way through baking –you may want to put a piece of tinfoil over the top to keep the top from browning too much. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: This cake can definitely be made the morning of or even the night before. Store it on the countertop for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It does dry out easily so it tastes best made fresh!
Consider trying these popular brunch recipes:
- Cinnamon Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Peach Scones
- Poppy Seed Cake
- Broccoli Cheese Quiche
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
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Recipe
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Topping:
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make topping: Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add butter and cut in with works or a pastry blender until there are no large pieces. Stir in nuts.
- In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add egg and mix. Add sour cream, milk and vanilla and mix.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.Â
- Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and mix just until combined.
- Spoon half of the batter into your prepared pan and smooth into an even bottom layer.Â
- Sprinkle half of the topping mixture over the top. Spoon remaining batter on top and smooth into an even layer.
- Sprinkle remaining topping mixture over the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with few crumbs.Â
- Check the mixture about half way through baking --you may want to put a piece of tinfoil over the top to keep the top from browning too much.Â
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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I originally shared this recipe December 2016. Updated March 2020 with process photos and instructions.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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Tastes delicious! Maybe a little dry, but not any more dry than any other cake like this. Cooked at 325 for 35 mins in a glass pan in a convection oven and it was about perfect. Also removed the pecans and doubled the topping, and definitely glad I did because without the nuts it doesn’t go very far.
Yes, batter is a bit stiff, but turned out so yummy. I used homemade Greek yogurt as I did not have sour cream. Still turned out great!
It would have been helpful to describe the consistency of the flour mixture. It’s so doughy that it is a challenge to try to spread it, let alone spread on a layer of dry crumble of nuts. Just stating “spoon the mixture” is not helpful enough. Also, not everyone has time to watch a video, and I think if the instruction is accurate they shouldn’t need to. Thank you for listening!
Okay second comment since I forgot to rate, but also watched video and looks like “creaming” butter and sugar is minimal. I still think so yummy and will just adjust next time.
Glad to see other cooks discussing stiffness of batter. I thought maybe I overworked the batter after adding dry ingredients. I actually made a second batch of batter to use and it turned out wonderfully. Just made it for second time and even though I worked the batter less it was still stiff. Maybe we don’t need to spread it evenly on second layer? At any rate it is SO yummy. Everyone loved it.
Question – can you substitute walnuts in this recipe?
Yes, you can definitely substitute walnuts for pecans in the sour cream coffee cake recipe.
The batter on this was a bit stiff and hard to spread evenly so I was unsure about it as I put it in the oven, but it turned out beautifully. My family LOVED it!
Yes, the batter is stiff and hard to spread. This tastes amazing anyway. I only needed 33 minutes.
I made this recipe today and it was a big hit. I did double the recipe and used a Bundt pan. I also cooked it at 350 for 35 min. It was moist and flavorful