Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
A tender, creamed-butter cake with a cinnamon-brown sugar layer swirled through the middle and another baked onto the top.
- Serves
- 12
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Written
Method
-
Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9x13-inch baking pan.
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Stir together the brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and ¼ cup of the flour for the streusel; set aside.
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Whisk the remaining flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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Beat the butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, until the batter is smooth.
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Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream, mixing just until no dry streaks remain.
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Spread half the batter in the pan, scatter with half the streusel, and repeat with the remaining batter and streusel.
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Drag a knife through the layers in a loose zigzag to swirl the streusel without fully blending it in.
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Bake until the top is deep golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
-
Cool in the pan at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
The sour cream is what keeps this from drying out the way a lot of coffee cakes do a day later — it stays tender through the week if you keep it covered on the counter. Underbake it by even five minutes and the middle streusel layer turns gummy instead of set, so trust the toothpick over the clock.
Swap the pecans for walnuts or leave them out entirely if you’re feeding someone with a nut allergy — the streusel holds together fine on brown sugar and cinnamon alone.