This is my FAVORITE coffee cake recipe! This sour cream coffee cake is light, fluffy, layered with cocoa and cinnamon, and it’s all topped with a buttery brown sugar pecan crumb.
Now, I don’t like to throw around the word “best” when it comes to my recipes. That’s a high bar! But this old-fashioned sour cream coffee cake really is the best coffee cake ever. At least, if I were the judge. It’s amazingly soft and light, just a touch tangy thanks to the sour cream, and it has layers of chocolate and cinnamon, which is such an under-rated flavor combination (try it in my double chocolate cinnamon pecan brownies, too!).
Why You’ll Love This Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Swirled with cinnamon and chocolate. Adding cocoa powder to the cinnamon swirl in this coffee cake is the unexpected flavor boost I never knew I needed. Every bite is swirled with fudgy spice.
- Enriched with sour cream. Sour cream is such an underrated ingredient in baked goods. It makes the flavors of this cake absolutely shine, and adds a ton of moisture to the crumb.
- Easy recipe. I love that I almost always have what I need to make this sour cream coffee cake in my pantry on any given day. I wouldn’t call this a quick recipe, but it’s very easy and so rewarding!
- Crumble topping. I can’t forget the crumb topping! It’s buttery, sweet, nutty, salty, and all-around delightful.
What You’ll Need
Here’s an overview of the ingredients in this coffee cake along with some notes. Once you cross out everything you have in your pantry already, you’ll see that the list is quite short! Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full list and recipe amounts.
- All-purpose flour – If you don’t have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and sweep method for accurate measuring. It’s important to know how to measure flour correctly in over to avoid an overly dry cake.
- Baking soda and baking powder – Check the dates on the packaging to make sure your leavening is fresh.
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be softened, but not warm to the touch.
- Granulated sugar – You’ll need it for the cake itself and for the cinnamon sugar swirl.
- Eggs – The eggs should be room temperature.
- Sour cream – The sour cream should be room temperature, too.
- Vanilla extract – Please, use real vanilla extract or equal parts vanilla paste for the best possible flavor.
- Dark unsweetened cocoa powder – Choose a good-quality cocoa powder. I like dark cocoa as it’s extra fudgy, but any unsweetened cocoa powder will work.
- Cinnamon – To combine with the cocoa powder and sugar to make the swirl.
For the Crumb Topping
- Brown sugar – You can use dark or light brown sugar in this recipe; dark brown sugar imparts a stronger molasses flavor.
- Pecans – Toasted if you like! (See below).
- Unsalted butter – When it comes to a crumble topping, cold butter is key! Pop it in the freezer for a bit if you need to. Afterward, cut the butter into cubes.
- All-purpose flour and salt
How to Toast Pecans
You can toast the pecans on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don’t burn. Or, if you prefer to be more hands on, you can toast them in a skillet set over medium heat; simply use your eyes and nose instead of a timer and remove them from the heat when they’re fragrant and browned. See my tutorial on how to toast pecans for details.
How to Make This Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Make sure you set aside some time to bake this coffee cake! It’s not something you can whip up on a busy weekday morning, but it is perfect for a weekend breakfast. I first made this coffee cake for a brunch with friends and the eight of us nearly devoured the entire thing. Let’s get started. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.
First, Make the Crumb Topping and Swirl
- Pulse the dry ingredients. To start, add the flour, brown sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until everything’s mixed. Add the pecans, then pulse again until the pecans are finely chopped and incorporated into the other ingredients.
- Finish. Lastly, add the butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarse and sand-like. Cover and refrigerate.
- Make the swirl. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set it aside for later.
Next, Make the Cake
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F while you grease a 9″x 13″x 2″ baking pan with butter.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Next, take out a large bowl and whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter until it’s smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the sugar, and beat until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then scrape the sides again and mix for another 30 seconds.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Now, add the sour cream and vanilla to the bowl with the butter and eggs, and beat just until combined. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 portions, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed.
Assemble and Bake
- Assemble the cake. Pour one-third of the cake batter into the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to make sure it’s spread evenly. Sprinkle half of the swirl mixture over the batter, then spread half of the remaining batter over the swirl mixture. Follow this with the remaining swirl mixture, spreading it evenly over the batter, then add the rest of the batter and spread that evenly, too. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the batter.
- Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating the pan 3 times during baking. When the cake is done, a wooden pick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Cool. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. (Learn more: why every baker needs wire cooling racks)
Tips and Variations
- Using yogurt instead of sour cream. Can you do it? Yes! I recommend using a full-fat plain Greek yogurt, which is closest in texture to sour cream.
- Weigh the ingredients. This always yields the best results. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, use the spoon-and-sweep method: spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off the top with a knife.
- Don’t over-mix. To get that lovely, light texture, mix each addition until just combined. It’s better to have a streak or two of flour in the batter than to over-mix and end up with a tough cake.
- Add a glaze. Borrow the vanilla glaze from my coffee cake cookies to drizzle over the finished cake.
- Bake in a different pan. Instead of a 9″x 13″ pan, bake this cake in two large loaf pans instead. One to enjoy now, one to freeze for later! Follow the baking directions for my sour cream coffee cake loaf, and see the section below for storage and freezing tips.
How to Store
- At room temperature. Store this sour cream coffee cake at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. Wrap the cake tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, you can simply let it thaw on the countertop overnight.
More Coffee Cake Recipes
Get the Recipe:
Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Yield
18 to 24 servings
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 55 minutes
This sour cream coffee cake is moist, light, swirled with a cinnamon chocolate ribbon, and topped with a buttery pecan crumb. It's perfect for breakfast, dessert, or any time in between!
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 3/4 cup (90g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar (dark or light)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup pecans, toasted
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1-inch cubes
For the swirl:
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cake:
- 3 & 1/2 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 & 1/4 cups (450g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 16 ounces (454g) sour cream
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the crumb topping:
- Place the flour, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix. Add the pecans, and pulse until the pecans are finely chopped and thoroughly mixed.
- Add the butter and pulse until combined. The mixture should look like coarse sand. Cover and refrigerate.
To make the swirl:
- Whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sugar, and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides again and mix for another 30 seconds.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla, and mix just until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 portions, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Mix each addition just until combined. Do not overmix.
To assemble the cake:
- Pour one-third of the cake batter into prepared pan. Spread evenly.
- Sprinkle half of the swirl mixture evenly over the batter.
- Spread half of the remaining batter evenly over the swirl mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining swirl mixture evenly over batter.
- Spread the remaining batter evenly over the swirl mixture.
- Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, rotating the pan 3 times during baking. A pick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.
- Cool the cake in pan on wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Store any leftovers at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.
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25 Comments on “Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl”
I love a good coffee cake! Can’t wait to try this one!
Traditional comfort food!
This looks AMAZING! I have company coming this weekend and will be putting this together!
Come to momma! The texture of the cake looks amazing!
It looks so light! And crumble makes everything better!
I’m just going to come out and say that this certainly looks like the best coffee cake ever. Love that thick crumble on top too! Must must MUST try.
I love this idea!!
Oh yum, your cake sounds so delicious!
Coffee cake with cinnamon, crumbs & sour cream…..with a little chocolate bonus. I will cut the recipe in half & bake in an 8×8 pan & hope mine turns out to be the best coffee cake ever.
This might have to be my break my gluten free lenten resolution recipe for Easter Sunday morning.
This coffee cake truly looks beautiful. If I didn’t already have a chocolate cake sitting on my kitchen table, I might whip one up right now!
This sounds like my kind of coffee cake. I love sour cream in baked goods, and the cinnamon and chocolate in the swirl sounds amazing!
The chocolate-cinnamon swirl looks divine! Lovely crumb topping.
I am going to have to try this beautiful cake. But I’ll have to substitute yogurt instead. Its either that or I make my own sour cream. I hope it works! 🙂
Oh my! have to try this cake!
@Pooja, did Yogurt work? Want to try that
Usually its the crumb topping that makes me love coffee cake but your recipe has the chocolate-cinnamon swirl going for it as well! I will be serving this with coffee soon!
I love coffee cake! I have a huge list of ones I want to try but if you say this is the best coffee cake ever, it has just moved to the top of my list!
Love, love, love crumb cake. I just posted a version on my blog. The cinnamon swirl in yours sounds great!
This does sound like the best coffee cake ever!
I made this coffee cake and brought it to the office. I am a huge fan of coffee cake and this one is amazing. Everyone in the office loved it. I am so glad I saved a piece for myself.
This cake was AMAZING! It was not fun to make but it was completely worth the effort. The texture is like a light banana bread. I left mine in for 55 minutes which was too long and the edges burnt so DEFINITELY watch the time.
This was extremely good! My husband loves it and even the kids! I did not do the nuts in the topping because hubby is not a fan of that and he is the one who requested this. I also used unsweetened applesauce in place of the eggs. This turned out super moist as well!
How much applesauce did you use in this recipe? Can I use “unsweetened” applesauce?
I believe this is the recipe from the “Baked” Cookbook from the bakery in NY, It’s really great as is everything in their book.
It is, indeed! (See the attribution in the recipe.) Their cookbooks are really, really good.