13 Mar

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

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If you’re looking for an out-of-this-world, above and beyond coffee cake, you’ve come to the right post. This is no Entenmann’s, for sure. I watched Ina Garten make this cake on an episode of Barefoot Contessa well over a year ago. I looked up the recipe online, saved it, and there it sat ever since. I have been dying to make it but the streusel looked so wonderful that I didn’t want to make it and have to omit the cinnamon and walnuts due to my allergies. Now that my food allergies have gone their merry way, I couldn’t wait to bust out my tube pan and whip up this cake. Speaking of tube pans, this was my first time using one, and now I might be addicted. Incidentally, this was also my first time making a coffee cake. I’ve certainly eaten my fair share, but making one was high on my list of things I want to try. I’d still love to try a yeasted coffee cake and see what the significant differences are. If anyone has made one and loved it, please share your recipe!

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I don’t recommend making this cake if you are already hungry, because the smell that wafts from the oven is so sinfully delicious that it might make you want to lick the oven door. We’re talking seriously fabulous.

It probably isn’t shocking to hear that the streusel that runs through the middle of this cake and graces the top steals the show. The flavor is absolutely fabulous – not too sweet or dense, and the cinnamon doesn’t overpower as I had suspected it might when I was putting the cake together. The use of cake flour gives a lighter, less-dense texture to the cake and the maple-flavored glaze all add up to an absolutely fabulous accompaniament to a cup of coffee or your favorite tea.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
(Source: Barefoot Contessa)

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups sour cream
2½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

For the streusel:

¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:

½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

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30 Comments

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Oh my, that cake looks amazing. LOVE the photos! I bet your house was smelling good!! I think I am going to have to make this one soon…and I might just have to lick the oven door:)

Comment by Maria — March 13th, 2009
This looks great! I’ve been allergic to peanuts/tree nuts my whole life, so I’m used to avoiding them, but I can’t imagine having to avoid cinnamon -it’s in so many things, especially baked goods! Due to my allergies, foods like coffee cake are things I need to make myself to be certain there are not nuts, so it’s nice to have a good recipe

Comment by Meghan — March 13th, 2009
Mmm, welcome to the world of baking coffee cakes. It’s quite an addictive thing, I think. Man, you totally hit the ball out of the ballpark with this recipe. It looks totally fabulous. Man, I wish I had a slice right now!

Comment by Elyse — March 13th, 2009
This looks delicious! I love making coffee cakes, and I will definitely have to try this one.

Comment by Erin — March 13th, 2009
Looks DIVINE!

Comment by Katrina — March 13th, 2009
Looks delicious! This recipe has been on my list of ‘must try’ for quite a while- your pictures have just convinced me to make this sooner rather than later

Comment by Lindsey — March 14th, 2009
I love sour cream in coffee cakes – I think it should be a required ingredient. This looks fabulous – love the fact that streusel is on the top and in the middle – yum!

Comment by Kerstin — March 14th, 2009
Hi

I was wondering did you toast the nuts and what kind of Maple Syrup did you use Grade B or Grade A. Thanks

Comment by Jackie — March 14th, 2009
your pictures of this cake are awesome chelle! i could seriously lick the screen. i need to try this one.

Comment by kayte — March 14th, 2009
JACKIE — I did not toast the nuts and I used Grade A maple syrup.

Comment by Chelle — March 14th, 2009
i’ve been dying to try this but haven’t come up with an excuse to make it yet… it looks fabulous! maybe next time SIL comes to visit!

Comment by ashley — March 14th, 2009
Wow, this does look sinful! Coffee cake is such a fantastic treat. This recipe looks great! Thanks for sharing!

Comment by finsmom — March 15th, 2009
Wow…that looks jut amazing….lovely pics

Comment by Poornima — March 16th, 2009
This looks delicious! My favorite kind of coffee cake!

Comment by colleen — March 16th, 2009
Coffee cake can be good or bad. Many are way too dry but this one… with the sour cream and the streusel topping… well brown sugar, butter and nuts on anything is pure heaven. It is no surprise it is stealing the show. I am bookmarking this one!

Comment by Nicole — March 18th, 2009
I would love for you to come to CA! Once my store is up I will post my class schedule for the year! Your coffee cake looks soooo delicious by the way!

Comment by My Sweet & Saucy — March 18th, 2009
I love coffee cake and this looks amazing!

Comment by Erika — March 18th, 2009
This looks amazing. I absolutely love coffee cake, especially topped with streusel.

Comment by Amber — March 19th, 2009
Wow your coffeecake looks absolutely perfect! I’m saving this recipe.

Comment by Ashley — March 20th, 2009
Not that I’m impressed a lot, but this is a lot more than I expected for when I stumpled upon a link on Delicious telling that the info is awesome. Thanks.

Comment by Heartburn Home Remedy — April 15th, 2009
Hey hun, question about this cake — does it retain it’s deliciousness overnight?
I’d love to make this sunday evening for my co-workers at staff meeting Monday a.m. — but wanted to make sure it’d be okay overnight!

Comment by Kelly — April 17th, 2009
hi…thanks for the recipe and the yummy photos, im in the process of transferring it….i cant do it LOL….the streusel and nuts are falling off haha…..smells so good though cant wait for it to cool down so i can top the glaze on it.

Comment by ANn — August 25th, 2009
Yum! This is in my oven right now…but it just occurred to me that I followed your directions, which will result in a bundt/tube cake with the streusel on the BOTTOM if I invert it!
How did you keep the streusel on top when you removed it from the pan??
I know I could’ve solved this by putting the streusel in first, but naturally I didn’t think about it that way LOL

Comment by Kelly — September 7th, 2009
Hi Kelly – I used a tube pan with a removable bottom. I hope yours still turned out ok!

Comment by Michelle — September 16th, 2009
Hi Michelle

Can I use All purpose flour instead of self rising.. I dont understand the difference between all these and I am not able to find Cake flour in my supermarket does it go by any other name?

Comment by Sana — January 6th, 2010
sorry I meant instead of Cake flour (duh!!)

Comment by Sana — January 6th, 2010
Hi Sana,

You can’t use all-purpose flour and cake flour interchangeably, as cake flour is much lighter and produces a more tender crumb. The two supermarket brands of cake flour I am most familiar with are Swan’s Down and Softasilk. They would be right where the other flours are sold. If you can’t find it in the store and want to buy it, you could always order online. I buy a lot of flour through King Arthur and am always pleased. This is their cake flour:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-queen-guinevere-cake-flour-3-lb?utm_source=frooglecom&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=shopping

If you can’t find it in the store and don’t want to order online, the “rule of thumb” substitution of all-purpose flour for cake flour is as follows:

1 cup cake flour = 1 cup all-purpose flour MINUS 2 Tablespoons PLUS 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Comment by Michelle — January 8th, 2010