This tender Sour Cream Coffee Cake is a treasured family recipe with two layers of cinnamon walnut streusel in every slice. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack. There's a reason generations of my family have been making this!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox.
This is the coffee cake recipe I turn to again and again. The one that's truly moist (not dry and crumbly), with ribbons of buttery cinnamon streusel in every bite. It's been passed down through my family since my grandma's time, and honestly, that's the best endorsement I can give.
It's perfect on its own or as part of a bigger brunch spread with our Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata, a big fruit salad tossed with this basil and lime fruit salad dressing and these Ginger Grapefruit Mimosas.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Coffee Cake
- It's my Grandma's tried and true recipe: This isn't just any sour cream coffee cake; it's been passed down through my family for decades, perfected through countless Sunday brunches and holiday mornings. If a recipe survives generations, you know it's good.
- It's actually moist: Thanks to full-fat sour cream and quality butter, this cake is tender and soft, not dry and crumbly like so many other coffee cakes.
- Two layers of streusel: You get buttery cinnamon walnut streusel swirled throughout , not just sprinkled on top. Every bite has that perfect sweet, nutty crunch.
- It's flexible: Make it in a bundt pan or a 9x13, swap in pecans or almonds, freeze it for later - this recipe works with your life.
- No fussy glaze needed: The cake is delicious on its own, which also makes it perfect for freezing.
Five Star Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"I have been making this recipe for a few years now and it's perfection. Super moist with a great flavor. It's my top requested baked good for any breakfast get together. It freezes well too."
- Sandy
Ingredients & Substitutions
There are two separate sets of ingredients here: one for the walnut cinnamon streusel and another for the coffee cake:
A few ingredient notes:
- Walnuts: These are my favorite in this recipe, but you can swap in pecans or almonds if you prefer.
- Sour Cream: Full-fat sour cream gives you the best texture. Low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt do not give you the same tender crumb.
- Butter: Quality butter makes a difference. I recommend using a high quality grass-fed or European butter for this recipe. These types of butters have a higher butterfat content which gives the cake a richer flavor.
How to make Grandma's Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Make the STreusel
Pulse walnuts, cinnamon, brown sugar, cold butter and flour in a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Mix the batter
Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs and vanilla, then alternate adding flour mixture & sour cream. The batter will be very thick - that's what holds the streusel in place!
Layer & Bake
Spread half the streusel in your greased pan, add most of the batter, add remaining streusel, top with remaining batter. Bake at 325°F for 50-60 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
My Best Tips for Perfect Coffee Cake
- Don't own a bundt pan? If you're looking for a recommendation, this Nordic Ware pan is my favorite (Shout out to a Minnesota company!). It's substantial, durable and just plain pretty, but you can also make this coffee cake in a regular 9x13 pan (just reverse the layers - start with batter and end with streusel). It will be thinner but just as tasty. I've included directions for both pans in the recipe card below.
- I use a food processor to quickly blitz the streusel mixture together. If you don't have one, you can also make the streusel by using two forks or a pastry blender to mix the ingredients together. If you're going this route, make sure you use finely chopped walnuts and room temperature butter to make incorporating the ingredients a lot easier. The streusel should look like coarse crumbs when you are done with it.
- This cake batter is THICK and does not pour well. Instead use a spatula to scrape it into the pan and a small offset spreader or the back of a spoon to easily level the batter. If the batter is sticking to the offset spreader, simply run it under hot water, dry and return to spreading.
- Everyone should own an inexpensive oven thermometer as oven temperatures vary widely from brand to brand. It's an easy way to quickly assess if your oven runs hot or cold and you can adjust the baking temperature accordingly.
- Your cake will be baked through if a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Start checking your cake at the low end of the prescribed baking time and add time from there, if needed.
- You can bake and freeze this cake up to three months ahead of time. Cool the cake completely and then tightly wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. You can also freeze the cake in individual slices using the same freezing method (plastic wrap and foil).
FAQS
Yes! Just omit the walnuts and reduce the flour in the streusel by two tablespoons.
Nope! This cake stays fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days. I have one of these Rubbermaid cake carriers that seals tight and make it easy to prolong the life of the cake, but wrapping leftovers in regular old plastic wrap does the job, too. Avoid storing this cake in the fridge. It tends to dry out faster there.
Absolutely. Bake it a day ahead and keep covered at room temperature or freeze it for up to three months ahead.
For next time: really grease and flour every nook and cranny of your pan (I love the baking spray with flour - works for me every time). And let it cool completely before inverting. Warm cake seems to stick more easily.
Made this? Loved it? Tell us everything!
Leave a quick star rating and comment below so we can trade tips and cheer each other on.
Who knows? Your twist might become someone else's new favorite!
Recipe
Grandma's Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel:
- 1 cup walnuts (halves or pieces)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 5⅓ tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F . Grease and flour a bundt pan. Set aside.
To make streusel:
- Combine all streusel ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.1 cup walnuts (halves or pieces), 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ⅓ cup brown sugar,, 5⅓ tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed, ½ cup all-purpose flour
To make cake:
- Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl and gently whisk to combine. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add half of flour mixture to butter mixture and mix. Beat in sour cream until incorporated and mix in remaining flour. Batter will be thick.1 cup unsalted butter,, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- Pour half of streusel mixture in the bottom of the bundt pan and spread evenly. Add ⅔ of batter on top of streusel and gently level with offset spatula or back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining streusel evenly over batter and top with remaining ⅓ batter. Smooth top and bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool completely in pan and invert on serving tray when ready to eat.
Notes
VIDEO
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
Helaine Carroll says
This is a delicious recipe for a coffee cake. Everyone asks for the recipe when I serve it at a brunch or coffee clutch. It does take a bit of time to put together but worth the effort.
So glad you love it, Helaine! Thanks for stopping back to share your thoughts with our GWL fam.