Name: Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients: ¼ cup packed light brown sugar; ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp. fine sea salt; ¾ cup chopped pecans (optional); 3 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes; 2½ cups cake flour (not self-rising); 2 tsp. baking powder, preferably aluminum-free; ½ tsp. baking soda; ½ tsp. fine sea salt; ¼ tsp. ground cardamom; 12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1½ cups granulated sugar; 3 large eggs, at room temperature; 1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1¼ cups sour cream; ¾ cup confectioners' sugar; 3 Tbsp. honey

A coffee cake topped with cinnamon crumble and icing on a cooling rack and a slice cut out.

Photo by Angie Mosier

This recipe makes the quintessential coffee cake, the kind you find in an old-fashioned coffee shop or diner, served with a steaming cup of joe. The addition of cardamom gives it a flavorful and unexpected zing. With a honey drizzle on the crumb topping, it’s fancy enough for an afternoon gathering of friends or a Sunday brunch.

This recipe was excerpted from 'The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook' by Cheryl Day. Buy the full book on Amazon. Click through for more coffee cake recipes →

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

For the streusel

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. fine sea salt

¾ cup chopped pecans (optional)

3 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the cake

2½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 tsp. baking powder, preferably aluminum-free

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. fine sea salt

¼ tsp. ground cardamom

12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1¼ cups sour cream

For the glaze

¾ cup confectioners' sugar

3 Tbsp. honey

Preparation

Step 1
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray and line the bottom with a ring of parchment.
Step 2
To make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, slat, and pecans, if using. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the crumbs are the size of peas. Put the topping in a covered container and set aside in the freezer, while you mix the cake batter.
Step 3
To make the cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom; set aside.
Step 4
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter and granulated sugar for 4 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended.
Step 5
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in thirds to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined and no streaks of flour are visible; scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Step 6
Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with ¾ cup of the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly, and top with the remaining streusel.
Step 7
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Step 8
While the cake cools, make the glaze. Mix the confectioners' sugar, honey, and 2 Tbsp. water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 9
Turn the cake out of the pan, then invert onto a serving plate, with the streusel side up. Use a fork to drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake. Wrapped in plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.