Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusle

This is Ina’s cake! I just perked up the salt and cinnamon and baked it for less time. I first had this at Kristen Wilson’s and it was just, well, perfection. It was the sort of cake that makes you sad that you ever attempted another version when this existed all along. Oh the wasted time! 

This is the thing about coffee cakes… it’s not like we’re making coffee cakes once a week to eat every morning for breakfast. If you’re an “everything in moderation” healthy eater like myself, you probably stick with the Greek yogurt, fruit, eggs, etc. route for the majority of the time. The coffee cake is for the once in a blue moon situation that just cries out for coffee cake. In my case it was a cousin (hey lins) visit and when us girls get together we like to eat large portions of high calorie baked goods while comparing our newest healthy eating tips. I just didn’t feel like dialing down the sugar and swapping the flours while saying things like, “isn’t it just as good!?” or “you TOTALLY can’t tell!”. We can tell, people, let’s be real.

Often I will change a recipe because of what I have on hand, because I want to make it healthier, or because I think it contains unnecessary steps or ingredients. The thing is, though, some things can’t be improved. They’re just “the best”. I heaped my 1/4 tsp. of salt, increased the cinnamon a bit and reduced the baking time to 45 minutes due to the copious reviews online. Spot on, baby! A bonus was that everything worked just as it should – there was instantaneous release when I flipped the cake from the pan which is one of the more underrated pleasures in life.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel

Serves 12-16

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Batter

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 large eggs*, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 c. sour cream

2 1/2 c. cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 heaping tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Streusel

1/4 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 tbsp. cold butter

Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. milk

*Ina called for extra large eggs – I never carry them so I just used three large. Worked perfectly.

1. Cream butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture, 3-5 minutes.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined.

3. Add vanilla and sour cream. Beat until combined.

4. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together and add all at once to mixing bowl. Mix on lowest speed until just combined.

5. In a small mixing bowl, combine all streusel ingredients and pinch together the butter until it’s evenly cut into the dry ingredients.

6. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with butter/flour baking spray (or rub with butter and sprinkle with flour).

7. Scoop 1/2 of the batter into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle about three quarters of the streusel mixture on top.

8. Scoop remaining batter into pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining streusel.

9. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack for 30 minutes in pan.

10. Remove from pan and serve, streusel side up.

 

11. Whisk all “glaze” ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over cake OR drizzle over each individual slice.

Cake gets better with age! Make a day before serving.