CLASSIC SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

 

This is the type of sour cream coffee cake you’ll make over and over again.  You’ll love the way it’s heavenly cinnamon  smell will fill your kitchen.   It has a beautifully  tender and fine crumb.  It keeps very well, and can be dressed up in many guises.    I have been making it ever since commercial sour cream first made its appearance in the grocery stores.  You can become very creative with this recipe as long as you follow the basic ingredients.

CAKE BATTER

2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)

l teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla flavouring

1 cup sour cream

WALNUT TOPPING

1 generous cup (about 4-5 ounces) roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 generous teaspoons ground cinnamon

One 12-cup tube pan, buttered and floured

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

Scatter the walnuts onto a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Watch carefully that they do not brown.  Roasting your walnuts before you use them in baking gives you a lovely rich nutty flavour.  Do it even if your recipes don’t call for it.

 

Sift dry ingredients – the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

 

 

Whisk the dry ingredients, mixing well.

 

 

In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium speed until soft and light, about 5 minutes.

 

 

Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.

Add the vanilla flavouring and mix well.

 

 

Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half the sour cream.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater.  Beat in another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining sour cream.  Stop and scrape again.  Beat in the remaining flour mixture.  Caution don’t over beat once you start adding the flour.

To make the topping stir the ingredients together until evenly mixed.

 

 

Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with half the topping.

 

Cover with the remaining batter.

 

 

Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining topping.

 

 

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is well-risen and deep gold and a toothpick inserted midway between the sides of the pan and the central tube emerges clean.

 

 

Cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a plate and lift off the pan.  Invert the cake onto a rack to cool completely.

 

Keep this wonderful coffee cake wrapped in plastic or under a cake dome at room temperature, or double wrap and freeze for longer storage.  You’ll get 16 generous servings with this recipe, perfect for a big family gathering.

VARIATIONS

You could add a generous 1/2 cup of raisins or currants to the topping.

Or bake in two buttered and parchment lined 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans.  This is excellent if you intend to freeze one or both of the cakes.  In the loaf pans they will probably be done in around 45 minutes, but check at 35 to 40 minutes.

CLASSIC SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE
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This is the type of sour cream coffee cake you'll make over and over again. You'll love the way it's heavenly cinnamon smell will fill your kitchen.
Ingredients
  • CAKE BATTER
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
  • l teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (4 oz.) butter
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla flavouring
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • WALNUT TOPPING
  • 1 generous cup (about 4-5 ounces) roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 generous teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • One 12-cup tube pan, buttered and floured
  • Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
Instructions
  1. Sift dry ingredients - the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
  2. Whisk the dry ingredients, mixing well.
  3. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium speed until soft and light, about 5 minutes.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
  5. Add the vanilla flavouring and mix well.
  6. Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half the sour cream. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Beat in another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining sour cream. Stop and scrape again. Beat in the remaining flour mixture. Caution don't over beat once you start adding the flour.
  7. To make the topping stir the ingredients together until evenly mixed.
  8. Scrape half the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with half the topping.
  9. Cover with the remaining batter.
  10. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the remaining topping.
  11. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is well-risen and deep gold and a toothpick inserted midway between the sides of the pan and the central tube emerges clean.
  12. Cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes, then invert onto a plate and lift off the pan. Invert the cake onto a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Scatter the walnuts onto a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Watch carefully that they do not brown. Roasting your walnuts before you use them in baking gives you a lovely rich nutty flavour. Do it even if your recipes don't call for it. Keep this wonderful coffee cake wrapped in plastic or under a cake dome at room temperature, or double wrap and freeze for longer storage. You'll get 16 generous servings with this recipe, perfect for a big family gathering. VARIATIONS You could add a generous ½ cup of raisins or currants to the topping. Or bake in two buttered and parchment lined 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans. This is excellent if you intend to freeze one or both of the cakes. In the loaf pans they will probably be done in around 45 minutes, but check at 35 to 40 minutes.

 

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5 Responses to CLASSIC SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

  1. Pingback: CLASSIC SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE « Bel' Occhio's Blog

  2. This looks so good… 🙂
    I thought I would mention – I haven’t been able to use the ‘Print’ function!
    I have copied and pasted onto a word document (which I will now print) however; I thought you may like to know this…. I’ve tried with a few recipes with no success.. 🙁
    One last point – You call it this delicious looking cake a Sour Cream Coffee Cake…
    Forgive me, I love to cook but I haven’t been a cake maker until recently…
    Should the cake have ‘coffee’ in it? If so, how much should I use….?
    I love your site; it’s so very light-hearted…! 🙂

    • admin says:

      Carolyn here’s the scoop on coffee cakes. Coffee cakes originated in Northern and Central Europe. German, Dutch and Scandinavians brought their delicious recipes to America. The cakes were a natural to eat with coffee. Coffee cakes can be leavened with either baking power or yeast. They can be made with fruit such as cranberries or blue berries. Lavished with nuts, raisins and currents. Flavoured with cinnamon, lemon or orange zest. They are generally a little denser than a regular cake, and nearly as flighty. Now that I’ve spilled the beans you can see why they are so popular. MRS. BUTTERFINGERS also has a really, really quick easy cinnamon coffee cake, and a positively addictive Cranberry Orange coffee cake.
      I checked with our tec support guy and he assures me the print button is working. Virginia
      PS this recipe does not have coffee as one of the ingredients.

  3. Olivia says:

    Hello from Saskatchewan!
    This cake looks marvelous! I’ve shared it with my Pinterest followers, and I can’t wait to make it. Looks delectable!

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