Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
From Zingerman’s Bakehouse, a rich and buttery sour cream coffee cake with a sublime cinnamon-nut swirl.
A classic breakfast cake is one of the handiest things to have in your baking repertoire, and this sour cream coffee cake from the famous Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, MI is one of the very best. Featured on the cover of the Zingerman’s Bakehouse Cookbook by Amy Emberling and Frank Carollo (Chronicle Books, 2017), the recipe is a treasure that’s worth the cost of the book alone.
The authors write, “This is our most popular coffee cake and possibly our most popular sweet item…As you can see, it is full of tasty fat—half a pound of butter, half a pound of sour cream, and three whole eggs – which yields a mellow and moist cake crumb.” But what makes it truly special is the contrasting flavor and crunch of the cinnamon-nut swirl that runs throughout. And the cake lasts: you can store it in a covered container on the countertop for up to two weeks (but good luck keeping it that long!).
Table of Contents
“This is ‘make-over’ coffee cake for me…..I will make it over and over and over again!”
What You’ll Need To Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Walnuts: Provide a nutty crunch and texture in the cinnamon-walnut swirl, adding a rich flavor contrast to the cake’s tender crumb.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and caramel-like depth to the swirl, helping balance the cinnamon’s spice and making the swirl moist.
- Cinnamon: Delivers warm spice that’s essential to the swirl, bringing a cozy and fragrant flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the cake. To ensure accuracy, measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Baking Soda: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the cake rise and become fluffy.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake while contributing to its soft, moist texture when combined with butter.
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture, making the cake tender and buttery, while also helping the sugar to cream properly.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add structure and moisture.
- Sour Cream: Adds moisture and richness to the cake, while the slight tang balances the sweetness and keeps the cake soft.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor, providing a warm, sweet aroma that complements the other ingredients.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, make the cinnamon-walnut swirl. Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Toast the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet until they’re fragrant and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Mix until combined, then set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the sugar and butter.
Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is homogenous.
On low speed, mix in the sour cream and vanilla.
The batter will look a little curdled at this point; that’s okay. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Gradually add the flour mixture.
And mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.
Scoop 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. (It won’t seem like enough, especially if you’re using a 12-cup Bundt — that’s okay. Just do your best to smooth it into an even layer with a spatula or back of a spoon.)
Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-walnut mixture evenly over the batter.
Cover with another 1/3 of the remaining batter, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter evenly over the pan and to the edges.
Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture evenly over the batter.
Cover with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly over the nut mixture.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Do not let the cake cool in the pan for much longer than this or the brown sugar in the streusel might stick to the sides of the pan and make it difficult to release the cake. Place a wire rack on top of the Bundt pan and then invert the pan to release the cake.
Let the cake cool completely before serving. The cake will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Enjoy!
You May Also Like
Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
From Zingerman’s Bakehouse, a rich and buttery sour cream coffee cake with a sublime cinnamon-nut swirl.
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
- 1 heaping cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the Cake Batter
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 1 (8 oz) container full fat sour cream
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl: Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Toast the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet until they’re fragrant and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to a plate to cool. In a small bowl, mix together the walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Spray a 9- or 10-in Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour. Tap out any excess flour. Alternatively, spray the pan with a nonstick spray with flour in it, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is homogenous. On low speed, mix in the sour cream and vanilla. The batter will look a little curdled at this point; that's okay. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.
- Scoop ⅓ of the batter into the prepared pan. (It won't seem like enough, especially if you're using a 10-in Bundt -- that's okay. Just do your best to smooth it into an even layer with a spatula or back of a spoon.) Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-walnut mixture evenly over the batter. Cover with another ⅓ of the remaining batter, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter evenly over the pan and to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture evenly over the batter and cover with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly over the nut mixture.
- Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until the cake is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Do not let the cake cool in the pan for much longer than this or the brown sugar in the streusel might stick to the sides of the pan and make it difficult to release the cake. Place a wire rack on top of the Bundt pan and then invert the pan to release the cake. Let the cake cool completely before serving. The cake will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (16 servings)
- Calories: 328
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Sugar: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Cholesterol: 73 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
We did not use the walnuts because we don’t care for nuts in our food. This recipe does take a bit of time to prepare. Having multiple mixers would make the job easier. My daughter asks for this item to be made for all special occasions. We ate this for dessert and breakfast. Coffee cake can be eaten with eggs and sausage or bacon. The taste is very sweet for our liking so I used natural cane sugar instead.
Hi Jenn! Question: I have a Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan which measures 10.5 x 10.5 x 4.5 vs. yours which is 9 x 9 x 4, so wondering: Could I just do one layer of filling or maybe a layer of filling on the bottom, one in the middle? Realize I’d have to flip w/in 5-10 minutes of removing from oven? But then yummy topping and middle to enjoy?
Thoughts or other suggestions?
Hi Diane, You can definitely just do one layer if you’d like. And I’ve never tried putting a layer like the cinnamon-walnut swirl at the bottom of a bundt pan. I’d be concerned that it would stick, but you know your pan the best. Please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Jenn
I don’t have a stand mixer. Will a hand mixer work just as well or do I have to make adjustments re: time?
Thanks
Sure! It may take just a few minutes longer with a hand mixer, but it will work perfectly fine. Hope you enjoy!
Sounds yummy but I’m not a huge fan of walnuts and love pecans. Can you follow the exact same recipe but just substitute pecans?
Sure, Gina. 🙂
My bundt pans are cast iron or a non stick cast aluminum. It doesn’t look like yours is that heavy. Would mine require adjustments? Which should I use?
I really want to make this.
Thanks for all your help.
Hi Mary, I think either will work — whichever you have the most success with — and no adjustments necessary. 🙂
Hello
I want to bake this cake. However, is 1/2 tsp of baking soda correct? It seems to be such a small amount.
Thank you.
Yep, Sandra, that’s correct. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
I made this and it was so easy and with a spectacular result as has been the case with all of your other recipes that I have tried so far — so moist and delicious. Very picky partner described it as “transformational”. At the same time, for some reason that is beyond me, I was asked if I could bake this again but without the Walnut filling. I wanted to ask you if you would recommend changing anything in the batter recipe (or baking time) if I were to skip the filling.
Thank you so much for yet another amazing recipe.
So glad you enjoyed this! I think you could make it without the swirl. You could add the cinnamon from the swirl into the batter, but other than that I wouldn’t fiddle with it. The cake may lack a little sweetness. If you want to add a bit more you could use a glaze like the one from this cake. Hope that helps!
Not a all like a coffee cake more like a pound cake. needs more cinnamon swirl filling. definitely not enough
I’m a baker and this recipe is delicious loved it ! If you use the Bundt pan that is on the picture it works perfect , and cool your Bundt cake only for 15 minutes and put it on your cake stand and it will release so easy 😊love this recipe Celeste Rodriguez from Celeste cookies and cakes from California
Is there a way to do this verrrry good cake so that it’s a cinnamon swirl throughout rather than the two “stripes”?
Hi Jane, I don’t really think you could incorporate the swirl throughout the whole cake as the extra sugar may impact the batter. You could put it in layers as the recipe instructs, but then take a butter knife and move it back and forth through the swirl to distribute it more through the cake. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jenn, I’m making this cake for the first time. Can you tell me what size Bundt pan would I use? Thanks!
Hi Cathy, You’ll need a 9- or 10-in Bundt pan. Hope you enjoy!
The ingredients are not explained as to how much brown sugar flour baking soda sugar cinnamon
Hi Eileen, If you scroll down beneath the step-by-step photos, you’ll find the ingredients.