Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl

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From Zingerman’s Bakehouse, a rich and buttery sour cream coffee cake with a sublime cinnamon-nut swirl.

sour cream coffee cake

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!).

“This is ‘make-over’ coffee cake for me…..I will make it over and over and over again!”

Kari P

What You’ll Need To Make Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Coffee cake ingredients including vanilla, butter, and sour cream.
  • 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.

Walnuts on a lined baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Bowl of walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Mix until combined, then set aside.

Walnut mix in a bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Whisk in a bowl of dry ingredients.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the sugar and butter.

Sugar and butter in a stand mixer.

Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Beaten sugar and butter in a stand mixer.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is homogenous.

Egg in a stand mixer with beaten sugar and butter.

On low speed, mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

Sour cream and vanilla in a stand mixer with a butter mixture.

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.

Stand mixer of batter.

Gradually add the flour mixture.

Flour in a stand mixer with a butter mixture.

And mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.

Stand mixer of smooth sour cream coffee cake batter.

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.)

Bundt cake with sour cream coffee cake batter.

Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-walnut mixture evenly over the batter.

Walnut mix in a Bundt cake pan with sour cream coffee cake 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.

Layer of sour cream coffee cake batter in a Bundt pan.

Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture evenly over the batter.

Layer of walnut and cinnamon mixture in a Bundt pan.

Cover with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly over the nut mixture.

Layer of sour cream coffee cake batter to the top of a Bundt pan.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Sour cream coffee cake with cinnamon-walnut swirl in a Bundt pan.

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.

Sour cream coffee cake with cinnamon-walnut swirl on a wire rack.

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!

sour cream coffee cake

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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.

Servings: 16
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 70 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  4. 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.
  5. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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 Edamam

  • 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.

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Comments

  • Baking this in a 9.25×5.25×2.75 loaf pan. Any ideas on how to determine done-ness, as I think the nut/sugar/cinnamon swirl will not permit a reliable result using the “toothpick method”. Or could I be wrong (a distinct possibility)?

    • Hi Dawn, not 100 percent sure all the batter will fit in there but I do think that the toothpick method will still work to determine doneness. Bake time is likely to be a bit different so keep a close eye on it. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it this way!

      • I DID use the aforementioned loaf pan and it DID work, although it was an adventure in baking. I filled the pan to about 3/4″ of the rim, with a couple of tablespoons full of batter remaining which were taken care of by the consummate bowl-licker himself, so no loss of batter there. At 65 minutes/300 degrees, my thermometer was dripping “wet”, so I cranked the oven up to 350 degrees and when the thermometer hit 203 degrees, I removed the loaf from the oven, let cool in pan for 10 minutes or so and de-panned the loaf, with only minor difficulty relating to the crust over-lapping the rim (but not overflowing the pan). When cooled, I cut into 3/4″ slices, where each slice would be approximately 3 servings (for some, but not for me!). BOTTOM LINE: if using this sized pan, bake at 350 degrees for X minutes (40? 50?), until internal temperature hits ~203 degrees. Bake to temperature, NOT to time. Cool in pan as directed.

        • Thanks so much for the follow-up Dawn — I’m sure other readers will find it really helpful (and glad it turned out)! 🙂

  • OMG” the best coffee cake I ever ate” as per my guests.

  • I have had Zingerman’s coffee cake many times but I actually believe this recipe is BETTER! And how could you get any better than Zingerman’s?! This is the recipe that I stumbled on and found your cookbook! Needless to say, I am a happy camper to have so many awesome recipes at my fingertips and this one is at the top for sure! Thank you! I did not change a thing as it is PERFECT!

  • I need to make a nut free dessert recipe for my break fast due to allergies. Can I make the streusel with just the brown sugar and cinnamon or should I add something else to it?

    • Hi Jenny, You can replace the nuts with chocolate chips for kids or just leave out the nuts and double the brown sugar in the streusel. Hope that helps!

  • Can I split this recipe in half and bake in a loaf pan? Would love to make in loaves instead because a whole cake is too much for two people.

    Thanks. Absolutely love all your recipes! I am always sharing them with friends. I have given your cookbook away as gifts to all my favorite friends who love to cook. Your recipes are fool proof.

    • Thanks so much for the nice words about the recipes and for gifting the cookbook to others! 💓 Yes, halving the recipe and baking it in a loaf pan should work. Bake time will be different though — I’d start checking it at about 45 minutes. Please LMK how it turns out!

      • It was perfect. Thanks so much! Took about an hour to bake.

  • Hi Jenn,

    Any thoughts on how to make this a pumpkin sour cream coffee cake? I wanted to add canned pure pumpkin, but not sure what needs to be done. I think it might be tasty! Thanks.

    Diane

    • Hi Diane, I have a pumpkin bundt cake in the cookbook that I would suggest if you want to incorporate pumpkin. If you don’t have the cookbook, you can find it here. Hope you enjoy if you make it!

  • Could I use a 6 cup bundt pan for this? Traveling in our RV, so I only have small one. Cooking time? And would I use 1/2 or 2/3 recipe. Last question, I only have a mini chopper. Could that work for creaming the butter?

    • Hi Leslie, If you want to use a 6 cup bundt pan, I’d suggest cutting the recipe in half (however, I don’t think a chopper would work for creaming the butter so you may want to wait until you have access to a mixer to make it). Sorry!

  • Definitely going to try this recipe but I am feeling stupid: why do you call it coffee cake when there is no coffee in it?

    • Not a stupid question! It’s called coffee cake as it’s traditionally served along with coffee. 🙂 Hope you enjoy if you make it!

  • I often don’t write reviews. I have made several of your recipes. Today i made this cake and loved how it turned out. Had no walnuts and none in the store so i used bitter choclate and chocolate chips for the filling, and i love how it turned out. Thanks for such great recipes.

  • I made this for a brunch without giving it a test run first. It did not disappoint! Thank you 🙂

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