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.
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!
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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.
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
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- 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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Amazing coffee cake! I used fat free plain greek yogurt instead of the sour cream and cut the sugar down a bit. It turned out beautifully – super moist and rich and cinammony!
Just made this cake, and unfortunately it did not turn out. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I did add blueberries and baked it at 300, but after 60 minutes the center was still not done. INcreased the oven temp to 325 or 350 and then the top started becoming darker brown while the center still was not done. I did add blueberries. Not sure if that was the problem or not. It ended up taking about 90 minutes to get done and when I pulled the fork out, it came out clean. However, the center also was sunken in, and when I turned it upside down and put it onto a plate, the center was still not done.
Hi Marsha, I’m sorry you had a problem with the cake! I feel confident it was the blueberries that caused the problem. They would’ve added a lot of moisture to the cake and as a result, it took a lot longer to bake. Also, you mentioned the center sunk. That’s also a sign that the inside was underbaked.
I’m in Europe (Poland) and made the sour cream coffee cake which I made several times in the states with no problem but here, the cake never cooked through. I used a copper Bundt pan and 38 percent sour cream and temp at 149 Celsius What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Hi John, The oven temp was too low — it should be baked at 165°C. I’m not sure if you know but the great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements and oven temps. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, I had same issue John described above and I am now confused to read that it should be baked at 165°C as instructions mention to reduce oven to 150°C after toasting the walnuts. Maybe I did not read carefully enough. Appreciate if you can clarify. Thanks
Hi Toby, that’s my bad and I’m so sorry for the confusion! When I responded to John, I hadn’t looked at the full recipe and I thought the oven temp for the entire time was 165°C. (I haven’t made the cake in a while.) That said, I am sorry to hear that you found the cake to be underbaked ; did you make any adjustments to the recipe or the ingredients?
Fabulous Recipe ..
Delicious! Funny story…I got distracted while mixing the ingredients and forgot to add the flour before layering in the bundt pan. Oops! So I poured the batter(less the flour) and the cinnamon mixture back in the bowl, added the flour, then poured the entire batter back in to the bundt pan. It came out perfectly. LOL.
i did the same thing
This cake is outrageously good! As a Michigan native, I’m familiar with Zingerman’s Deli. Who knew they had a bakery? This cake was a grand slam at dinner last night. The only tweak I made is a Jen Segal tip. I swapped the flour dusting with a sprinkle of sugar on the greased bundt pan. It adds a hint of sparkle and a slight crunch. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe, Jen.
I cut down the sugar by 100 grams, and replace sour cream with greek yogurt, it turns out great.. Thanks Jenn for the recipe. Will make it again for sure
Hi, I am planning to bake this cake. However, I realized the recipe doesn’t call for baking powder. Just was wondering why is that? Thanks!
Also, is there an icing that you would recommend?
Hi Frederick, this would be nice with a glaze like the one in this recipe (but I’d replace the lemon juice with water). Hope that helps and that you enjoy! 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I baked it yesterday and it turned out great! I did not end up using icing because the cake was moist and sweet on its own!
Hi Frederick, with the baking soda and the acidity of the sour cream, you get enough rise that you don’t need baking powder too. 🙂
The sour cream reacts with baking soda so baking powder is not necessary.
Hi – Can the recipe be halved and baked in a loaf pan instead or can the entire recipe be split between two loaf pans? I do not have a bundt pan. Thank you.
Sure, Danielle, you can use two 8-1/2 x4-1/2-inch loaf pans. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you! The recipe turned out wonderfully in the two loaf pans. The coffee cake is delicious and I look forward to making it again soon.
So glad it came out nicely — thanks for taking the time to report back! 🙂
I used this recipe for a Mothers Day brunch, and it was awesome! I am replacing my go-to coffee cake recipe with this one! Thank you for sharing it.