Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

This recipe dates back to 2011 when Jamie was working in Portland, Maine. One of the signature dishes at the bakery she working at was a Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake, and it was so popular that she was baking it 4-5 days per week. The second this baby comes out of your oven, you will see why it was such a fan favorite. It is a giant coffee cake that really makes a statement. It has a rich sour cream batter with an addicting cinnamon and pecan swirl. It feeds a crowd and is perfect for Easter brunch, a baby shower, or any large breakfast gathering. The key to this coffee cake recipe is to let the sour cream and baking soda sit for a long as possible before you make the batter. The sour cream turns foamy and makes the decadent batter light and fluffy while it bakes.

Cinnamon Crunch Coffee Cake

  • Servings: 8-12
  • Print

Our favorite sour cream coffee cake from Jamie’s baking days in Maine.

Ingredients for the Cake

  • 3.5 cups of flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • powdered sugar for garnish, optional

Ingredients for the Cinnamon Crunch

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tbs cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix the sour cream and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Let stand until foamy.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a third mixing bowl, make the Cinnamon Nut Topping mixture by adding all of the ingredients for the cinnamon crunch to a bowl with the exception of the butter. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to mix the butter into the remaining ingredients. You want the texture to be similar to clumps of sand. Set aside.
  5. Use a stand mixer (we promise this is the last bowl) to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, waiting until the first egg is completely absorbed before adding the next. Add the vanilla to the batter and mix to combine.
  6. Add the sour cream mixture and the and flour mixture into the mixing bowl with the butter and sugar by alternating 1/3 of sour cream mix, 1/3 of the flour mix. Just mix until lightly combined – DO NOT OVER MIX! Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is completely combined.
  7. Spray a tube pan or bundt pan with cooking spray. If you are using a tube pan, add 2/3 of the batter to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of the Cinnamon Nut Topping on top of the batter in an even layer. Top with the remaining batter and then the rest of the Cinnamon Nut Topping. If you are using a bundt pan, layer 1/2 of the batter into the bottom of the pan followed by all of the Cinnamon Nut Topping. Top with the rest of the batter and smooth it into an even layer.
  8. Bake the coffee cake for 60 – 70 minutes, rotating the cake 180 degrees in the oven after 35 minutes. Test the cake with a long skewer to make sure it is baked completely through before removing the cake from the oven. Cool the cake for at least one hour before removing it from the pan. Use a butter knife to scrape the sides of the pan and the center circle in the middle to gently remove the cake. Top with powdered sugar to serve.

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