Mom’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake

mom's sour cream coffee cake

I’m starting to realize that life is short. I mean..I already know this but every now and then this thought enters my consciousness and I feel the need to SEIZE THE DAY. Then I get back to my routine and forget about it all, until I’m rudely awakened into remembering how precious life is.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Like this cake…I have this cake once a year. It’s really a shame that it’s only once a year. My mom makes it for Christmas day and she’s been making it for as long as I can remember. Us kids LOVE this cake. It’s apart of our holiday tradition and it tastes spectacular because it’s made with so much love. But why wait til Christmas day to eat this cake? Why not make it on a rainy afternoon in March when I’ve got the house to myself? I can certainly do that now that my mom gave me the recipe.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Do you know why it’s my most favorite coffee cake EVER? The outside is crispy while the inside is soft, moist and studded with a ridiculous amount of cinnamony walnuts. Did I mention that there’s a few caramelized patches on the outside? It kinda reminds me of a cross between an apple fritter & coffee cake. Yeah. You’re welcome. Wait. Thank my mom for this.

Life is short. SEIZE THE CAKE.

And we’re off!

Get your ingredients together. Everything is so simple. That’s why it’s good.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Butter & sugar get creamed with beaters. A mixer would be good for this too.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Eggs go in, one at at a time. Vanilla gets added in. Mixing happens and then sour cream enters the picture.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Don’t forget to make your cinnamon walnut topping.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Dry ingredients get mixed in.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Lube up and flour (I forgot the flour. OOPS) a bundt pan.

Layer 1/3 batter with 1/3 cinnamon walnut mixture. Repeat three times. It’s all fractiony!

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

This is the best part. Vanilla & water. This is the key.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Drizzle it on top of the cake. Magic happens. Then the cake gets baked for what seems like half a lifetime.

That is an exaggeration. I’m not patient when things bake in my oven.

Can you blame me?

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

While you’re waiting, you might as well clean the dishes and make your maple glaze.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Vanilla, maple syrup & confectioners sugar.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Oh HELLO.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

Thanks for un-bundting. There might be a few patches. Whatever.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

That’s why there’s glaze. It’s the photoshop of bundt mistakes.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

I guess it doesn’t hide EVERY mistake. But I put flowers in the shot. Look at those flowers.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

It’s all about the taste.

mom'e sour cream coffee cake

And really that’s all that matters.

Mom’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake

makes 12-16 servings

For the Cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups butter
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons each vanilla & water

Maple Frosting/Glaze

  • 1 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F

Beat butter and granulated sugar together until light & fluffy. Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream. Sift flour, baking powder, soda and salt together and blend into mixture.

Combine nuts, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the batter into a grease, flour-dusted 10 inch tube pan or bundt pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut mixture. Continue layering to make three layers of each, ending with the nut mixture. Blend vanilla and water in a bowl and drizzle it over top.

Bake cake for about 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 20 mintues on a wire rack, then remove from the pan.

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners sugar, maple syrup & vanilla together to make the glaze.

With a spoon drizzle glaze on top of the cooled cake and serve.

  • Aeshna

    This post makes me want to go hug my mom while stuffing my face with coffee cake.

  • AlisonA

    Yum. I’m so making this- with mini chocolate chips added in… Because I can’t help myself…

  • Blog is the New Black

    Looks heavenly, this is one of my fiance’s (many!) favorite foods!

  • Panya

    CEASE cake?! Never! Now if you said to SEIZE it, that I’d be down with. 🙂

  • Cristina

    Hahaha what a great freudian slip, Tracy! I have a hideous cold, so I would very much like to cease the day!

  • Katrina

    This cake needs to appear in my life. Yum!

  • SG

    Cease the day sounds dire… 😉

  • Jillian

    Can I cease today? I teach middle school…… lol
    This cake looks AMAZING!

  • Vanessa

    I could eat coffee cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Love the vanilla and water trick!! Will have to try it!

  • Jessica

    I would like a slice of that cake and that blue and white polka dot plate, please and thank you 🙂

  • Maria

    I have to make this cake! Love everything about it!

  • Meredith

    I’ve been looking for a recipe to use my awesome new bundt pan!

  • Amy

    80 minutes?? that is a long to wait for this deliciousness.

  • Emily

    Thank you, Tracy! I asked my husband a couple weeks ago if he liked coffee cake, and he said he did but he especially likes coffee cake with sour cream in it. I’ve been looking around for the perfect recipe since then, and I think this is it! This cake will be happening this weekend for sure!

  • Sandi

    Sounds AND looks delicious. Especially like that there is NO actual coffee in the cake. Thank you!
    Also like – that you are on Instagram now, enjoying your photos 😉

  • Amy

    I’m hosting the women in my family for brunch this weekend, and I’m pretty sure I just figured out what to make 🙂 Also, seriously, I need to learn how you style your shoots. My food shots always look ridic when I add “props.” This looks amazing.

  • Christina

    “Seize the cake” is my new motto!

  • Christina

    Coffee cake is one of my absolute favorite desserts. I could be fasting and dying to fit in my wedding dress and I will still eat this cake.

    On another note, this might be one of the reasons I’d totally choose to eat as much as I can and not lose weight. You and Joy had me cracking up, once again, on last week’s podcast!

  • sarah

    Oh wow. I seriously need a bundt pan. That’s the only thing standing between me and this cake.

  • Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe

    I LOVE coffee cake, especially when made with sour cream. Your Mom’s version looks fabulous and I can’t wait to make it! Seize the cake!

  • Kate

    Wait… there’s no coffee in the cake? I always thought coffee cake had to have coffee in it – does this mean it’s just a cake that’s meant to be eaten alongside coffee? I don’t like coffee (I know, gasp) so I’ve always skipped over coffee cake recipes. What have I been missing out on?!?!

  • joy the baker

    your scarf looks like it’s been run over by a firetruck. weird.

  • Jessica

    I like your mom for making this awesome cake. Mine buys coffee cakes and will occasionally make a box mix. As for me, after some tragic bundt accidents, I always spray the heck out of the pans with those baking sprays that have flour in them.

    p.s. there is almost no black in these photos!

    • Tracy

      someone noticed! I was trying to challenge myself…. Glad it worked! xoxo

      • Jessica

        Yep, well done! I’ve been noticing a lot more color around here. 🙂 You have a way of being colorful with b&w though, so I think both are good!

  • rachel @ sweettarte

    Tracy this pictures are SO PRETTY. You are so talented. I’m off to seize the day by getting my hair cut, and maybe I’ll get a piece of cake on the way!

  • Emily

    That looks AMAZING!!! Wish my mom was a baker…I guess I will just have to start traditions like this in my house when I have kids! : )

  • Kjersti

    My mom makes this same coffee cake for Christmas day also!!! Actually for christmas breakfast. It has become one of my absolute favorite christmas traditions, especially as I’ve gotten older and its not really about presents anymore 🙂 Also I have been craving this cake for quite some time and have had a little conversation going on inside my head about whether or not I should make it or wait till next christmas!!!! I think i’ve made up my mind:) hehehe

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out

    I want it. In my tummy. RIGHT NOW.

    It’s those cinnamony walnuts that got me. Dang.

  • Villy @ For the love of Feeding

    Seize the cake indeed! Mouthwatering!

  • Sarah

    Wow, this is definitely something you shouldn’t wait for once a year. It looks amazing!

    – Sarah
    A Girl In Transit

  • vanillasugarblog

    oh my gosh!
    that looks SO GOOD!

  • Jill S.

    YUM, thanks for sharing! One thing: your pics look like it’s one and a half sticks of butter, not cups. Is that right? Or are there really three sticks of butter in there? [not that there’s anything wrong with that! ; ) ]

  • Nicole

    Mom knows best and this is just more evidence of that 🙂 I love all of the layers of deliciousness!!

  • Katya

    I am loving this coffee cake and will be making it for my dad’s birthday tomorrow. Perfect timing!

  • Rita

    I have to try this…it looks yummy! Thanks for sharing.

  • amy h

    whoever decided cake for breakfast was acceptable, was BRILLIANT! I hope you’re seizing every last piece!

  • cate

    Is there any way this can be made in a different pan? I’m not good with getting bundt cakes unbundted. What might you suggest? And how would I adjust the baking time?

  • cate

    Oh, nevermind. I see it can go into a tube pan.

  • Mary

    this looks so good! Note to self: get bundt pan (it just looks so great in that shape!).

  • Ashley

    Thank you Mama Shutterbean!! This cake looks way too incredible for once a year. Seizing the cake refers to cookies too right? Okay good ’cause yeah, I did that.

  • jen @ the baked life

    MOIST.

    Thanks Tracy’s Mom, I totes will be making this.

  • Katie

    This looked incredible just from the picture, but when I saw the maple glaze I just couldn’t believe it. This sounds fantastic!

  • Rebekka

    Oh my GOSH, I seriously think any baked good with sour cream is just the best thing ever. This looks AMAZING!

  • Linda

    Oh sure, NOW you post your Mom’s recipe when I’m on my green smoothie kick, (which by the way are simply delish, and thanks for the Vitamix blender advice). Dianne is coming for Easter so I am taking a smoothie break while she is here. This cake will be on our menu!

  • Alison

    In my house it was always my dad who made the coffee cakes. This post brings back delightful memories of eating slice after slice with him around the kitchen table with cups of tea in hand.

  • Tiffanie

    I loves it when you use the bundt pan. This looks amazing.

    What do you have planned for Easter up in here? I need a good springy drink recipe, we’re having an Easter Eve cocktail party and I’d love a good idea! 🙂

    • Tracy

      On the sidebar of the main page here, I have a sprtizer that would be lovely! It’s light pink!

  • Family Meals and Cooking Tips

    Tracy, this cake looks sooooo ridiculously moist and yum. The last photo with the fork about to dive in seriously makes my mouth water.

  • Amanda Leigh

    This looks amazing. Your mom is quite the powerhouse of a cook – as her artichoke squares were seriously To Die For! I think this cake needs to go into serious rotation at my house – starting TONIGHT! (If only I wasn’t already at work I could make it now. *SIGH*)

  • heather

    i love draw something too. would love to start up a game. oh, i’m going to try this cake too, loved your earl gray chocolate one.

  • Ashley

    I read this post twice yesterday, and am now looking at it again thinking about how badly i NEED to make it this weekend. Its calling out to me! I don’t have a bundt pan, but I might just need to go purchase one. I won’t be shocked if I have a dream about this cake tonight!

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  • ileana

    This is my kind of cake. YUM.

  • BigYellowEyes

    Looks good!! I’m going to try this cake 🙂

  • Eartha Kitsch

    It’s so strange. I was just thinking of sour cream cake yesterday. My Mom always made it and I don’t think I’ve had it for at least 25 years. This looks dead-on delicious!

  • Nikkilooch

    I made your mom’s cake last night and saved cutting it for breakfast this morning. What a good way to start the weekend! So good.

  • Emily

    I made this for breakfast today and it was fantastic! I wish I would have done what Nikkilooch above did though, and baked the cake last night. Two hours for baking and cooling was a long time to wait for breakfast! But it was worth it in the end. I couldn’t believe how soft and fluffy the cake was in the middle.

  • Teri

    I have this baking in the oven right now and the house smells divine. I used Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream since that’s all I had on hand. I hope it will still be as good as your mom’s!

    • Tracy

      oh let me know!!! i was wondering how it would turn out. I’m pretty sure it would still be amazing.

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  • neha gattani

    Hi Tracy..can you tell me the size of the bundt pan that you used. Thanks

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  • wendy

    Tracy, I love your website and podcast, but I physically cringe every time you use the word, “lube.”

  • Joelle Deschambault

    I just wanted to say that I did that cake for Easter and it was so freaking good. People were nuts about it. Thanks a lot for sharing one of your mom’s recipe. If you would like to see a picture of my cake, I’m posting it today on my blog:)

  • Tara

    I want to buy a bundt pan just to make this!

  • denize berrisford

    just found this site, wow , made the sour cream coffee cake, delish…. hope to try more:)

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  • HK

    I made this cake this weekend and it was out of this world good!!! Thank you and your mom for the recipe.

  • neha gattani

    Made this cake for the second time and was loved by all my friends. Thanks a lot for the recipe.

  • Michelle

    Now that I’ve stopped drooling, do you reckon I could make this in a square cake tin? 8 or 9 inches???

  • debbie

    I just viewed this recipe. I love the web page and look forward to making this delicious cake! Thank you!

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  • Marcia

    This cake reminds me of my Mom! She made a cake like this one and it was delicious! I can’t wait to try this one too. Thanks for the recipe and the nice memories that eating it will bring.

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  • Tru

    Thanks a bunch, another variation… I don’t know what it is about this recipe the smallest ingredients altered change the whole cake..
    Like your mom I’ve been making this for Xmas for years..
    However this year I’ve messed with the butter amounts, unsalted vs. salted and the amount of filling and the technique in layering batter.
    It can be tricky.
    I did however use only Organic everything this year … and I have to say a cleaner taste and not as much bewilderment on the additives and toxic add ins..
    Thanks again for the variation on the vanilla topping..
    That’ll be my next variation thanks to your mommy… t

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  • Carrie

    I made this for my Grandma last month at Christmas and she loved it! Kept saying how good it was while she ate it :).

  • Marche

    I made this for a co-worker last week and her exact words were “This is THE MOST AMAZING coffee cake I have ever had”. Everyone in the office agreed. Too bad the announcement also went out that was the last baked goods I was bringing in. So thank you for providing this recipe so that I went out with a bang. My boyfriend heard so much ruckus about it, I am baking another this weekend!

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  • Jackie

    Hi Tracy

    Do I glaze the cake after the 20 minute rest or wait until it cools completely.

  • CAH

    Just made this cake, and WOW. It is delicious. I’m eating some right this moment. Very moist, and awesome flavor with all that vanilla.

    For anyone who cares about using a different sized pan… I was going to halve the recipe but the ingredients are obviously easier to third, so I took a gamble… I baked in an 8″x8″ pan. It seemed there was barely enough batter to spread in the pan before baking but I’ve ended up with about a 1.5″-2″ high cake and it’s extraordinarily tasty.

    You could probably halve the recipe and bake in an 8″x8″ (or 9″) and have a taller cake.

    Thank you for this recipe, it’s going to be a keeper!

  • CAH

    Oh and btw… I baked at 300 (was using a dark metal pan) for 25 minutes.

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  • Sarah

    Tracy I make this all the time and every single person who has eaten it says it’s the best cake they have ever had. I thought they were just being kind but I bake a lot of cakes and this is the one they all request when it’s their birthday/house move/kids birthday/they’re sick…any excuse! it’s so good!

    • Tracy

      Amazing!!!! You are good friend to have, that’s for sure! My mom would be so happy to hear that her cake is a hit!

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  • Cecilia

    Love this cake, made it 3 times and planning to make it again this weekend. Only now I noticed it was published at my birthday! Best cake ever!

  • Marche

    I made this in muffin form this weekend…halved the recipe and set 2 layers in a cupcake pan to make 12 cupcakes/muffins. OMGosh…my boyfriend ate one before I could glaze them and 5 more once I finished glazing. ANOTHER hit!

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  • neha gattani

    I want to make this cake for an office party tomorrow. If I bake it the night before, do I store it in the fridge or at room temperature? Thank you.

  • Pat

    Well, after my husband hit Gordon’s for some sour cream yesterday to top the baked potatoes (he came home with a huge, and I mean huge container), I started looking for a new Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe. I knew yours had that little extra touch I was looking for.

    WOW! It’s decadently delish. I’m going out for dinner soon, it’s all I can do to not eat another slice. Thank you for this wonderful recipe Tracy’s mom, and a big thanks to Tracy for putting it out there. This will go into my favorites.

  • Caterers Las Vegas

    These looks delicious! I love Coffee Cake. I will try doing it next weekend, hopefully I will make it as close as good as yours.

  • Connie Q

    I have this in the oven right NOW! Like one of the other commentors I wondered if the 1 1/2 cups was really 1 1/2 CUBES of butter? I decided to split the difference and used 1 cup (2 cubes) of butter. I also cut the white sugar to 1 cup in a half-@$$ attempt to make it a bit more healthy. hahahaha I tasted a bit of the batter and oh my…yummy! Now…waiting for the cake to complete baking. Thank you for sharing your mom’s recipe! It’s just what I was searching for today.

    • Tracy

      Oh! Yes. You read that correctly. It’s 1 1/2 cups of butter which is equivalent to 3 sticks (!!) of butter. Which is probably why it’s so dang good. How did it turn out with two sticks?

  • Las Vegas Indian Restaurants

    Yummmmm….I love all types of Cake. I will try doing it weekend, hopefully I will make it as close as good as yours.

  • Jessie

    When she says 80 minutes, she means 80 minutes. At 60 my knife came out clean so I took it out of the oven. Not quite done. Still tasty. But not right.

  • Jennie

    Made this today with 5% fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream, it was so good! The batter was probably a bit denser than it was supposed to be but still looks and tastes awesome!

  • Cary

    I’ve made your mom’s sour cream coffee cake several times and it’s so good…it’s even better knowing it came for your mama.

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  • Becky B

    Made this for NYE at my parents’ house, it came out great! It’s also goof-proof….I was already layering it in my pan when I realized I forgot to add the sour cream! Dumped everything back into my mixing bowl, mixed it all together (ruined my layers) and shoved it in the oven with a quick prayer. Tasted delicious!!

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  • Katie

    I made this coffee cake a few months ago (shortly after quarantine started – late March, I think?)
    I used pecans instead of walnuts (in part because I like them more and in part because the walnuts I attempted to acquire were MIA from my grocery pickup order at the time) and cake flour instead of regular (see: quarantine) with the amount increased as per the bag instructions. I believe it was an extra 2T of flour per cup of AP. I also made only half of the glaze, which was just the right amount.
    This coffee cake is INCREDIBLE. I say is, because after calculating the calories (I track my food because I’m a short lady – obviously YMMV), I knew it would be a bad idea for me to eat it all in a week (I live alone) and froze most of it. I am eating my second-to-last piece for breakfast (with coffee, natch) in June.
    I wrapped them (two pieces at a time) tightly in plastic wrap and then put all of them in a gallon ziploc bag.
    To defrost, I just put them (still wrapped in the plastic) in a bowl on the counter and let them come to room temp. I did once slowly microwave one and that worked well too.
    This is definitely (for me) a special occasion sort of cake/baked good. It took some time to make, but the end result was fabulous.
    Assuming I get to see my friends and family again at some point, I look forward to one day making this for an event. It is definitely a recipe worth sharing.
    Thanks, Tracy!!

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