Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaves

These Sour Cream Coffee Cake loaves were something I originally made for The Chicago Food Swap, an event we loved attending back when we lived in Chicago. The cakes are light and soft and baked in disposable 8x4 inch loaf pans for easy gifting or swapping. While they were perfect for the food swap, these days I'd be more likely to bake them as hostess gifts.

One Loaf or Two

One recipe makes two 8x4 or inch Sour Cream Coffee Cake loaves. If you'd rather make just one loaf, you can put everything in one larger loaf pan (9x5). So far I've only made these as smaller loaves, but I'm sure the larger version would work with minor bake time adjustments.

Texture and Flavor

What’s great about these cakes is the combination of textures. The cake itself has a soft and tender texture from the sour cream, while the cinnamon swirl adds a touch of warmth and spice. The cake is moist and flavorful, with a slightly tangy note from the sour cream and a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon. The cinnamon swirl creates a beautiful marbled effect throughout the cake, making it visually appealing as well. And then of course you've got your nuts, for some crunch!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaves Freeze Well

Just layer everything in the pan, bake, cool and freeze. Once frozen, you can wrap and decorate the loaves as you please and carry them along frozen to any event. By the time you arrive they should be thawed and ready to serve (or swap).

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Recipe

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaves

Anna

Sour cream and pastry flour give this coffee cake a light texture.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 pieces

Equipment

• 2 8x4 inch loaf pans

Ingredients

 

Cake

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
• 1 cup sugar (190 grams)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake or pastry flour (240 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream (228 grams)

Topping

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ cup 2 ounces toasted and chopped walnuts

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
• With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Using lowest speed of mixer, add eggs one by one. Increase mixer speed to medium high and beat for about 60 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat in vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a heavy duty scraper or big spoon to stir, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream stirring by hand until mixed.
• Mix together both sugars and cinnamon, then stir in the toasted nuts.
• Cover bottom of each pan with cake batter (about 1 ½ cups per pan). Sprinkle a layer of nuts and sugar across the batter layer. Spread remaining batter across nuts and sugar layer in each pan, then top with remaining nuts and sugar.
• Set the two loaf pans on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely. If desired, wrap cooled loaves in plastic and foil, put in freezer bags and freeze.

Notes

I got just the right texture when I used 240 grams (8 ½ oz) of pastry flour. All-purpose and cake flour will work, but the results might be a little different. The key is to use 240 grams or 8 ½ oz. If you don't have a scale and you are using cake flour, that would be 2 cups and 2 tablespoons. If you are using all-purpose flour (which is a little bit heavier), that would be about 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons. Of course volume is never really precise so it's hard to say.

Keyword Coffee Cake, Sour Cream

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