CLASSIC COFFEE CAKE
breakfast, brunch, dessert, whenever! This is always a crowd pleaser.
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER | QUANTITY: 12-20 slices
LISTS
GROCERY LIST:
3 ½ sticks | Unsalted Butter (plus more for buttering baking dish - about 2 tablespoons)
2 large | Eggs
1 ½ cups | Sour Cream
2 cups | Dark Brown Sugar (packed)
2 cups | Granulated Sugar
1 ½ tablespoons | Ground Cinnamon
5 cups | All-purpose Flour (plus more for dusting baking dish - about 2 tablespoons)
1 ½ teaspoons | Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon | Baking Soda
1 teaspoon | Baking Powder
1 teaspoon | Vanilla Extract
KITCHENWARE:
13x9-inch Glass Baking Dish
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
2 Medium Mixing Bowls & 1 Large Mixing Bowl
Measuring Spoons & Cups, Sieve (fine mesh strainer) & Rubber Spatula
PREP
Helpful tips!
Let butter and eggs come to room temperature by leaving out for about 1 hour*.
Let sour cream come to room temperature by leaving out for about 30 minutes*.
When measuring flour, don’t pack the flour or you will end up adding more flour into the mixtures and risk having a drier cake. Instead, use a large spoon to scoop flour into measuring cups and level off with the handle of the spoon.
Don’t sift kosher salt. It’s usually not fine enough to get through the sieve.
*Dependent on the temperature of your home
BAKE
TOPPING:
2 sticks | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 cup | Dark Brown Sugar (packed)
½ cup | Granulated Sugar
1 ½ tablespoons | Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
2 ½ cups | All-purpose Flour
CAKE:
2 ½ cups | All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon | Baking Soda
1 teaspoon | Baking Powder
1 teaspoon | Kosher Salt
1 ½ sticks | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 ½ cups | Granulated Sugar
2 large | Eggs (room temperature)
1 ½ cups | Sour Cream (room temperature)
1 teaspoon | Vanilla Extract
Melt butter for the topping in a small pot over low heat. Mix frequently, making sure not to brown or boil butter. Once melted, remove from heat.
Make topping by mixing sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl with a fork. Add warm, melted butter and mix until combined. Add flour and toss with fork until large clumps form. It should look crumbly and slightly wet. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350° F and place rack in the center of the oven.
Butter 13x9-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter. Use your hands to smear butter all over the bottom, corners and sides of the inside of the baking dish. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoon of flour over buttered baking dish and rotate and tap the baking dish to move flour around to completely coat the bottom, corners and sides. Tap out excess flour. This will give a nice crust and allow for an easy removal when serving. Set aside.
Make the cake by sifting flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add salt, mix and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth and there are no visible lumps, about 1 minute if your butter is truly at room temperature. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add flour mixture in two parts, beating until incorporated after each addition. Batter should feel dense and well combined. Use a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients at the bottom and around the edges are incorporated.
Scoop cake batter into prepared baking dish, spreading evenly with rubber spatula, making sure to get the batter in the corners. Squeeze small handfuls of topping mixture together to form clumps. Crumble the clumps evenly over cake batter, covering completely. The topping will be thick. Use your hands to lightly press the crumbles into the cake batter. Don’t press too hard or you’ll risk breaking up the crumbles.
Bake cake for 30 minutes. Rotate baking dish to ensure an even bake and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the topping is a deep golden brown. Cool the cake in the baking dish for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Store leftovers in plastic wrap or airtight container at room temperature.
