This classic tube-pan coffee cake has a perfect texture, wonderful moistness (thanks to the sour cream) and a crispy crust, with a swirl of brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts in the cake and more on top. It keeps for days on the counter, so it’s perfect for slicing and enjoying all week or for a special breakfast or brunch!
There is something so lovely about having a beautiful coffee cake sitting on the counter. It’s perfect for a slice with morning coffee, afternoon tea or after dinner and ideal for special occasion entertaining.
This classic sour cream coffee cake makes a pretty presentation as it cooks “right side up” in the tube pan. The batter mixes up quickly and easily, and the same cinnamon crumb mixture is used for the filling and the topping.
No tube pan? No worries! Bake it as loaves instead (see the FAQ below).
What is a Tube Pan?
A tube pan is different from a bundt pan. A tube pan can be round or square, but will always have a “tube” in the centre. Think Angel Food Cake pan. Tube pans are typically taller than a bundt pan, so they will hold more batter. They can be two-part, with the bottom and the tube separate from the sides or just one-piece. I have and recommend the two-part tube pan as it is a little easier to release the cake from the pan.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter for this cake. If using unsalted butter, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the batter as noted in the Recipe Card.
Sour cream – Full-fat sour cream will produce the nicest finished cake. Lower-fat sour cream will work, but may affect the texture of the cake to some degree due to the lower fat.
Walnuts – Nuts are optional so you can simply omit them for a nut-free cake.
How to make this tube pan sour cream coffee cake
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs, then add the vanilla.
Step 2: Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream.
Step 3: The finished batter should be smooth and fluffy.
Step 4: Add 1/3 of the batter to the greased tube pan.
Step 5: Sprinkle 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture over the batter.
Step 6: Repeat layers of batter and cinnamon two more times, ending with cinnamon on top. Bake.
Recipe tips!
- Best practices for cake-baking definitely apply to this cake. Be sure to use room-temperature butter, eggs and sour cream for the best finished cake texture. And remember, “room-temperature” for butter is about 67- 68°F (not 72°F, so don’t over-soften the butter, which can make for a greasy cake).
- Beyond the room-temperature ingredients, pay special attention to the creaming of the butter and sugar at the start of mixing the batter. Creaming should be done at medium speed (Speed 4 or 5 on a KitchenAid mixer) and should be done for the full time specified. Set a timer to be sure! If using a KitchenAid mixer, use the paddle attachment and not the whisk.
- Be sure to measure the flour using the spoon and level method. That means to stir the flour, then spoon it into the dry measuring cup, overfilling it slightly. Use the back edge of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
- Baking times will vary from oven to oven and from pan to pan. My tube pan is dark, so it will bake more quickly than a lighter-coloured pan. Check early and check often towards the end of baking to avoid over- or under-baking, and be sure to use a long tester that can be inserted several inches into the cake, halfway between the edge of the pan and the centre of the tube.
FAQ
This cake is not ideal for a bundt pan for a couple of reasons. First, a tube-pan bakes right-side up, while a bundt pan bakes right-side down. You would be unable to create the topping in a bundt pan. Secondly, the most common 10-cup bundt pans are too small to hold all the batter for this cake (it may fit in a 12-cup bundt pan, however).
Cool the cake for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the cake and centre post. Cut a hole in the centre of a large paper plate (or use plastic wrap, in a pinch) and fit it over the centre post/tube of the pan on top of the cake. and place the paper plate/plastic over the top of the cake. Turn the cake upside down so that it comes out top-down on the paper plate. Place a cooling rack on the bottom of the removed cake and turn it right side up to cool.
Yes! As written, this recipe will make two 9×5-inch loaves, dividing the batter and filling/topping between the two loaves. Or halve the recipe and make one loaf.
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Get the Recipe: Classic Tube-Pan Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the coffee cake batter:
- 1 cup salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine table salt, increase to 1 1/4 tsp if using unsalted butter
- 2 cups sour cream, at room temperature, full-fat sour cream recommended
For the cinnamon swirl and topping:
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (can omit)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (non-convection/not fan-assisted). Grease a 10" x 4" tube pan well with cooking or baking spray. (If using a one-piece tube pan, you may want to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easier removal.) Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt for the batter. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric beater or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 cups of sugar together at medium speed (about Speed 4 or 5 on a Kitchenaid mixer) until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes, scraping down the bowl once halfway through. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beating just enough after each addition to keep the batter smooth.
- Spoon one-third batter into a greased 10-inch tube pan. Combine the cinnamon, walnuts and 3/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle one-third of the cinnamon mixture over the batter in the pan. Repeat the layers twice, ending with the last of the cinnamon mixture on top of the cake.
- Bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake (halfway between the tube and the outside edge) comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. Test regularly towards the end of baking to avoid over-baking. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. (See Notes below for tips on removing the cake from the tube pan.)
- Store the cake well wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. This cake will also freeze well for up to 2 months.
Notes
More coffee cake recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
