Best-ever Sour Cream Coffee Cake {Recipe}

Coffee cake is an easy morning treat that never fails to please, especially if you make the batter and the topping ahead of time and assemble them in the morning to bake.  I made this coffee cake for the last day of my psychiatry rotation to share in our morning report.  Every last crumb was devoured before we got through the patient list for the day!  The sour cream makes it especially moist and delicious, without making it greasy.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Adapted from David Page’s Recipes from Home

Cake
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. table salt
3/4 lbs. (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. regular sour cream

Topping

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9×13″ baking pan.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

3.  In a separate small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and nuts for the topping.

4.  Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time.  Beat well between each.  Beat in the sour cream, then turn the mixer down to low speed and mix in the flour gradually.  Stir just until combined.

5.  Spoon 1/3 of the dough into the baking pan and spread it by hand so that it covers the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the brown sugar topping over the top, then spread another 1/3 of the dough over the sugar layer. Stretching and pulling by hand worked best for me.  Sprinkle over another 1/3 of topping mixture, and then add the last of the dough.  Finish with the final 1/3 of the brown sugar mixture sprinkled over the top.

6.  Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or cooled to room temperature.