Ultimate Moist Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake: Your Easy-to-Bake Brunch Delight

Indulge in the irresistible allure of this moist pecan sour cream coffee cake, a recipe so incredibly easy to master that it will quickly become your go-to for any occasion. Requiring just 20 minutes of preparation time, this exquisite coffee crumb cake is a perfect centerpiece for a leisurely Sunday brunch, a crowd-pleaser at bake sales, or simply an ideal companion to your morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea. Its tender crumb, rich cinnamon swirl, and crunchy pecan streusel topping combine to create a truly unforgettable baking experience that promises comfort and joy in every bite.

What sets this pecan sour cream coffee cake apart is its remarkable simplicity and the resulting complex flavors. It boasts a luscious brown sugar cinnamon filling nestled within a fluffy, moist cake, all crowned with a delectable streusel topping generously studded with pecans. I truly believe this might be the finest coffee cake recipe I’ve ever created, standing proudly alongside my beloved chai coffee cake recipe. The combination of textures and flavors makes it an absolute triumph, perfect for impressing guests or simply treating yourself to something truly special.

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Why You’ll Love This Easy Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake!

• Effortless Preparation: This wonderfully soft and fluffy coffee cake requires merely 20 minutes of active prep time, making it an ideal baking project for a relaxed weekend. You can whip it up with minimal fuss, leaving you more time to savor the delicious results. It’s perfect for when you crave a homemade treat without spending hours in the kitchen.
• Unrivaled Moisture and Tenderness: The cake itself is a delightful yellow, fluffy creation, and its secret weapon is sour cream. This ingredient is the key to achieving an extra moist crumb and an incredibly tender texture that practically melts in your mouth. The acidity of the sour cream also helps activate the baking soda, contributing to its light and airy structure.
• Signature Cinnamon Brown Sugar Swirl: A truly great coffee cake, in my opinion, simply must have a brown sugar cinnamon filling. This recipe delivers just that – a sweet, spiced layer that runs through the middle of the cake, adding a burst of flavor and a beautiful visual swirl. It’s the perfect complement to the rich cake base.
• Crunchy Pecan Streusel Topping: No coffee cake is complete without a delightful streusel. Our version features a rich, crumbly topping made from pecans, flour, butter, and sugar. The pecans add a fantastic nutty crunch and depth of flavor, creating a wonderful contrast to the soft cake below. It’s the crowning glory that elevates this cake from good to extraordinary.

Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Coffee Cake

Crafting this delicious pecan sour cream coffee cake starts with selecting the right ingredients. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and some helpful tips for each:

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• All-Purpose Flour: This is the backbone of our cake. I use standard all-purpose flour, which is also known as plain flour in many countries, like the UK. Ensure it’s fresh and properly stored for the best results. Sifting the flour can also help create an even lighter crumb.
• Butter: For superior richness and flavor, I consistently opt for European-style butter in my baking recipes. This type of butter boasts a higher butterfat content compared to American varieties, which translates to a noticeably creamier texture and a richer taste in your finished dessert. Make sure it’s at room temperature for optimal creaming.
• Cardamom: I adore the unique, aromatic warmth that cardamom brings to breakfast and brunch recipes. Its subtle, citrusy-floral notes pair beautifully with the cinnamon in this coffee cake. If you don’t have cardamom on hand, you can easily substitute it with an equal amount of cinnamon to enhance the spice, or simply omit it if you prefer.
• Sour Cream: This ingredient is a true game-changer, responsible for the incredibly moist and tender crumb of our cake. The acidity in sour cream also reacts with the baking powder, promoting a lovely rise and delicate texture. For an alternative, full-fat plain yogurt makes an excellent substitute, providing similar moisture and tang.
• Pecans: These provide the star crunch in our delightful streusel topping. Their buttery, earthy flavor complements the sweet cake perfectly. For an extra layer of flavor, consider lightly toasting your pecans before chopping. If pecans aren’t your preference, walnuts are a fantastic substitute, offering a similar texture and rich, nutty taste.
• Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar: A combination of both sugars ensures the perfect balance of sweetness and moisture. Granulated sugar provides structure, while brown sugar adds depth of flavor and keeps the cake extra moist.
• Baking Powder: Our primary leavening agent, ensuring a light and airy texture. Make sure your baking powder is fresh for the best rise.
• Eggs: Act as binders and contribute to the cake’s structure and richness. Ensure they are at room temperature to emulsify properly with the butter and sugar.
• Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla enhances all the other flavors, adding a classic warmth and aroma to the cake. Use a good quality pure vanilla extract for the best taste.
• Cinnamon: Essential for both the filling and the streusel, cinnamon provides that classic coffee cake spice that everyone loves.
• Kosher Salt: A pinch of salt balances the sweetness and brings out the full flavor of all the ingredients. If using fine table salt, use half the amount specified.

Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Your Perfect Coffee Cake

Follow these easy steps to create a truly delicious pecan sour cream coffee cake that will impress everyone:

Step 1: Prepare the Pecan Streusel Topping. In a medium-sized jug or bowl, begin by thoroughly whisking together your dry streusel ingredients: granulated sugar, kosher salt, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon. Once combined, pour in the melted butter. Use a whisk or a fork to gently mix until all the dry spots are moistened and the mixture forms a coarse, crumbly texture. Finally, fold in your chopped pecans. It’s crucial that there are no dry pockets remaining, as these could cause the streusel to sink during baking. Place this mixture in the fridge to chill and firm up while you proceed with the cake batter.

Step 2: Cream Butter and Sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature unsalted butter, kosher salt, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground cardamom, baking powder, and vanilla extract. Beat these ingredients together on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and smooth. This creaming process incorporates air, which is vital for a tender cake texture.

Step 3: Incorporate Eggs. Add your eggs to the creamed mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. After adding each egg, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. This ensures that all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and no unmixed pockets remain, leading to a homogenous batter.

Step 4: Alternate Dry and Wet Ingredients. Begin by adding one-third of the all-purpose flour to the batter and beat on the lowest speed until just combined. Next, add half of your sour cream and beat again until just incorporated. Repeat this process once more with another third of the flour and the remaining sour cream. Finish by adding the last third of the flour. Mix only until there are no visible flour streaks or pockets. Be very careful not to overmix the batter, as this can lead to a tough cake.

Step 5: Prepare the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling. In a separate small bowl, whisk together your light brown sugar and ground cinnamon for the internal filling. Set this aside briefly.

Step 6: Layer the Cake Batter and Filling. Take your prepared 8×8 inch baking pan (greased and lined with parchment paper, allowing for an overhang on the sides for easy removal). Pour approximately half of your coffee cake batter into the pan, spreading it evenly to form the base layer. Then, evenly sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon filling mixture over this bottom cake layer, ensuring good coverage. The parchment paper overhang will be incredibly helpful later for lifting the baked cake.

Step 7: Add Remaining Batter and Smooth. Carefully pour the remaining half of your cake batter over the cinnamon sugar filling layer. Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread the batter, ensuring it evenly covers the filling without disturbing it too much. Take your time to create a smooth top layer.

Step 8: Top with Streusel and Bake. Retrieve your chilled pecan streusel topping from the fridge. Evenly sprinkle this crumbly mixture over the entire surface of the cake batter in the pan. Transfer the pan to your preheated oven and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown, and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Expert Tips for the Best Coffee Cake Every Time

• Precision is Key: Measure Ingredients by Weight. For consistent and accurate baking results, I cannot stress enough the importance of using a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients, especially in metric grams. Volume measurements (like cups) can be imprecise and lead to varying outcomes, whereas weighing ensures you use the exact quantities needed for a perfect cake every single time. It truly makes a significant difference to the texture and rise of your baked goods!
• Room Temperature Ingredients are Non-Negotiable. Make it a habit to bring all your cold ingredients – eggs, sour cream, and butter – to room temperature before you begin baking. This usually means pulling them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you plan to start the recipe. Room temperature ingredients emulsify much better, resulting in a smoother, more uniform batter and a finer, more tender crumb in your finished coffee cake.
• Parchment Paper for Easy Release. To ensure your beautiful coffee cake comes out of the pan effortlessly, line your 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. This creates convenient “handles” that allow you to lift the entire cake out of the pan once it’s baked and cooled slightly, making slicing and serving a breeze with minimal mess.
• Thoroughly Mix Your Pecan Streusel. When preparing the streusel topping, dedicate a moment to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and evenly moistened by the melted butter. If there are dry spots or unmixed flour, these areas are prone to absorbing moisture from the cake batter during baking, which can cause the streusel to sink into the cake instead of forming a crisp, crumbly topping.
• Choose the Right Baking Pan. For optimal baking, I recommend using a light-colored metal baking pan for this recipe. Dark metal pans absorb and retain heat more aggressively, which can lead to the edges and bottom of your coffee cake baking (or even scorching) faster than the center, resulting in an unevenly baked cake. A lighter pan promotes even heat distribution for a beautifully golden and perfectly baked cake.
• Don’t Overmix the Batter. Once you start adding the flour, mix only until the ingredients are just combined and no streaks of dry flour remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to a tough, dense cake. A light hand and mixing on the lowest speed are your best friends here.
• An Oven Thermometer is Your Secret Weapon. Oven temperatures can vary greatly, even in newer appliances. Using an independent oven thermometer allows you to verify your oven’s actual temperature, ensuring your cake bakes at the correct heat for the specified time, leading to consistent and perfect results every time.
• Cool Completely for Best Slicing. While it’s tempting to dig in right away, allowing the coffee cake to cool completely (or at least mostly) before slicing will result in cleaner cuts and prevent the cake from falling apart. The structure fully sets as it cools.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Serving Your Delicious Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake

While this coffee cake is undeniably delicious on its own, a few simple additions can elevate your serving experience. Consider dusting the top with a delicate layer of powdered sugar for an elegant finish. A light vanilla glaze made from powdered sugar and milk can also add an extra touch of sweetness. For a special brunch, pair a slice with fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream, or even a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for a dessert-like treat. It’s the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee, a robust cup of tea, or even a celebratory mimosa.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

To keep your pecan sour cream coffee cake fresh and delicious, store it properly. At room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, it will stay fresh for up to 3 days. If you wish to extend its shelf life, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, this coffee cake freezes beautifully. Wrap individual slices or the entire cake tightly in plastic wrap, then again in aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving. You can even warm individual slices slightly in the microwave for a just-baked feel.

Expand Your Baking Repertoire: Try These Recipes Next!

If you loved baking this pecan sour cream coffee cake, you’re sure to enjoy these other delightful recipes from my collection. They are perfect for expanding your baking skills and discovering new favorites:

Have you tried making this scrumptious pecan sour cream coffee cake? I’d absolutely love to hear from you! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella with your beautiful creations, and please leave a review below if you have! For even more baking inspiration and delicious recipe ideas, be sure to follow me on Pinterest. Happy baking!

Recipe Card: Pecan Sour Cream Coffee Cake