Ina Garten's Sour-Cream Coffee Cake Recipe For Beginners Is Comfort Food at Its Sweetest

By Chanel Vargas

Professional chef and vodka-loving queen Ina Garten has kept us full with her indulgent dinner recipes for years, but her new recipe for sour-cream coffee cake has me so hungry for brunch. The detailed recipe was made with at-home chefs in mind, and it breaks down exactly how to get from a mixing bowl and a bag of flour to a decadent cake topped with cinnamon brown sugar streusel and a maple syrup glaze.

The recipe is easy to follow (and perfect for baking beginners) and calls for a generous bit of sour cream to make the cake moist and rich. So, yes, this is definitely a recipe you can be proud of at the end of the day and brag about on the 'gram . . . if you can resist digging in long enough to snap a few photos. Keep reading to find out exactly what Ina's formula is for creating such a brunch-worthy cake, and don't forget to brew up a delicious cup of coffee to enjoy this breakfast (or dessert) with.

Ina Garten's Sour-Cream Coffee Cake

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
YieldServes 8 to 10 people

Barefoot Contessa

INGREDIENTS

    • For the Cake:
    • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
    • 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
    • 2 1/2 cups cake flour (see note)
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • For the Streusel:
    • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
    • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
    • 3/4 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
    • For the Glaze:
    • 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
    • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    2. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube (bundt cake) pan.

    3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

    4. Beat in the eggs one at a time before adding in the vanilla and sour cream.

    5. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

    6. Mixing at a low setting, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. To make sure the batter is well mixed, fold the mixture gently with a spatula until any remaining clumps are gone.

    7. For the streusel, add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter into a large bowl. Pinch the ingredients together with your fingers until they form a loose crumble. Using a spatula, mix in the walnuts.

    8. Spoon half of the cake batter into the greased and floured pan and spread it out with a butter knife.

    9. Sprinkle the batter with 3/4 cups of the streusel.

    10. Spoon the rest of the batter over the streusel in the pan and spread it out with a butter knife. Scatter the remaining streusel on top.

    11. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean.

    12. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before carefully transferring, streusel-side up, onto a serving plate.

    13. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and maple syrup until thick and runny. If necessary, add a few drops of water to thin the glaze slightly. Drizzle the glaze over the finished coffee cake and enjoy!

    Notes

  • If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup cornstarch.
  • If the eggs are cold, place the whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before cracking them.