Easy Coffee Cake (Without Sour Cream)

This coffee cake recipe produces a wonderfully sweet flavor and classic texture without using sour cream! Nothing beats a homemade coffee cake with a cup of fresh brewed coffee for an on the go breakfast treat.

One of my biggest weaknesses is a fresh baked pastry with my morning coffee. As a committed coffee fanatic, there’s just something magical about starting the day off with a delicious homemade treat.

And this simple coffee cake hits the spot every time. It’s a wonderful recipe to make for a family treat or as a special, sweet breakfast snack for guests.

If you like old fashioned coffee cake, then you’re going to love this crumb topped recipe!

Make sure to bookmark or pin this recipe so you can make it the next time you want homemade coffee cake.

You can easily tell when your coffee cake is done baking by using the spring and toothpick techniques. Gently press the center of your coffee cake with a single finger, it should spring back into place. You can also insert a toothpick in the middle, if it comes out clean, your coffee cake is done baking.

Coffee Cake Tip

Save this recipe for later: Fresh blueberry coffee cake

How to Make a No Sour Cream Coffee Cake from Scratch

Whenever we have family or friends staying over, it’s the perfect excuse for busting out this recipe. It always receives raves from guests, and I secretly make it just as much for myself!

I love getting this coffee cake in the oven and enjoying the aroma it fills the kitchen with while I brew a fresh pot of coffee (I recommend grinding fresh beans and using a French press or doing a pour over, but that’s a subject for another time).

Prep time for this recipe is super quick, and takes less than ten minutes while bake time comes in right around a half an hour.

For equipment you’re going to want to have a couple mixing bowls, a hand mixer, and a 9″ square baking pan.

This recipe produces a wonderful crumb top that is a must have with any coffee cake. Make sure that when measuring out your brown sugar, that you firmly pack it. This is imperative for achieving that great flavor and texture you want.

Coffee Cake Tip

Try this great recipe: Chocolate chip coffee cake

Ingredients

If you’ve never made coffee cake from scratch before, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. All ingredients are common, so complicated or hard to find ingredients needed. And because there’s no sour cream, you most likely won’t need to make a special trip to the grocery store.

Ingredients List

• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Granulated Sugar
• Eggs
• Vegetable Oil
• Milk
• Salt

Crumb Topping Ingredients

• Brown Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Ground Cinnamon
• Butter (softened)
• Chopped Nuts (optional)

Flour: Unbleached, all-purpose flour is my preferred variety for baking. It produces more height than bleached flour. But you can use a number of alternatives if you are all out. Go with bleached all-purpose flour, cake flour, bread flour, or your favorite gluten free option. Keep in mind that different flour types produce coffee cake with flavor and texture differences.

Eggs: Eggs are a binding agent, and they improve the flavor and texture of our coffee cake. Make sure to beat your eggs well before adding them to your other ingredients.

Vegetable Oil: This is the traditional fat used to make this recipe. It’s been used for many years, but if you need a substitution, you can use butter, ghee, and even lard instead.

Nuts: Adding nuts to your crumb topping is optional, but it does produce a nice earthy flavor while adding some crunch. I enjoy adding pecans, walnuts, and almonds to my crumb topping on occasion.

Another great breakfast treat: Carrot coffee cake

What to Serve with your Coffee Cake

While I often make this recipe as a standalone breakfast snack, it can also be a sweet side dish to all sorts of great breakfasts.

If you are looking for some breakfast mains you can serve along with your coffee cake, give these great recipes a whirl.

• Easy poached eggs
• No potato breakfast casserole
• Eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce
• Pancake mix French toast
• Waffles from self rising flour

For a very fun and special treat, make an assorted breakfast basket. Bake a batch of coffee cake along with some old fashioned blueberry muffins and raisin bran muffins. Guest and family will fawn over all the wonderful options.

Breakfast Tip

Easy Recipe Instructions

If you enjoy recipes that are super easy to make but still packed with delicious homemade flavor as much as I do, then this is a great recipe for you.

It’s as easy as combining your coffee cake ingredients and layering it in your pan then mixing your topping ingredients and pouring it on top.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease your baking dish.

Step 2: In your first mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir together.

Step 3: In second mixing bowl, mix together your beaten eggs, vegetable oil, and milk.

Step 4: Gradually stir your dry mixture into your egg mixture until it is just barely combined.

Step 5: Pour coffee cake batter into greased baking pan.

Step 6: Begin making your crumb topping by combining your brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour, and ground cinnamon in bowl that contained your dry mixture. Stir together.

Step 7: Mix in your butter until crumbly. If using nuts, stir those in now.

Step 8: Evenly pour topping over cake batter.

Step 9: Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Your coffee cake is done baking when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Step 10: Cool and serve warm or room temperature. Enjoy!

Liv’s Coffee Cake Recipe Notes

• Use whole milk if at all possible. The fat content is important for our flavor and texture. You can use 2% in a pinch.
• Use glass baking dish to make your coffee cake.
• Your done baking when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. You can also gently press down the center of your coffee cake with a finger. If done baking, your coffee cake will spring back into place.
• Store your coffee cake covered at room temperature for up to three days.