Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Toasted Pecan Filling
This post is sponsored by McCormick. All opinions are my own.
Most coffee cakes I’ve had are some what disappointing. Dry is the first word that pops into mind. Then it can be described as a sandy topping that slides right off. I’ve been on the hunt for a truly great one for a long time, and once again my stack of Fine Cooking back issues came through. Those recipes just never fail. I adapted this one a little, but the heart of the cake is the same: rich and tender from the sour cream, swirled with ribbons of toasted pecan filling, and finished with the perfect crumble. Bake it once and it becomes the cake you bring to every brunch, holiday morning, and neighbor’s front porch.
The Spices Make the Difference
A cake this simple lives or dies by its spices, so I reached for McCormick Gourmet. You’ll find them right in the spice aisle of your grocery store. Just look for the prettiest gold caps you can’t miss them.
I used their Saigon cinnamon and fresh nutmeg, and you can taste the difference quality ingredients make. Saigon cinnamon is naturally high in essential oils, so it’s warmer, sweeter, and more aromatic than everyday cinnamon it really shines in the pecan filling. Freshly grated nutmeg adds a soft, cozy depth that pre-ground just can’t match.
A Few Things to Know Before You Bake
- Use cake flour, and sift before measuring. It’s what gives this cake its fine, tender crumb.
- Superfine sugar dissolves into the butter for a lighter batter. No superfine on hand? Pulse granulated sugar in a food processor for about 30 seconds.
- Toast your pecans first (350°F for 8–10 minutes) — it deepens the flavor of both the filling and the streusel.
- Squeeze the streusel. Pressing the crumbs into a mass and breaking it into clumps is the secret to big, bakery-style crumble that stays on the cake.
- Use a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom. It’s the key to getting this cake out cleanly (more on that below).
How to Get Coffee Cake Out of a Tube Pan (In One Piece!)
This is the step that makes or breaks your presentation, so don’t rush it.
- Cool at least 1 hour. A warm cake is fragile and will crack or tear. Let it rest on a wire rack in the pan.
- Loosen the outer edge. Slide a thin knife or offset spatula between the cake and the side of the pan, pressing the blade against the pan (not the cake), and run it all the way around.
- Lift out the center. Holding the center tube, push the bottom up and out of the outer ring.
- Loosen the bottom and tube. Run your knife around the center tube, then slide it carefully between the cake and the pan bottom to release it.
- Flip twice. Cover the cake with a plate and invert it, lift off the tube base, then set your serving platter on the bottom and flip it right side up again so the streusel is back on top.
Tip: If the crumble shifts during the flip, gently press any loose clumps back into place — no one will ever know.
Shop Everything on the Table
Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Toasted Pecan Filling
A tender sour cream coffee cake layered with cinnamon-pecan filling and topped with a buttery, crumbly streusel.
Ingredients
- Streusel Topping
- • 2 oz (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- • 3 oz (⅓ cup) all-purpose flour
- • ¼ cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
- • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- • 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- • ½ tsp McCormick Gourmet Saigon cinnamon
- • ⅛ tsp freshly grated McCormick Gourmet nutmeg
- • ¼ tsp baking powder
- • ¼ tsp table salt
- Filling
- • 1 cup toasted pecans
- • 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- • 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
- • 1½ tsp McCormick Gourmet Saigon cinnamon
- • ¼ tsp freshly grated McCormick Gourmet nutmeg
- • 1 tsp cocoa powder (Dutch-processed or natural)
- Cake
- • 1 Tbsp softened unsalted butter (for the pan)
- • 11¼ oz (3 cups) sifted cake flour
- • 1½ tsp baking powder
- • 1 tsp baking soda
- • ¾ tsp table salt
- • 10 oz (1¼ cups) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- • 11½ oz (1⅓ cups) superfine sugar
- • 4 large eggs
- • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- • 16 oz (2 cups) sour crea
Instructions
- Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (325°F if using a dark nonstick pan). Generously butter a 10-inch tube pan with a removable bottom.
- Warm the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until nearly melted. Take it off the heat and let it cool until just tepid.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, pecans, both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt with a fork. Pour in the butter and stir until everything is moistened and crumbly. Set aside.
- Add the pecans, both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa to a food processor. Pulse 4–6 times, just until combined and the pecans are chopped.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter on medium until smooth and creamy, 1–2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in fully before adding the next. Scrape the bowl, then mix in the vanilla.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients in four additions, alternating with the sour cream in three additions (start and end with the flour). Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Spread about 2 generous cups of batter into the pan, smoothing it toward the sides first and then the center with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle about ½ cup filling evenly over the top.
- Dollop about 2 cups of batter over the filling and smooth. Add another ½ cup filling, then 2 more cups batter. Finish with the remaining filling and the remaining batter. (Four layers of batter, three of filling.)
- To marble, insert a table knife straight down about 1 inch from the side of the pan, almost to the bottom. Without lifting the blade, circle the pan twice, spacing the circles about 1 inch apart. Smooth the top.
- Grab a handful of streusel and squeeze it firmly into a mass, then break it into smaller clumps over the batter. Repeat with the rest, then press the streusel lightly into the surface.
- Bake 70–75 minutes, until the top is golden brown, the sides start to pull away from the pan, and a wooden skewer in the center comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Run a thin knife around the outer edge, lift the cake out by the center tube, then loosen it from the tube and the base. Invert onto a plate, remove the base, and flip right side up onto a serving platter.
Prep
Streusel
Filling
Cake batter
Layer & swirl
Top & bake
Cool & unmold
Notes
- Spices: I used McCormick Gourmet Saigon cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg quality spices make a noticeable difference here.
- Superfine sugar: Pulse granulated sugar in a food processor for about 30 seconds as a substitute.
- Unmolding: Don't skip the full hour of cooling; a warm cake is more likely to break.
- Storage: Keeps at room temperature, well wrapped or under a cake dome, up to 5 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Make Ahead & Storage
This cake keeps beautifully at room temperature, well wrapped or under a cake dome, for about 5 days. You can also freeze it, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months and yessss it’s perfect for holiday mornings! Enjoy!