Cinnamon walnut coffee cake made with sour cream yields a wonderfully soft, tender crumb. This quick, from-scratch recipe features a cinnamon-walnut streusel layered inside and piled on top — ideal for a weekend breakfast or holiday morning.
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There’s something about a moist, crumbly coffee cake in the morning — paired with a cup of coffee, it’s the perfect start to the day. At my house we rarely turn down cake for breakfast, and this cinnamon walnut version is one of my favorites.
As a busy home baker, you’ll appreciate how simple this cinnamon walnut coffee cake is to make. It uses pantry staples, minimal hands-on time, and produces a tender cake thanks to sour cream and a little-known secret ingredient. This cake is an excellent choice for overnight guests or a festive morning like Christmas.
💗 Why this coffee cake belongs on your baking list
- Quick to prepare — About 15 minutes of active time gets this cake into the oven.
- Superb texture — The sour cream and a bit of cornstarch produce an exceptionally soft, tender crumb.
- Streusel in two ways — The cinnamon-walnut streusel doubles as a flavorful filling and a thick, crumbly topping. If you prefer, swap walnuts for pecans or omit nuts entirely; the recipe is forgiving.
💭 What is coffee cake?
In the U.S., coffee cake typically refers to a single-layer cake often flavored with cinnamon, nuts, or fruit. Despite the name, it usually contains no coffee — it’s simply a cake meant to be enjoyed alongside coffee for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
🛒 Ingredients and substitutions
Please scroll to the recipe card at the end of this post for exact measurements and baking directions.
- All-purpose flour — used in both streusel and cake.
- Brown sugar — for the streusel (light or dark).
- Cinnamon — for warm, aromatic flavor.
- Unsalted butter — cold and cubed for the streusel; room temperature for the cake.
- Granulated sugar — for sweetness and structure in the cake.
- Eggs — room temperature for best incorporation.
- Vanilla extract — balances and rounds flavors.
- Sour cream — full-fat, room temperature, for a tender crumb.
- Cornstarch — a small addition that helps create an extra tender texture.
- Baking powder — keeps the cake from becoming dense.
- Kosher salt — balances sweetness (use half the amount if using table salt).
- Walnuts — toasted and chopped; substitute pecans or omit if desired.
- Confectioners’ sugar and milk — for a simple vanilla glaze.
🥣 How to make this cinnamon walnut coffee cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Toast the walnuts on a lined baking sheet for 5–8 minutes, then cool and chop before using in the streusel.
Streusel topping
Combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Pinch cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbly, then stir in the toasted walnuts. Chill the streusel in the freezer while you make the batter.
Cake batter
Cream room-temperature butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions, then add vanilla. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage.
Beat in room-temperature sour cream until combined.
Fold in the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt) on low speed, mixing just until combined. The batter will be thick.
How to assemble with the streusel
Spread about half the batter into the prepared pan.
Scatter half of the chilled streusel over the batter.
Drop the remaining batter over the streusel in spoonfuls and gently smooth with an offset spatula into an even layer. Top with the remaining streusel — it will look like a lot, but using it all gives a thick, crunchy top.
Bake 30–35 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.
After cooling about 30 minutes, whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla into a glaze and drizzle over the cake.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
How do you toast walnuts?
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and toast 6–8 minutes, stirring halfway through for even browning. Let cool before chopping.
Do I need room-temperature ingredients?
Yes. Room-temperature butter, eggs, and sour cream incorporate more smoothly, producing a lighter, more tender batter and finished cake.
Can I bake this in a different pan?
You can double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan with similar bake time, or use a bundt pan (increase bake time by 10–20 minutes for a larger volume). Adjust baking time as needed for your oven and pan.
👩🏻🍳 Tips for the best from-scratch coffee cake
Toast walnuts and cool them before folding into the streusel for best flavor and crunch.
Weighing flour with a kitchen scale produces the most consistent results; if you don’t have one, fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup, and level with a knife to avoid packing in too much flour.
The batter should be thick — that’s normal. Work slowly when layering and smoothing; an offset spatula helps greatly.
Watch bake time closely to avoid overbaking. Ovens vary, so check for doneness a few minutes before the lower end of the recommended time.
🫙 How to store
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days (streusel may soften). Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.
Please share a photo if you make this cinnamon walnut coffee cake — it’s wonderful to see your results. Happy baking!
🍳 More breakfast recipes
- Peanut Butter Muffins
- Apple Cider Banana Bread
- Easiest Dutch Baby Ever!
- White Chocolate Blueberry Scones
- Zucchini Oat Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins
If you make this recipe (or any recipe from this site), please come back and leave a review and a five-star rating. I read every comment and love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake
Cinnamon walnut coffee cake made with sour cream creates a soft, tender crumb. A cinnamon-walnut streusel serves as both filling and topping for maximum flavor and texture.
Use weight (metric) measurements when available for accuracy and best results.
15 minutes
35 minutes
50 minutes
Ingredients
Walnut streusel topping
- ¾–1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (81–108 g)
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar (133 g)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (94 g)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed (57 g)
Coffee cake
- 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature (85 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature (120 g)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (156 g)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (16 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Vanilla icing
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar (90 g)
- 1 tablespoon milk (15 mL)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment. Toast walnuts 5–8 minutes on a lined baking sheet, cool and chop.
- For the streusel: mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pinch in cold butter until crumbly, then stir in toasted walnuts. Chill in the freezer while preparing the batter.
- For the cake: cream butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions, then add vanilla. Stir in sour cream until combined.
- Fold in flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt on low speed until just combined; the batter will be thick.
- Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the streusel over the batter. Drop remaining batter over the streusel in spoonfuls and smooth gently with an offset spatula. Top with remaining streusel.
- Bake 30–35 minutes, until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
- Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla to make a glaze. After the cake has cooled about 30 minutes, drizzle the glaze over the top.
Notes
This recipe doubles easily for a 9×13 pan. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days or refrigerated up to 5 days. The streusel will soften over time. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 356Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 132mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.