Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake w/ Sour Cream

Name: Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter (1 stick); 1 cup white sugar; 2 eggs; 1 cup sour cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 cups white flour; ¼ cup sugar; ½ cup chopped walnuts; 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Sour Cream Bundt Cake is the best treat. A Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake everyone will love. Sweet, rich and delicious!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy about affiliate links.

There’s nothing quite as delicious as a good sour cream coffee cake made from scratch.

Not only is it a delicious, but it also fills your home with a delicious cinnamon scent that’s incredibly comforting.

coffee cake broke into two pieces on a plate

The other great thing? It's one of those simple treats you can make with pantry staples!

There are no weird ingredients or need for a grocery store trip. This is the perfect basic dessert recipe!

Why we Love Cinnamon Swirl Cake

Delicious: Some of the best recipes are simple and still have a ton of flavor. You'll love the chopped walnuts mixed with cinnamon!
Quick & Easy: Whip this cake up in 15 minutes! An easy dessert for any occasion.
Total Brunch Food: A lovely cake for brunch, a tea party, or even a bridal shower.

Sour Cream Bundt Cake Ingredients

For the Coffee Cake you'll need:

For the streusel topping you'll need:

You'll also need a bundt pan! Here are some of our favorite bundt cake pans:

nonstick bundt pan- highly recommend this one! It's affordable and works great.
fancier bundt pan
fleur de lis bundt pan

We do not recommend silicone bundt pans!

How to Make Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix again until combined.
Add baking powder, baking soda, and flour until combined.
Set the batter aside and mix together the topping.
Grease an angel food/bundt pan and add ½ batter to the bottom of the pan.
Cover the batter with ½ the cinnamon sugar mixture and add the remaining batter. Top with cinnamon sugar topping.
Bake for 44-55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Storing Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Sour Cream

Storing: You can store Cinnamon Coffee Cake covered and at room temperature for up to 3 days. To keep longer, store in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze coffee cake?: Yes! Allow your baked coffee cake to cool completely. Either wrap the whole cake or individual portions in foil, then again in plastic wrap. Store multiple pieces in a large freezer bag for 2-3 months.

Can you make this cinnamon coffee cake ahead of time? This cake can be made ahead of time. It's fine to make it up to 2 days before you're going to enjoy it, just store it wrapped tightly with plastic wrap.

Slice of coffee cake on a plate with a fork

Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake Substitutions

Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy-free butter but it might work!

Sugar: We don't recommend substituting white sugar unless you have to, but White sugar can be used interchangeably with brown sugar. You can add 1 teaspoon of molasses to white sugar to make brown sugar. Check out this post on Sugar Substitutes for Baking for other ideas.

All Purpose Flour: We don't recommend substituting the flour, but you can check out this article on Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour or Substitutions for All-Purpose Flour

Baking Powder: Baking powder is essential for this recipe. Do NOT substitute with baking soda.

Baking Soda: Baking soda is essential for this recipe. Do not substitute with baking powder.

Eggs: We don't recommend substituting eggs, but you can read this article on Egg Substitutions for Baking if you need to substitute. Try it at your own risk!

Sour Cream: Helps to add moisture to the coffee cake. Sour cream can be substituted with greek yogurt or regular whole milk yogurt.

Vanilla Extract: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.

Cinnamon: Helps to add flavor to the streusel, we don't recommend substituting.

Chopped walnuts: Chopped pecans, or any delicious chopped nuts of your choice can replace the walnuts.

Tips & Variations for Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Try Fruit: Add finely diced apples to the center of the coffee cake to be similar to Apple Bread
Use Zest: For a bright springtime coffee cake, add lemon or orange zest to the batter.
More Flavor!: In addition to cinnamon, add spices like nutmeg and clove to create a festive holiday coffee cake.

Sour Cream Cinnamon Coffee Cake FAQ

Why is it called coffee cake?

One of the most common questions about coffee cakes is if they actually have coffee mixed into the batter. The answer surprises a few: there’s no coffee mixed in, they are called coffee cakes because they are served with some coffee on the side. It’s the type of cake you would probably make for tea (or coffee!) party.

What does putting sour cream in a cake do?

In short, adding sour cream to your cake helps to add moisture. Typically you'll add milk for moisture. Since sour cream has a higher fat content than milk it helps those drier cakes stay moist.

What type of cake is coffee cake?

A coffee cake is a single-layer cake with a streusel topping. Oftentimes the streusel topping will be layered within the batter before baking.

Will sour cream curdle in the oven?

If sour cream is heated too quickly or too hot it will curdle. Mixing it into your cake mixture and cooking per the recipe instructions should not cause the sour cream to curdle.

Can you taste the sour cream in a cake?

It is likely that you will not taste sour cream in your cake. The flavor is very subtle. The flavor may come off as a slightly tangy flavor, which would be similarly apparent if using greek yogurt as well.

Other Dessert Recipes You’ll Love