Using sour cream instead of milk in coffee cake batter helps the cake rise taller, stay moist, and taste richer, according to cook Ali Martin, founder of Gimme Some Oven.
Milk is fine for light baked goods like cupcakes, but in a larger cake it can add too much liquid to the batter, weakening its structure. This can cause the cake to sink instead of rising in the oven, and milk can also dilute the flavour, leaving a bland dessert.
Why sour cream works
Sour cream is an acidic ingredient that reacts with bicarbonate of soda in the batter to create bubbles, helping the cake rise as it bakes. Its thick consistency adds moisture and fat, which stops the cake from drying out and improves the texture, giving a moist, velvety crumb.
The fat in sour cream also gives the cake a richer, more indulgent taste that pairs well with coffee flavour. Ali said: “It features a simple batter made with basic pantry ingredients and reduced-fat sour cream, whose tangy flavour perfectly balances the sweetness here and helps the cake bake up to be incredibly moist.”
Ali added: “I’ve always made this homemade coffee cake recipe using reduced-fat sour cream, but full-fat sour cream would work just fine too.”
How to make coffee cake
You will need:
- 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 200g caster sugar
- Two large eggs
- 250g plain flour
- One teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- One teaspoon baking powder
- Half a teaspoon sea salt
- 340g sour cream (reduced fat)
- Two tablespoons vanilla extract
For the cinnamon icing: 50g caster sugar, 50g soft light brown sugar, one and a half teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 100g chopped pecans or walnuts (optional). For a glaze topping (optional): 60g icing sugar and one or two teaspoons of milk.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a square baking dish with cooking spray or a little oil. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and caster sugar for two minutes until fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, then half the sour cream, then the remaining dry ingredients and remaining sour cream, mixing well.
For the cinnamon icing, whisk together the caster sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts (if using) in a small bowl. Pour half the cake batter into the baking dish, add half the cinnamon icing, then the remaining batter and sprinkle the rest of the icing on top. Smooth the top and bake for 30 minutes until risen. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
If making the glaze, whisk the icing sugar with one teaspoon of milk, adding more milk if too thick or more icing sugar if too thin. Drizzle over the rested cake before serving.
