A delicious use for your leftover sourdough starter, this sourdough coffee cake has a cinnamon sugar streusel topping and middle layer for the perfect sweet morning treat
Table of contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Delicious. This coffee cake is one of our absolute favorites: a sweet and tender cake swirled with cinnamon sugar streusel that makes everything more delicious. If you love a nice cinnamon sugar topping, check out my sourdough blueberry muffin recipe!
- It’s a great way to use starter. And even though this is a great way to use your discarded sourdough starter, there is no sourdough taste.
- Perfect for guests. Start brewing a pot of coffee and pop this in the oven. It’s one of our favorite things to make for company.
🧂 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of the page.
You’ll need the following for this delicious coffee cake:
- butter, softened
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- sourdough starter
- sour cream or Greek yogurt
- cold butter, diced
- brown sugar
- teaspoons cinnamon
🥣 Equipment
- pastry blender for blending butter and flour together easily
- offset spatula for spreading out the batter
- mixing bowl
- square baking pan
- Nonstick cooking spray
🍴Instructions
Step One: make the batter
This is a thick batter, so I prefer to make it with a stand mixer, but you could use a hand mixer if you have strong arms! Make sure your butter is softened before you begin.
Beat the sugar and butter together until well combined. then add the eggs.
Combine all the dry ingredients for the cake in a separate large mixing bowl. Add one-third of them to the butter mixture and mix. Then add the sour cream and mix. Add one more third of the dry ingredients, mix. Add the sourdough starter, and mix. Finally, add the last portion of the flour and mix.
The batter will be thick.
Step Two: make the topping
Now we make the cinnamon sugar topping. To get a delicious crumbly streusel, you need to blend the butter and flour together first. Start with cold butter and cut it into the flour using two forks, a pastry blender, or by rubbing it together with your hands. Then add in the sugar and the cinnamon.
Step Three: assemble
Spread out half of the cake batter into the pan, then sprinkle half of the streusel topping on top. Place the remaining cake batter in dollops and then smooth it out, using an offset spatula if you have one. Sprinkle the rest of the topping on top.
Step four: bake
Bake for 40-45 minutes. You will want a toothpick to come out clean, or with just a few crumbs. Let the coffee cake cool a bit in the pan, and then you can serve it directly out there.
🥫 Storage instructions
Any leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to three days.
If you want to store it longer, I’d recommend slicing, wrapping each piece in plastic wrap, and popping them all in a freezer bag to freeze for later.
🔍 FAQs
No, store-bought yeast will not work in place of a sourdough starter. The sourdough starter is just for flavor and it rises using the baking soda/ powder.
Many people believe that all sourdough baked goods have a more complex flavor profile than non-sourdough. I’m sure about that, but we love this recipe. 😊
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- This recipe can be a bit tricky at first: the batter seems very stiff. But you’ll love the result.
📘 Related Recipes
Need more recipes to use up your discarded sourdough starter?
- Sourdough banana bread is another quick bread breakfast favorite that we love.
- Sourdough carrot cupcakes are more of a dessert, but would make a respectable breakfast without the frosting!
- And if you’d like to try a yeasted coffee cake, I have a foolproof recipe here!
📖 Here’s the recipe
Sourdough Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
Ingredients
for the cake:
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sourdough starter
- ½ cup sour cream or greek yogurt
for the topping
- ½ cup cold butter diced
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center. Prepare a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 square pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Make the batter. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric stand mixer until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Add to the butter mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with the sourdough starter and sour cream. Mix gently until just combined.
- Make the topping. To make the topping, cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of peas. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Assemble. Layer half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the topping on the cake batter. Gently spread the remaining cake batter on top, and top with the rest of the topping.
- Bake. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Serve in squares directly out of the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I I have is a low sugar regular vanilla yogurt. Will that work?
Instead of the sourdough starter? I think it would. Let me know 🙂
This is my favorite recipe to use up my sourdough discard. I’ve made it several times now, and it’s a huge hit every time! The only thing I do differently is I also add 1/2 cup of buttermilk to the batter. I made it exactly as this recipe says the first time, and it was amazing. The addition of the buttermilk is a personal preference for helping the batter to spread a little easier without adding too much additional liquid.