Cinnamon walnut coffee cake with sour cream has the best soft and tender crumb. This quick recipe has a cinnamon walnut streusel filling and topping; perfect for a weekend or holiday breakfast.
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Am I the only one who loves a moist, crumbly coffee cake in the morning? Pair it with a cup of coffee and I’m a happy camper. We rarely say no to cake for breakfast at my house!
As a busy home baker, this easy to prepare cinnamon walnut coffee cake recipe will be your new favorite morning go-to. Simple pantry staples and minimal prep time are all that is needed to create this from cake from scratch. It's perfect for overnight guests or Christmas morning.
Much like my blackberry coffee cake, this recipe is made with sour cream, which means an extra tender and addictive cake. Don’t be surprised when people tell you it’s better than Grandma’s!
💗 why you need this coffee cake recipe
- Quick recipe ~ about 15 minutes of active time are needed to get this quick and easy old fashioned coffee cake in the oven.
- Fantastic texture ~ the crumb of this walnut coffee cake is SO soft and tender thanks to using sour cream and one of my favorite secret 🤫 ingredients!
- Streusel topping ~ enough said, right??? The easy streusel is used as a filling and for a thick, crumbly topping. Don’t love walnuts? {I’m guessing you do!}, feel free to swap them out for pecans or leave them out all together. This recipe is forgiving!
💭 what is coffee cake?
Coffee cake is a classic on most American breakfast buffets. In the U.S., coffee cake is typically a single layer cake with fruit or cinnamon. The cake does not have any actual coffee in it. It can be enjoyed for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
🛒 ingredients and substitutions
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
- All-purpose flour ~ used for both the streusel and coffee cake.
- Brown sugar ~ used in the streusel topping; dark or light brown sugar can be used.
- Cinnamon ~ adds some depth to the flavor of this cinnamon walnut coffee cake.
- Unsalted butter ~ used cold and cubed for the streusel and at room temperature for the cake.
- Granulated sugar ~ adds sweetness and structure to the coffee cake.
- Eggs ~ you'll need two large eggs at room temperature.
- Vanilla ~ balances the flavors.
- Sour cream ~ cakes made with sour cream have lovely softness to the crumb. Use full-fat sour cream at room temperature.
- Cornstarch ~ one of my favorite secret ingredients! The cornstarch adds to the extra tender and soft texture to the cake.
- Baking powder ~ just a little to keep from having a dense coffee cake
- Kosher salt ~ balances the flavors. If you only have table salt, use half the amount.
- Walnuts ~ I use premium California half walnuts {unsalted and unroasted} that I buy at Trader Joe's.
- Confectioners’ sugar and milk {not shown} for the icing.
🥣 how to make this easy cinnamon walnut coffee cake
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Toast the walnuts on a parchment or aluminum foil lined baking pan for 5-8 minutes. Allow the nuts to cool and chop into small pieces before making the streusel.
For the streusel topping ~
In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, all-purpose flour and cinnamon.
Then use your clean fingers to pinch the butter into the dry mixture until you have a crumbly mixture. Then add in the toasted walnuts and toss to combine. Place the streusel in the freezer while you mix the cake batter.
For the coffee cake ~
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy.
Scrape up and down the bowl and then add the eggs one at a time. Scrape up and down the bowl once, if needed to fully combine the first egg and add the vanilla and beat on medium until well blended. The mixture will look a bit curdled at this point.
Then add the room temperature sour cream and beat on medium until combined.
Pour about half the flour over the wet ingredients, then add the cornstarch, kosher salt and remaining flour. Mix on low until a few streaks of flour remain. Use a spatula to finish mixing until just combined. The batter is thick.
how to layer in the streusel
Spread about half the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Top with half of the cold streusel mixture.
Add the remaining batter in spoonfuls on top of the streusel and use an off set spatula to smooth the batter in an even layer. The batter is thick, so work slowly.
Then top with remaining streusel topping, it will seem like too much streusel, but I recommend using it all. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan set on a wire cooling rack.
Once the cinnamon walnut coffee cake has cooled for about 30 minutes, make the icing. Then drizzle over the top of the coffee cake.
💬 frequently asked questions
how do you toast walnuts?
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the walnuts in a single layer on a parchment or aluminum foil lined baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes {I use my Breville countertop oven}. Stir the nuts halfway through to help them toast evenly.
do I really need room temperature ingredients?
Yes, room temperature butter, eggs and sour cream will combine much better when they are not cold. This will create a fluffy cake batter, which will give you the BEST soft and tender texture once baked.
can this be baked in a different size pan?
You can double this recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan; the baking time should be similar. This can also be baked in a bundt pan; again double the recipe and the bake time will increase by 10-20 minutes.
👩🏻🍳 tips for the best from scratch coffee cake
Toast the walnuts and allow them to cool prior to adding them in the streusel.
Use a kitchen scale to ensure you have the correct amount of flour. If you are looking for a more economical option this Escali digital scale is also a great one. Adding too much flour can result in a dry coffee cake. If you don't have a scale, fluff the flour in it's container then spoon it into your measuring cup and use the back of a knife to level it.
The batter is very thick, which is what you want! Go slowly when layering spreading the batter in the pan. I find an offset spatula is very helpful.
Be careful not to over bake this cinnamon walnut coffee cake! Remember your oven is different than mine and baking times may vary slightly.
🫙 how to store
Store any cake leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 - 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. {The streusel topping will get a little soft after the first day}.
You can freeze the cinnamon walnut coffee cake in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Allow the cake to defrost before serving.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make this Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and 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 two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Equipment
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
walnut streusel topping
- ¾ cup - 1 cup walnuts toasted and chopped (81-108g)
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar 133g
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour 94g
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed (57g)
coffee cake
- 6 tablespoons butter room temperature. (85g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream room temperature (120g)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 156g
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch 16g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
vanilla icing
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar 90g
- 1 tablespoon milk 15mL
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Toast the walnuts (¾-1 cup/81-108g) on a parchment or aluminum foil lined baking pan for 5-8 minutes. Allow the nuts to cool and chop into small pieces before making the streusel.
for the streusel topping
- In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar (⅔ cup/133g), all-purpose flour (¾ cup/94g) and cinnamon (1 tablespoon). Then use your clean fingers to pinch the butter (¼ cup/57g) into the dry mixture until you have a crumbly mixture. Then add in the toasted walnuts and toss to combine. Place the streusel in the freezer while you mix the cake batter.
for the coffee cake
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer, cream together the butter (6 tablespoons/85g) and granulated sugar (½ cup/100g) on medium-high speed (speed 6 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Scrape up and down the bowl and then add the eggs (2 large) one at a time. Scrape up and down the bowl once, if needed to fully combine the first egg and add the vanilla (1 ½ teaspoons) and beat on medium (speed 4) until well blended. Then add the room temperature sour cream (½ cup/120g) and beat on medium (speed 4) until combined, about 30-60 seconds.
- Pour about half the flour (1 ¼ cups/156g) over the wet ingredients, then add the cornstarch (2 tablespoons/16g), baking powder (1 teaspoon), kosher salt (¼ teaspoon) and remaining flour. Mix on low until a few streaks of flour remain. Use a spatula to finish mixing until just combined. The batter is thick.
- Spread about half the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with half of the cold streusel mixture. Add the remaining batter in spoonfuls on top of the streusel and use an off set spatula to smooth the batter in an even layer. The batter is thick, so work slowly. Then top with remaining streusel topping, it will seem like too much streusel, but I recommend using it all.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan set on a wire cooling rack.
- Once the cinnamon walnut coffee cake has cooled for about 30 minutes, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar (¾ cup/90g), milk (1 tablespoon) and vanilla (½ teaspoon) until a thick icing glaze is formed. Then drizzle over the top of the coffee cake.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
What a delicious coffee cake packed with all those lovely warming and nutty flavours! And streusel 100% makes the difference.
Tasia says
Thank you Ben! Streusel makes just about everything better! 😉
Michelle says
We love a nutty cinnamon coffee cake, and this one did not disappoint! It was quick to make and full of warm, spiced flavor!
Tasia says
Thank you Michelle, so happy to hear you loved it!
Michelle says
We love a nutty cinnamon coffee cake, and this one did not disappoint! It was quick to make and full of warm, spiced flavor!
Jody says
I'm making the topping now and realized the ingredient list shows 1 tbsp cinnamon while the instructions show 1tsp. Which one is correct?
thanks.
Tasia says
Hi Jody, thanks for catching that. It should be 1 tablespoon. Happy baking!
Jade S says
will heavy cream or buttermilk work in place of sour cream?
Tasia Harper says
Hi Jade, I have not done that substitution with this recipe, but if I did I would use buttermilk. Since I haven't tested it, I don't know for sure, but I would test with 1/3 cup to start. Happy baking!