Sourdough coffee cake is a deliciously sweet, sourdough, vanilla cake layered with a cinnamon filling and topped with brown sugar crumble. It’s the most scrumptious breakfast treat for the holidays or the weekend.
It’s the week of Christmas and all through the house is lots of Christmas cheer, wrapping that needs to be completed, and the sweet smell of cinnamon.
Holiday traditions are important in our family. I love making Christmas fun and special for the kids.
These are memories I want them to look look back on with great fondness.
My mom always had holiday music softly playing in the background during my Christmases while I was growing up – as well as cookies being rolled out, cut, and decorated by little helping hands.
She always tried to make those little moments special.
Christmas mornings are so wonderful. It’s not just the gifts. It’s spending quality time together to celebrate our Savior, while enjoying some yummy treats like this sourdough coffee cake.
This yummy recipe makes the best Christmas breakfast (sourdough cinnamon rolls and cranberry bread also rank very high).
Tips For Making This Sourdough Coffee Cake
- You can make the quick version the day of, or start the day before to allow it to ferment. Fermentation not only helps break down the grain and reduce phytic acid, but it also adds a deliciously tangy flavor.
- You can make this dairy-free by using coconut oil rather than butter in the crumb topping. Also, swap out the milk for almond or coconut milk. The flavor will be slightly different, but still very yummy.
- You can use all-purpose or einkorn flour. See notes in the recipe card for amounts. I like to use einkorn flour, if the flour isn’t being fermented, for easier digestion. Either flour will work well.
- If you are new to sourdough, make sure to check out how to make a sourdough starter here. It is much easier than you think.
What makes a coffee cake a coffee cake?
It is typically a sweetened cake served with coffee. It doesn’t taste like coffee, but there are many varieties of this classic.
What do I do with my leftover sourdough starter?
You can make this recipe with active or sourdough discard. Either will work. For more recipes using leftover sourdough starter, make sure to check on this sourdough discard recipe post.
What type of flour can I use to make this recipe?
You can use all-purpose or einkorn flour. Typically, when you are swapping out einkorn for AP flour, you will need slightly more einkorn because it absorbs less liquid then AP, and the dough tends to be stickier.
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Tools you may need:
Measuring cups and spoons
Baking dish 9×13
Cast iron skillet (optional, I use it to melt butter and coconut oil)
How To Make Sourdough Coffee Cake – Quick Version
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9×13 baking dish with coconut oil or butter.
Melt butter and combine with brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. I like using einkorn flour when I’m not going to ferment it, but regular, all-purpose flour works, as well.
Make The Cake:
In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and regular sugar, until well combined.
Add egg, vanilla extract, sourdough starter, water, and milk to the sugar mixture; combine.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. I like to turn on my stand mixer at a lower speed. Then, I add about a third of the dry ingredients at a time until it comes together.
Place half of the cake mixture into the baking dish. Spread the cinnamon filling over the cake mixture evenly.
Spread the remaining cake batter over the cinnamon filling, then sprinkle the crumb topping on top.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (the cinnamon topping will still stick to the toothpick, but the cake should be clean).
How To Make Long Fermented Sourdough Coffee Cake
The night before or 8-24 hours before baking, combine oil, flour, sourdough starter, and water.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 and grease a baking dish.
Add the remaining cake ingredients. Mix until it just comes together. Be careful not to over mix. Using a stand mixer will make it much easier, I promise.
Prepare the crumb topping and cinnamon filling in separate bowls.
To the baking dish, add half of the fermented cake batter.
Spread the cinnamon filling over the cake batter, add remaining cake mixture, then top with crumb topping.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving.
To store:
This sourdough coffee cake tastes best when eaten the same day. Store in an air-tight container up to three days.
You can also freeze the cake for up to three months. Cut into individual portions and freeze individually. Thaw and reheat for a few minutes before serving.
If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate if you could come back, comment on the post, and give it 5 stars! Thanks.
Find More Delicious Breakfast Recipes:
- Breakfast Pizza With Sourdough Crust
- Sourdough Biscuits And Gravy From Scratch
- Berry Kefir Smoothie
- Sourdough Pancakes
- Sourdough English Muffins
Sourdough Coffee Cake
Sourdough coffee cake is a deliciously sweet, sourdough, vanilla cake layered with a cinnamon filling and topped with brown sugar crumble.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup einkorn (or 3/4 cup all purpose)
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1.5 cups einkorn (or 1 cup AP)
Cake
- 1 cup melted coconut oil (can sub olive or avocado, even butter)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 3 1/2 cups flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish with coconut oil or butter.
Melt butter and combine with brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. I like using einkorn flour when I’m not going to ferment it, but regular, all-purpose flour works as well.
MAKE THE CAKE:
In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and regular sugar.
Add egg, vanilla extract, sourdough starter, water, and milk to the sugar mixture and combine.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
Place half of the cake mixture into the baking dish spreading it evenly.
Spread the cinnamon filling over the cake mixture evenly.
Spread the remaining cake batter over the cinnamon filling, and sprinkle over the crumb topping.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For long fermented version, see directions in the post.
Notes
You can make this dairy free by using coconut oil rather than butter in the crumb topping. Also, swap out the milk for almond or coconut milk. The flavor will be slightly different, but still very yummy.
You can use all-purpose or einkorn flour. See notes in the recipe card for amounts. I like to use einkorn flour if the flour isn’t being fermented for easier digestion. Either work well.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 442mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 32gProtein: 5g
Marlaina says
I made these for Christmas morning and they tasted AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
I was curious though, is it supposed to be a very dense cake? Because mine turned out very dense, it was not light and fluffy. Did I do something wrong?
Even with it being dense, the flavor was so delicious!! I will be making this again.
Sheila says
The coffee cakes I have made are somewhat dense (using Bisquick’s recipe). I have also see it that way in a local bakeshop. It is delicious!
Jessa Washington says
Is there an ingredient missing from the cinnamon filling? I might be missing something, but I’m only seeing dry ingredients which is making the “filling” more of a flour mixture. Do I need to add milk or butter to make it a liquid?
Vanessa says
Aloha!
When fermenting do you leave it on the counter or in the fridge?
Red Fisch says
From what I understand, fermenting requires room temperature. Cold will “rest” the yeast and will not work properly until it gets warm again.
Susanne Quinlan says
Is your einkorn flour just regular einkorn berries that you ground yourself or is it all purpose?
Jana says
In the directions you say to melt the butter with brown sugar, cinn, and flour. You don’t have butter listed in the cinn filling ingredients. Are you talking about the butter you have listed in the Crumb Topping ingredients? Thank you for taking the time to clarify😊
Karly says
Hi Lisa, thanks for sharing this recipe! I attempted it this morning as a special weekend treat for my family. I was super nervous to make it because it’s the first recipe I’ve ever attempted with my sourdough starter.
I have some trouble-shooting questions:
What size pan do you recommend? I used a 9×9 glass baking dish and I feel like a much larger pan would be better suited because my dish was full to the brim and my cake wasn’t done in the center even though the top was very brown after cooking at 350° for one hour.
Would cooking for 1.5 hours at 325 have cooked it throughout better?
I wish the crumb step would have been better explained because I whisked mine (I’m a novice baker) and it created more of a paste that sank to the bottom of my cake 🙁
Like one of the other commenters, I was also wondering if there’s a missing ingredient for the middle layer? It felt strange to use a raw flour mixture in the middle. If it is indeed just supposed to be a flour mixture, what is the purpose of the raw flour layer (once again, I’m a novice baker and am trying to better understand the chemistry of baking).
Thanks again!
Kathy says
Karly, these are Al good questions/comments. Did you ever get an answer back?
Anonymous says
Kathy,
I think the first mistake was the size of baking dish you used…
I used a spring form pan. Followed the recipe as written. It was one of the most amazing coffee cakes I’ve ever baked! I’m baking 40 yrs n have made many coffee cakes in my day. By far this is no.1 in my book. Use the right size ban n give it a go again! I believe you will not be sorry…
Sarah Polumsky says
I had all these issues as well. My cake boiled over several times too.
The mixture was not crumbly so I forced it to be. My top was very very brown as well :/
So disappointed as i used a lot of butter and flour for this to be such a flop.
Shelly M says
Kathy. Sorry I forgot to mention I did do the long ferment…..
Shelly M says
This for Karly not Kathy…sorry
Shelly M says
I commented previous to comment posted… N it didn’t post right away. So I’m trying again.. ☺️ i think the problem was size pan you used. I baked in a spring form pan n it was beautiful n amazing…!!? 😋😋 Follow directions as written n you should have the best coffee cake…. I did long ferment though… Key I think.
Rita Gonzalez says
Great recipe.
I made a mistake but it turns good anyway.
My Family church loves it .. thanks again//
one little detail: can you add in the printible recipe the long fermentation instructions, please. thanks again
Leah says
My family loves this coffee cake! The first time I made it, school was canceled because we had gotten a ton of snow. The kids and our lab were outside playing in this long awaited winter wonderland. So I threw this together for when they came inside. I panicked a bit because I ran out of flour before I made the filling & topping. So, I decided bisqick would have to do. It was the only other thing I could think of that might work. So I hoped for the best, and it turned out great!! This recipe is a keeper!
Nichole says
Just made this coffee cake and it occurred to me, as I watch it baking, that the crumb topping and cinnamon filling recipes may be switched. It makes sense to me, now, that the crumb topping should not have butter in it as it will just melt into the cake on top and the cinnamon filling which doesn’t contain butter should be on the top. It was a late epiphany but…there it is! Haven’t tried it yet, but it smells so so good!
Mel says
Making this for a Saturday morning treat! I am long fermenting it and wow is that dough thick! Hope that is how it is supposed to be! Can’t wait to try this tomorrow!
Maggie says
Mine is really thick too, I can’t imagine adding the rest of the ingredients to it. I started mine last night
Stephanie says
If using einkorn in the cake batter do you use 3.5c? It just says flour and does specify between einkorn and AP like the other flour measurements do. And there doesn’t seem to be a consistent conversion of ap|einkorn?
michelle says
Hi 🙂
Is it possible for you to put measurments in grams also?
Here in Australia the cup sizes are different to the US.
Thanks
Michelle Gibson
Danielle says
This looks like the perfect coffee cake recipe, its making me hungry just looking at those beautiful photos! Always appreciate that you offer a quick and long-fermented version to your recipes…I utilize both!
Kate says
Did I over mix it? I did the long ferment this time and the batter bubbled up over the crumb mixture…or maybe the baking soda was too much?
Andrea G says
Delicious! I used a 13×9 and it turned out great. The filling doesn’t really need anything else. It melts into a nice ribbon of cinnamon. This recipe does make a lot of cake – good for sharing. Thanks for posting.
Sarah Polumsky says
After two hours it is finally cooked…
Katie says
Hello! Is this a “discard” recipe or does the starter need to be active and bubbly?
Gabby says
I’m making this is 90 degree southern California weather, for the second time this week! That’s how good this is!
Lisa says
Awesome! Love to hear it!
Cheyenne says
Wonderful, warm cinnamon flavour!
Followed recipe, with the addition of 3 cups fresh, chopped rhubarb to the cake batter and turned amazing!
If you have questions, just re-read the blog post as its all well written there!
Thanks Lisa!
Lisa says
Can I use buttermilk if I font have any starter?
Lisa says
I personally have not tried that!
Sarah says
Hello, I’m wanting to make this today. I’m just having a hard time understanding the instructions. Is it missing the cinnamon filling instructions? I’ve read it a few times. I see it says to mix melted butter, sugar, flower, and cinnamon I’m assuming that that’s the crum topping? But I’m not seeing instructions for the cinnamon filling?
Thank you for your help!
Shera says
Sarah, the cinnamon filling has no butter. It is listed as 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup einkorn (or 3/4 cup AP flour), and 3 teaspoons cinnamon. Just mix those together and follow directions as to when the recipe tells you to add it. I’ve made this before and it turned out great! The butter is listed for the crumb topping…and if you use it in place of coconut oil for the cake.
Candice says
Wow, this is an awesome cake. After 18 hrs of long ferment in 60* room, I had a hard blob with oil around the edges, I will use my stand mixer next time to ease the rest of ingredients in, adding the milk slow helped. I well buttered 9×13, put my flour bi-product of bran/germ on butter and sprinkled salt, this was not a regret as I love that salty, grainy, bottom. I also added an extra egg, 4 total, beating them first, folding them into my well mixed batter, at the end with the baking soda. Lisa, you have managed to fix the worst problem that I’ve had with coffee cake, there is never flavor in the middle, your filling mix, although a dry layer, worked so very nice. This recipe takes attention as I had to dump my batter out of dish to add the forgotten filling, also forgot the butter in the topping, I thought it looked a little funny, when it came out of oven the edges were perfectly crispy and the top dusty instead of crumbly, decided to melt the butter and drizzle over the top, crisscrossing the top and around the whole edge, My hubby is in love with this cake, I love you for your inventive home and recipes, keep em’ coming Lisa.