Sourdough coffee cake is a sweet, vanilla cake with hints of sourdough, a cinnamon sugar filling, and a buttery crumb topping. An easy favorite, this delicious cake serves well as dessert or an exceptional breakfast treat.
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One of the best ways to turn a normal morning into a special occasion is to bake a sweet treat.
This sourdough coffee cake is one of my go-to recipes because it suits a holiday just as well as a Sunday morning.
A coffee cake is simply a cake traditionally served with coffee, typically with a crumb topping or perhaps a drizzle of icing.
This sourdough coffee cake is light and sweet, swirled in the center with a gooey cinnamon filling. The same filling used in the center is also used as a crumble topping, which I find to be both delicious and efficient.
It’s a great recipe for using up sourdough discard, and that classic tangy flavor is the perfect balance with a buttery, crisp, cinnamon crumble.
Served with cold milk or hot coffee, this cinnamon coffee cake is a big family favorite breakfast, right up there with sourdough cinnamon rolls and sourdough banana bread.
Why You’ll Love Sourdough Coffee Cake
Delicious go-to – It’s sweet, but not too sweet! The spice of the cinnamon and the warm, buttery flavors of the vanilla cake work well with the sourdough tang. Use discard for bolder sourdough flavor, or active starter for a milder tone.
Year-round favorite – Coffee cakes are always good, and cinnamon is a flavor that’s a hit all year. It’s light enough for spring and summer while bursting with all the warm, cozy flavor for fall and winter.
Sourdough discard – Coffee cakes are one of my favorite ways to use sourdough discard. Discard adds so much moisture and flavor! If you’re interested in more ways to incorporate your discard into breakfast, I compiled a list of 20+ sourdough discard breakfast recipes just for that purpose!
Ingredients
Oil: Any neutral oil will work, I prefer avocado oil. Coconut oil would be melted and slightly cooled for use in the cake batter.
Brown sugar: Combined with cane sugar to sweeten the cake and topping, brown sugar gives a deep molasses flavor and produces a golden color in the bake.
Sourdough starter: For this recipe, you can use active starter or discard.
All-purpose flour: I love all-purpose flour for this recipe, as it gives consistent results and maintains a tender and light crumb.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Coffee Cake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir the cinnamon crumble ingredients (melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour) until completely combined. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, cream the oil, cane sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
Step 3: Add the eggs, vanilla, sourdough starter, and milk. Mix well.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk the salt, baking soda, and flour until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. Don’t overmix the batter.
Step 5: Pour half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half of the crumble mixture evenly on top. Pour the remaining cake batter over the crumble, then sprinkle the rest of the crumble mixture over the top of the batter.
Step 6: Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. The edges will start to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted should come out clean. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Long Fermented Version
Note: The cinnamon filling won’t be fermented for this recipe, but the batter can be fermented. Keep in mind that a fermented cake batter typically results in a denser, less fluffy cake.
Step 1: Combine the oil, sugars, eggs, sourdough starter, milk, and flour. Cover with a tight lid or plastic wrap (to prevent a hard crust from forming) and leave at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours.
Step 2: After the fermentation time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, stir the cinnamon crumble ingredients (melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour) until completely combined. Set aside.
Step 4: Add the remaining cake ingredients (vanilla, salt, and baking soda) to the fermented cake batter. Mix briefly, just until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 5: Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half of the crumble mixture evenly on top. Repeat with the other half of the cake batter and crumble mixture.
Step 6: Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. The edge of the cake will start to turn golden brown, and a toothpick inserted should come out clean. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Tips
- 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 stronger tangy flavor. Keep in mind that a fermented cake batter will typically yield a denser cake, so you’ll lose some of the light, fluffy texture.
- A stand mixer will make working with the long-fermented batter much easier.
- You can make this recipe with active sourdough starter or discard. Either will work since we are using a leavening agent.
- You can make this dairy-free by using a neutral oil, rather than butter, in the crumb topping. Also, swap out the milk for almond or coconut milk.
- If the flour isn’t being fermented, I sometimes use einkorn flour instead of all-purpose for easier digestion.
- If you are new to sourdough, check out my post on how to make a sourdough starter and how to care for a sourdough starter.
How to Serve Sourdough Coffee Cake
- Serve for breakfast or dessert with a strong cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
- Serve alongside a zucchini frittata for a fabulous brunch.
- Pair it with a spiced chai ice cream in the fall, or even a honey lavender ice cream in the summer.
- If you make this coffee cake dairy-free, you can also pair it with this dairy-free pumpkin spice ice cream!
Recipe FAQs
No, it’s not made with coffee, but it’s typically made for coffee! A coffee cake is topped with a crumble, whereas a traditional cake is frosted.
This sourdough coffee cake tastes best when eaten on the same day. You can store it in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for up to two weeks.
You can also freeze the cake for up to three months. It’s helpful to cut into individual portions and freeze them individually. Wrap with plastic wrap or parchment paper in a freezer-safe container. Thaw and gently reheat for a few minutes before serving.
This is purely preference! Coffee cake makes a delicious and special breakfast, but it can easily be served for dessert, as well!
You can use all-purpose or einkorn flour. When you are substituting einkorn flour, you will need slightly more einkorn because it absorbs less liquid than all-purpose. The batter tends to be wetter, but the results are delicious either way.
Here are some common reasons for a cake sinking in the center.
The oven was not preheated.
The batter was overmixed. Mix just until it comes together. There will be lumps in the batter, and that’s okay.
The oven door was opened too often, causing the oven temperature to fluctuate.
The baking soda may be old. It’s recommended to replace your baking soda every 3-6 months if it’s stored in an open container.
Sometimes bumping your baking dish or setting it down too roughly can cause the center of the cake to deflate.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sourdough Beignets
- Double Chocolate Sourdough Discard Bread
- Sourdough Pastry Braid
- Sourdough Discard Lemon Bread
- The best Sourdough Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 3/4 cup butter, 171 g melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, 160 g
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon, 15 g
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, 140 g
Cake
- 1 cup oil, 216 g
- 1 cup sugar, 201 g
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, 106 g
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 8 g
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, active or discard (113 g)
- 1 1/2 cup milk, 354 g
- 1 teaspoon salt, 7g
- 3 teaspoons baking soda, 17 g
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 420 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir the cinnamon crumble ingredients (melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour) until completely combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the oil, cane sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, sourdough starter, and milk. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the salt, baking soda, and flour until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. Don’t overmix the batter.
- Pour half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half of the crumble mixture evenly on top.
- Pour the remaining cake batter over the crumble, then sprinkle the rest of the crumble mixture over the top of the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. The edges will start to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted should come out clean. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
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.
- See post for the long fermented directions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My sister has a gluten intolerance. Being this doesn’t have a bulk ferment would it be safe to say that I’d need to replace the AP flour with a GF alternative? Have you tried this? Would it work?
Yes, that would be a safe bet!
Just made this cake…the middle crumb layer called for 1cup flour which I thought was a bit much but followed recipe…the flour was very powdery…next time I will add 1/4 cup flour…overall taste is very good…thank uou!
Thanks for the feedback!
I made the cake twice and it was so delicious.
Thank you for tried and true recipes.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This looks amazing. Making for company this weekend.
Made this last night and it’s a hit! So delicious! Recipe worked perfectly well! Will definitely be making this again!
That is wonderful to hear!
I clicked on a link for coffee cake using discard but see that this recipe calls for active starter. Is there a different recipe using discard or can it be subbed in this recipe ? Thanks!
You can use discard because it has baking powder as an ingredient to get a good rise.
Kids say this is the best coffee cake they’ve ever had! As other reviewers stated, the middle of the cake did not cook completely at 45 minutes. Then I remembered directions said “about” 45 minutes. So I let it cook 5 more minutes. Whoa! It finished cooking!!! Edges were golden brown as stated in directions! Let it rest for as long as my kids could wait…about 10 minutes…served and it was fantastic!
Wow that is a compliment! So glad you enjoyed it. Every oven is different, even the type of baking pan can make a difference. Glad you stuck with it.
Hey Lisa,
Is there a possibility that this recipe needs some adjusting? I followed this recipe closely and it made a mess. Overflowed the pan completely. The ratios seem steep to me, 5 total cups of flower in a 9×13 is quite unusual. and then top it off with 3 tsp of baking soda (I only did 2 and still had trouble!) It was so disappointing to me to have $15 worth of ingredients spilling all over the inside of my oven 🙁
Sounds like I’m not the only one who had this problem either!
Made it last night! Turned out wonderfully! Yum!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was a failure, I followed instructions, middle filling did not cook , baking soda definitely reacted with sourdough, as many comments here suggest. Waste of ingredients. Please test your recipes before posting on your blog. If there are many people complaining about the same thing, then figure it out or take it down. I tried your English muffins as well, and that was a failure couldn’t work the dough had to add flour , a lot more, I’m in the process let’s see if it will roll out for me. I’m so disappointed, your chocolate chip cookies are very good, so I took the chance and did the coffee cake and english muffins, both failed. I noticed people had problems with the english muffins as well. I understand it’s sourdough and your kitchen and starter and dough and environment is different than someone else, it doesn’t seem right to post recipes that fail most people, post recipes that will be successful for people that are more fool proof.
So I had high hopes for this recipe, followed exact instructions, and the middle just seems to not get fully cooked. Even put foil on top so it wouldn’t burn, but it’s struggling! Maybe try a bigger sized pan
Can I substitute spelt flour for all purpose, thanks