If you’re like me, then you like a little coffee cake with your streusel, which is why these Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins—starring alternating layers of extra-moist cake and cinnamon-sugar crumbles—are a breakfast dream.
Table of Contents
While I’m all for a classic slice of coffee cake (be it studded with raspberries or layered with strawberries), there’s just something about the appeal of a handheld breakfast. So you can skip the forks and either spoon the batter directly into a greased muffin pan or use your muffin wrappers of choice.
I first published this recipe in 2012, and I’ve made it many times since then. The recipe below is the original, tried-and-tested favorite, but I’ve given the images a glow-up. It’s the “plain” version of my Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins with Streusel.
“Coffee cake” is just the name of the dish, there isn’t actually coffee in the ingredients, since this type of muffin/cake is commonly served with a cup of coffee.
Why You’ll Love These Muffins
- Jumbo, bakery-style muffins.
- Extra-moist with a light and fluffy texture.
- Quick and easy to whip up.
- Simple ingredient list.
- Delicious served warm and slathered with butter.
Although traditionally served for breakfast or brunch, the truth is, they’re just as good as an anytime snack as they are as dessert!
This recipe is made using basic ingredients you likely already have on hand. I’ve also provided substitutions when possible.
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides the perfect crumb.
- Baking powder & baking soda: Both are needed to help the muffins rise.
- Softened butter: Unsalted butter is my go-to because it allows you to easily control the salt level of any given recipe. You’ll need slightly softened butter for the streusel and room-temperature butter for the batter.
- Oil: Vegetable oil keeps the muffins moist, tender and fluffy. Neutral-flavored olive oil or melted coconut oil can be substituted.
- Sugar: I prefer to use brown sugar in the streusel and granulated sugar in the batter, but all brown- or all-white sugar would work. Bottom line: Use what you have on hand!
- Cinnamon: The perfect warming spice.
- Eggs: Two eggs bind everything together, add structure and create lift.
- Sour cream: As we’ve learned time and time again, sour cream really is the secret to extra-moist and bakery-worthy baked goods. It lends a touch of tang while ensuring these muffins have the ultimate light and fluffy texture. You could use Greek yogurt as a substitute.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor. Have you ever made homemade vanilla extract? It requires just two simple ingredients!
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
My favorite part of these muffins is the cinnamon-sugar crumbles. So, not only are we adding it to the top, but we’re layering it within each muffin, too.
You’ll need flour, sugar, cinnamon, and slightly softened cubed butter. It’s important that your butter is only slightly softened so that the streusel maintains its structure during baking. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients by using a fork.
Pro Tip: Don’t overmix the streusel or you’ll end up with a paste. It should be the consistency of wet sand.
- Prepare the streusel topping.
- Combine dry ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set it aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Beat together the butter, oil and sugar until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and then gradually beat in the flour mixture, sour cream and vanilla just until combined.
- Spoon into a jumbo muffin pan. Layer the batter and streusel in the prepared muffin pan by spooning a portion of the batter, then a sprinkle of streusel, topped by another portion of batter and a final sprinkle of streusel on top.
- Bake. Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.
- Cool and devour! Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool slightly in the muffin pan before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
I love to serve these hot from the oven slathered with unsalted butter. Whip up a bowl of my fave Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing and your breakfast or brunch spread is complete!
Kelly’s Tips for Recipe Success
- Don’t over mix the batter. Doing so will toughen up the gluten in the flour and lead to dense muffins.
- Don’t open the oven while the muffins are baking or you’ll risk causing the muffins to deflate.
- Feel free to fold in blueberries or diced strawberries to add a pop of fresh fruit flavor in every bite.
Recipe FAQs
Why is this called coffee cake?
Because it is meant to be served with coffee.
What if I don’t have a stand mixer?
No problem! A handheld beater works or just grab a wooden spoon and mix.
How long will muffins stay fresh after baking?
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature and store for up to four days.
With four tiny taste-testers, muffins are a food group in our house. Here are my go-to recipes:
- Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Granola Muffins
- Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins with Streusel
- Mini Sour Cream Doughnut Muffins
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Ingredients
- Cooking spray
For the streusel:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white or packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened and cubed
For the batter:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the streusel:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter, and using a fork, mash the mixture together until well combined. (The streusel should be the consistency of wet sand.) Set it aside.
Make the batter:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set it aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, oil and sugar on medium speed until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, and then gradually beat in the flour mixture, sour cream and vanilla just until combined.
- Layer the batter and streusel in the prepared muffin pan by spooning a portion of the batter, then a sprinkle of streusel, topped by another portion of batter and a final sprinkle of streusel on top.
- Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool slightly in the muffin pan before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Kelly's Notes:
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Doing so will toughen up the gluten in the flour and lead to dense muffins.
- Don’t open the oven while the muffins are baking or you’ll risk causing the muffins to deflate.
- Keep any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature and store for up to four days.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Batter recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.
Hi, I was wondering if freezing the muffins after they are done would work, and then defrosting and warming by putting in a toaster oven?
Thanks!
Hi Lesley! That should work, but the texture of course won’t be as great as if they’re baked fresh. Let e know if you try it!
My family loved them. Recipe was easy to follow. Very delicious.
I’m so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed the recipe, Nancy!
yummy! i would reccomend thinning out the batter a little bit bc it was hard to get out of my scoop into the pans! once i did thin it out it made it much easier and the difference between the thinned out ones (w/water) vs non thinned out are the same! otherwise yum
Thanks for your note, Katie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Directions don’t show adding sour cream and vanilla. How come?
Hi Gail – They are listed in Step 3 under MAKE THE BATTER. :)
Sorry but so dry! I went back to make sure I had done everything correctly….good topping but muffin was heavy and not tasty.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Natalie. I’ve never experienced these muffins being dry.
Really fluffy and good on taste, but the streusel sank to the bottom in all the muffins. Not sure why…?
Hi Cecilie! The streusel may sink if your oven temp is off. Did the muffins bake up well otherwise?
This is a tough call. The photo of these looked fantastic. And, I had a cup of sour cream to use. I followed the recipe to the letter. And my oven temp is well calibrated. I ended up with a “needs to be baked more” center at the same time that the streusel on top was going brown to the point of tasting burned. So If I do this recipe again, I’m gonna hold off adding the top layer of streusel until the baking progresses. I still have hopes for this turning out to be a decent recipe, because of the photo.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe, Jay!
I would suggest you include weight measurements in your recipes. It makes it so much easier.
Thanks for your suggestion, Maria. I’ll keep that in consideration when developing new recipes. :)
Delightful! Thank you for sharing your culinary talents.
You are so welcome, Anna-Marie! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
These muffins are GREAT, my husband’s favorite!! Just wondering, can I make the recipe in a bundt pan? If so, what would the baking time be? TIA
Hi Linda – I’ve never made this recipe using a bundt pan so unfortunately, I’m not sure about the bake time. Would love to hear your results if you give it a shot!
Very, very good recipe! I didn’t have a full two cups of sour cream, so I added a good size dollop of mayonnaise.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Liz!
Made these tonight cause I only had light brown sugar on hand and all other recipes for coffee cake muffins had dark brown sugar. They turned out delicious and moist. Personally I like to add a little more cinnamon to the streusel.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Karen!
These muffins are wonderful. Be very generous with streusel. I put a tablespoon in the middle and a heaping tablespoon on top. I doubled the recipe and had 30 very nice size muffins. These are my go to for Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Susan!
I 1/2 the amount of streusel and replace with chopped pecans. I also swapped out Greek yogurt for the sour cream for a bit more protein.
This is a weekend favorite at our house.
Love reading this, Lisa! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
These are amazing muffins! My family’s #1 choice! I had apples that weren’t as crisp as I like, so I made an apple compote and added a layer of that in the middle, topped with the streusel mix, and then a layer of batter, then top it off with a generous amount of streusel and turned out to be stunningly delicious I doubled the batch, so for the apple stuffed recipe, I used my own oatmeal streusel recipe (2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups instant oatmeal, 1 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter), and with the 2nd recipe, I made a quick blueberry compote, added a dollop of that in between the layers, used the Just a Taste streusel recipe, and I had to substitute lime for lemon in the glaze, and they were scrumptious . I can’t wait to share this recipe with my friends and family! I’ve already printed off 25 copies of your recipe to hand out to everyone who tastes one… cause they always want the recipe after tasting them. Thanks for laying down the groundwork so we can just play with it, along with the original recipe… these will all be handed down labeled “Family Favourites”
YUM! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Brenda! And thanks so much for sharing it with your friends and family! :)
I make these often.
Sometimes I throw in blueberries in a few. My kids like them as is.
I appreciate that they’re sweet enough for breakfast, but not too sweet.
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Marianne!
These muffins came out perfect! They are very moist and delicious :).
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Sara!
My muffins had only a trace of struesel inside because I did not realize how much I should have sprinkled in between the bottom and top layers. I suggest that the struesel is divided in half, and then make sure you use half in the filling, and half as the topping. In an effort to make a healthier muffin, I substituted 1 cup white whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup wheat germ for some of the white flour. The muffins came out well. Will try again, and maybe even try some whole wheat flour. Thanks for the nice recipe.
Thanks for your notes, Michele! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
The muffins are delicious but seem to take longer to cook.
Should I try a higher temp.
Hi Marianne – Oven temperatures can cause great variances in the bake time. Do you have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is running at the correct temperature? And was the rack in the center of the oven?
Loved these muffins. Very light and not overly sweet.
The recipe actually made 15 muffins in my tins.
Can’t wait to share with neighbor & friends!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sandy!
Turned out amazing. I used vegan sour cream too!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Farah!
I added 1tsp cinnamon to batter and I needed a bit more flour in the streusel to get a better consistency. I started the muffins at 425 for a few mins before dropping the temp to 350 until toothpick comes clean to get a nice doom shape. Wonderful muffins they were gone by the next morning
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Marea!
Came out great! Husband also loved them!
I’m so thrilled to read this, Ashley!
My young adult son says these are the “bomb!” We all liked them too.
Woohoo! I’m so happy to read this!
These are fantastic made them today for my 75 yr old neighbor she loved them too
I’m so thrilled to read this, Cathy!
I had to modify for family allergies but still was very good with GF flour and vegan butter/sour cream. This was a great treat for a lazy Saturday brunch.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Rachel!
These were delicious! I didn’t have light brown sugar so I used a 50-50 mix of dark brown and white sugar in the strudel. It browned nicely and was delicious The batter portion did not brown even when done but it looked delightful with the dark strudel. Easily one of my favorites!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Kristen!
Delicious coffee cake muffins I have come across in years
Moist, flavourful , easy to make – son in laws favourite muffins
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Julia!
I’m wondering if the batter would be too wet to add 1/2 cup of cookie butter (biscoff) to this. What do you think, cause this recipe looks spot on!
Hi Katrina – I’ve never tried that so I can’t say with certainty what the resulting texture would be like. Let me know if you give it a shot!
I have made these several times and LOVE them Today I had some apples that needed to be used. I took 2 cups of finely chopped apples tossed them with 2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. I folded into the batter t the very end Baked for 30 minutes (the muffins tins were full but since the batter is thick they did really well). They came out amazing.
Love your addition of chopped apples, Susan! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Could you bake this recipe in a 9×13 pan? How long?
I’ve never tried that so unfortunately I can’t weigh in on this!
Really good muffins – made to split with a neighbor… Appearance remained very pale – I kept longer in the even than needed for toothpick test and spring back test but I could not get the browning I expected. I gave up so I would not burn them or dry them out. I’ve never had that happen. Presentation was an important thing I was looking for. My husband says they taste great but I cannot taste them… (He’s very reliable…) Maybe I should use brown sugar in batter rather than white???
Hi Teresa – Did you use white or brown sugar for the streusel topping?
I was wondering if this would make double if you use a regular muffin tin ?
Hi there! Yes, this recipe will yield roughly double the number of muffins if you use a regular-sized muffin tin. Also, regular-sized muffins could take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. The key is to rely on the toothpick test to determine doneness.
Light and lovely muffins! Can’t wait for morning coffee!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Did you bake these in a jumbo muffin tin, or just overfill a regular muffin tin? Wondering if this makes 6 or 12 actual jumbo muffins. TIA!
Hi! This recipe yields 12 jumbo muffins (I used a jumbo muffin pan).
These were SO good! I’ve made them twice already to share with friends :) Amazing with coffee! thanks for the recipe!
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Jay!
I just took mine out of the oven. They are HUGE! I am letting them cook a bit before I taste one! Can’t wait…. thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome, Tammy! Enjoy!
WE LOVE THIS RECIPE…………AWESOME!!!!
I’m so thrilled to hear this, Pauline!
Hi….I’ve made this twice now in a cake version. 9×9 pan 350 for about 40 minutes. I also used yogurt instead of sour cream. Basically the same thing. Plus I added nuts to the streusel. Can I tell you how delicious this is. Thanks for sharing. This is a forever recipe. For me, I like the cake version instead of muffins. Thanks again. ;)
Awesome! I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Paula!
Could these be baked as an actual coffee cake instead of muffins?
Hi Linda! I’ve never tried that with this recipe so I can’t say with certainty what the results will be. And just remember to adjust the baking time. Let me know if you give it shot!
Hi! I made these exactly as directed. They taste really good, but when taking them out of the muffin tins, the muffins split where the inner layer of streusel is. I think I might leave that out next time, or swirl it in a bit.
Good recipe!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Jessica!
Could you hand mix the batter instead of using a mixer? I’m so excited to try your delicious recipe but unfortunately I don’t have a mixer!
Hi Madison – A handheld beater works, or just some elbow grease :)
Can you make the batter in advance?
Hi Shelley! I’ve never made this batter in advance so I can’t say for certainty what the results would be but I think it *should* keep overnight. However you’ll liking need to increase the bake time slightly so rely on the toothpick test to determine doneness. Let me know if you give it a shot!
These came out really good, thank you for a great recipe! I did reduce the butter and oil to 1/4 cup each, they still came out really moist because of the full cup of sour cream. And I added oats to the top streusel for an extra crunch.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Diana!
WE HAVE MADE YOUR MUFFINS AGAIN THEY ARE SOOO GOOD WITH A BIG CUP OF COFFEE!!!
Woohoo! Thrilled you’re enjoying the recipe, Pauline!
JACK AND I HAVE MADE YOUR MUFFINS, THEY ARE AWESOME, WE WILL BE MAKING THEM AGAIN ON SATURDAY THANK YOU!!!!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the muffins, Pauline!
Can you make it without sour cream ?
Hi Rachael – You could use Greek yogurt as a substitute!
Should specify in the recipe to use a jumbo muffin tin. Way too much batter for a standard muffin tin.
Hi Jonathan! I do specify this in the “Kelly’s Notes” section. :)
It made 22 muffins with the yellow scoop. I put walnuts in half of the topping. They baked for 15-16 min at 350 F. They are tasty and have a nice texture. Next time I will try them with the brown sugar topping.
Awesome! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this in a loaf pan. Just a warning to anyone else who wants to try using a loaf pan: it was still uncooked in the center after an hour. I upped the heat to 375. After about fifteen more minutes it was done! Nice recipe though. Next time I’ll see what happens in a ring pan.
Good Basic Sour Cream Muffin Recipe! Take this Recipe To The Best by my Copying from Memory a German Bakery in a small town of Northern Wisconsin.
Cut Struesel amount in Half Too Much!
Add 1 tsp Cinnamon and 1 tsp Nutmeg
For Batter Add 2 tsp Cinnamon and 1 tsp Nutmeg
Wunderbar!
Is there no coffee in the recipe, or are they meant to be had with a cup of coffee?
Going to try and make them anyway because I love streusel, but just thought I would ask
Hi Melanie! “Coffee cake” is just the name of the dish, since this type of muffin/cake is commonly served with a cup of coffee. :)
another way of keeping things fresh is by freezing your muffins in bags. my mom was a home cake decorator and se would freeze her cake scraps and they would still be fresh a few days later. you should also freeze them while the muffins are still warm, because then they keep that moist consistency.
Thanks for the tip, Caleb!
These were absolutely delicious. I added a little nutmeg and doubled the crumb topping.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tamara!
These are okay as is…..add raspberries or blueberries or a fruit of your choice and they become outstanding. Thanks for this keeper!
You are so welcome, Stacey! Love your addition of berries!
These were so delicious! Can’t wait to make them again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Melissa!
Loved these muffins. Do you think I could add raspberries or blueberries?
Absolutely! I have a recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins with Streusel that you may be interested in. Here’s the link: https://www.justataste.com/blueberry-coffee-cake-muffins-streusel-recipe/
These were delicious! What do you find is the best way to store the leftovers to keep them fresh?
So glad you enjoyed them, Katrina! I’d keep any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Do you think they’d still come out as high if I baked them in muffin liners rather than directly in a muffin tin?
I’ve been loving the taste of almond extract in my muffins. Would it work in this recipe instead of vanilla?
Hi there! I don’t see why not! The key is to rely on the toothpick test to determine doneness. Substituting almond extract in place of vanilla should work, too!
There is no coffee in the ingredients, it’s called coffee coffee cake? Also 1/3 softened…?
Hi Daphne! Thanks so much for catching that typo. I’ve updated the ingredient list to say “softened butter.” Also, “coffee cake” is just the name of the dish, since this type of muffin/cake is commonly served with a cup of coffee. :)
This is a delicious recipe. I had a small amount of rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries in my freezer (probably 1 cup total combined) I added a 1/2 cup sugar more to this recipe and stirred in the fruit and the end. I had to bake them about 30 minutes – THEY WERE AMAZING!!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kayan!
Hi Irma, glad you asked this! I scrolled down just to see if I was the only one lol!!
Hi! I was wondering if you can make these into mini bundt cakes? And do you think the struesel would melt into the cake instead of it being all yummy and crumbly?
Hi there! I don’t see why not! If you bake them at the same temp, and just adjust the time, it should work out. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Can I double this recipe?
Absolutely, Christine! Just remember to adjust the baking time if you change the size of the muffins.
These were terrific muffins – really moist and delicious!
Any idea how I might change this up a little to make banana coffee cake? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this recipe… but I have these ripe bananas staring at me that need to me made into something delicious! I keep looking at recipes, but this one is always the one I come back to, I just don’t know how I would adjust the batter to add in the bananas. Thanks so much in advance!!
Hi Jamie Lee! I have never tried adding bananas to this recipe, however I have two great banana bread recipes that would make fantastic use of those speckled bananas! Here are the recipes:
https://www.justataste.com/2014/03/chocolate-chip-swirl-banana-bread-recipe/
https://www.justataste.com/2013/02/moist-banana-bread-streusel-topping-recipe/
These were amazing. Soft, moist and full of flavour. But I think I used the butter at the wrong temperature for the streusel. I guess it was too soft so I didnt get that “crumble” texture. Instead I put in the centre of the muffin so when it baked, you had a little spiced surprise in the middle. But AMAZING recipe!!!!
They turned out beautifully. The batter was delicious–I almost wanted to eat it right out of the bowl!
I just made these, substituting the sour cream with greek yogurt. Oh my wow are they delicious!
Awesome substitution, Jamie Lee!
Absolutely delicious! My boys loved them.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Lori!
dumb question… coffee cake without coffee in the ingredients?
Hi Irma! “Coffee Cake” is just the name of the dish, since this type of muffin/cake is commonly served with a cup of coffee :)
i also added chopped pecans to the streusel! very nice added touch :)
These just came out of the oven and the house smells wonderful!
I Made these today as I had sour cream that was about to expire. I also added pieces of apple, and baked them in tall silicon muffin pans. What a great tasting and moist muffin.
My topping didn’t turn out quite like yours but sure was yummy before baked lol. Will definately try again. Maybe it was the brown sugar….
Could you substitute the sour cream for Greek yoghurt?
Hi Aerin! I haven’t tried substituting in yogurt in this recipe, but if it’s the full-fat yogurt, you should have a pretty similar result (just don’t use non-fat). I’ve also read that you need to add an additional teaspoon of baking soda. Hope that helps!
Yes, I’m all about the streusel & these are gorgeous!
Wow, just look at that gorgeous crumb topping! I will most definitely have to try this!
These muffins look so comforting and delicious. Just perfect!
Kelly,
This looks amazingly yummy. I want it, with a cup of coffee. Can never get enough coffee :D
Your photos are making my mouth water! what a brilliant snack!
These look perfect!! I love them, Kelly!
Oh yeah, the streusel is actually why I eat coffee cake in the first place. I love that crumbly brown sugar topping!
I’ll have one! Love anything coffee cake!