Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaves

Loaves of Sour Cream Coffee Cake are my contribution to this month’s Chicago Food Swap — my new favorite monthly event.

Founded by Emily from West of the Loop, the swap is a get-together where people trade homemade creations. It occurs in a designated location in the city and everyone is welcome. Last month we swapped items at an old armory in Edgewater, where I traded almond toffee and a few varieties of cookies for fresh mint, brandied cherries, garlic flavored olive oil and soup. This weekend I’m taking the sour coffee cake, which is great for food swaps and potlucks because it freezes well and travels well.

One recipe makes two 8×4 or (if you are using Mainstays disposable pans) 8×3.75 inch loaf pans.

Just layer everything in the pan, bake, cool and freeze. Once frozen, you can wrap and decorate the loaves as you please and carry them along frozen to the event. By the time you arrive they should be thawed and ready to serve (or swap).

Hopefully someone will trade with me. At my first swap I didn’t know to bring samples so people had to swap without tasting. I can’t let that happen again.

Print Recipe

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Loaves

Sour cream and pastry flour give this coffee cake a light texture.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Author: Cookie Madness

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 stick 114 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup 196 grams sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 240 grams cake flour or pastry flour 2 cups plus 2 T.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 228 grams sour cream

Topping

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup 2 ounces toasted and chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Grease two small (8x3.75) inch disposable loaf pans or two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
• With a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Using lowest speed of mixer, add eggs one by one. Increase mixer speed to medium high and beat for about 60 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat in vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a heavy duty scraper or big spoon to stir, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream stirring by hand until mixed.
• Mix together both sugars and cinnamon, then stir in the toasted nuts.
• Cover bottom of each pan with cake batter (about 1 1/2 cups per pan). Sprinkle a layer of nuts and sugar across the batter layer. Spread remaining batter across nuts and sugar layer in each pan, then top with remaining nuts and sugar.
• Set the two loaf pans on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely. If desired, wrap cooled loaves in plastic and foil, put in freezer bags and freeze.

Notes

I got just the right texture when I used 240 grams (8 1/2 oz) of pastry flour. All-purpose and cake flour will work, but the results might be a little different. The key is to use 240 grams or 8 1/2 oz. If you don't have a scale and you are using cake flour, that would be 2 cups and 2 tablespoons. If you are using all-purpose flour (which is a little bit heavier), that would be about 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons. Of course volume is never really precise so it's hard to say.