Sour cream coffee cake is a good choice to have on hand because it is so good, carefully wrapped, it will keep for 3 or 4 days, just getting better each day and it freezes beautifully. I think this cake is more popular on the East Coast than the West, but good is good whatever your time zone. When I make this cake I serve one and freeze one.
When properly made it will have a rich tender crumb and taste of butter, cinnamon and toasted nuts. It is rich enough to serve for dessert with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of fresh berries. This recipe makes two 9-inch cakes.
The Streusel
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 TB cold butter
3/4 white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 TB cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper. Sift the dry batter ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl or mixer bowl. Add the butter and the sour cream and mix until the mixture incorporates. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until the batter is light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix into batter.
In a separate bowl, cut the 2 TB cold butter into the 3/4 cup flour with a mixer or pastry blender. Add the sugars, cinnamon and nuts and blend.
Divide the batter between two 9 inch prepared cake pans. Take one quarter of the streusel mixture and place it in 5 or 6 dollops in the batter filled pan. Repeat with the second pan. With a broad knife or spatula, swirl the streusel into the batter as if you would for marble cake. Top each cake with the one quarter remaining streusel and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.