Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

These rich, tender sour cream muffins have a buttery cinnamon streusel layered through the center and scattered generously over the top. The sour cream keeps the muffins moist, while cake flour gives them a particularly soft crumb.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

Yield: 10 large muffins
Bake Time: 25–30 minutes
Oven: 350°F

Ingredients:

For the Muffins:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups sour cream
• 2½ cups (280 grams) cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the Streusel:

• ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line approximately 10 large muffin cups with tulip or regular paper liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 4–5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 20–30 seconds after each addition, just until incorporated.
4. Add the vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds.
5. Weigh 280 grams of cake flour into a separate bowl. Add the baking powder and baking soda and whisk to combine. Sift the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any lumps, then stir in the salt.
6. Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix for about 20 seconds. Add one-third of the sour cream and mix for another 20 seconds. Continue alternating the dry ingredients and sour cream by thirds until everything is incorporated. Avoid overmixing.
7. Make the streusel: Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and cold butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your fingertips until well combined and the butter is approximately the size of small peas.
8. Spoon ¼ cup batter into each prepared muffin cup. Sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons streusel over the batter.
9. Add another ¼ cup batter to each muffin, then finish with approximately 2 teaspoons additional streusel.
10. Bake for 25–30 minutes. Begin checking at 25 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
11. Allow the muffins to cool slightly before removing them from the pan.

Denver Adjustments:

These rich, cake-like muffins should benefit from slightly less sugar and leavening, a little more flour and liquid, and a higher oven temperature—consistent with Colorado State University’s guidance.

Ingredient or Setting	Original	Denver Adjustment
Granulated sugar	1½ cups	1½ cups minus 2 tablespoons
Cake flour	280 grams	295 grams—about 2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons
Baking powder	2 teaspoons	1½ teaspoons
Baking soda	½ teaspoon	⅜ teaspoon—¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon
Milk	None	Add 2 tablespoons
Oven temperature	350°F	375°F, conventional oven
Baking time	25–30 minutes	Begin checking at 20 minutes; approximately 22–28 minutes

Keep the butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, salt, and all streusel ingredients as written.

Make these small changes to the method:

1. Cream the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Avoid extended beating that incorporates excessive air.
2. Whisk the 2 tablespoons milk into the sour cream, then alternate this mixture with the adjusted dry ingredients as directed.
3. Divide the batter among 10 jumbo muffin cups, filling approximately three-quarters full. The specified ½ cup batter per muffin requires jumbo cups; regular cups will yield more muffins.
4. Bake on the center rack at 375°F. Check at 20 minutes, but remove them only when a toothpick inserted into the muffin itself comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
5. Cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Use the flour weight of 295 grams for consistency, since cake-flour cup measurements vary with the brand and measuring method.

You can also make in the smaller cupcake size with the following changes. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons for first layer then add a teaspoon of streusel. Then add another 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter and top with 2 teaspoons of streusel. Cook for approximately 17 minutes checking after 15. The internal temperature will be approximately 203 degrees. Makes about 20 small cupcakes.

Tip: Don’t overwork the streusel. Leaving the cold butter in small pea-sized pieces helps create those buttery, crumbly pockets on top as the muffins bake.

Source: Not provided