Sour Cream Coffee Cake Doesn't Have to Come From the Bakery

A couple of weeks ago my sister and I were chatting. She had made blueberry muffins and on how good they turned out. She thought the addition of sour cream to the batter that gave the muffins bakery quality texture.

I have used sour cream in baked goods before but never gave much thought as to why. Internet research told me that sour cream tenderizes and softens baked goods. After some experimentation, I realized she was correct.

Buttermilk and yogurt are often used in recipes to produce similar results. While yogurt and sour cream are often interchangeable, sour cream typically has more fat and that texture cannot be duplicated with lowfat options. For healthier cooking, however, I often substitute lowfat Greek yogurt and get acceptable results.

I was soon armed with tubs of sour cream from  on Mexico Road. I wanted to create a coffee cake that would rival bakeries and coffee shops. I used frozen blueberries, and also tried the coffee cake with diced peaches (drained if using canned fruit) and diced apples. The results were equally delicious.

When baking, there are a few terms that are somewhat important. This is a quick guide to some terms you may find in a recipe.

• Cream: to work into a creamy mass. This term usually refers to beating butter and sugar until the sugar granules begin to dissolve into the butter and the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
• Fold: to mix by gently turning ingredients into a batter. This is best done with a spatula using a gentle motion.
• Cut in: to incorporate butter into other ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. The results are usually a crumbled texture.
• Dot: to distribute small amounts of butter over the top of baked goods, such as a pie, prior to baking.
• Mix until just moistened: stir ingredients together until most of the dry ingredients are moist, but the batter is still lumpy.

Basic Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Serves 9

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups fruit of your choice

Topping:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with non-stick spray or lightly oil pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Beat until well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir flour mixture into sour cream mixture until fully incorporated. Gently fold in fruit.

Spread batter into prepared pan.

With a fork, cut in butter, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until light golden brown on top.