Brown Butter, Ginger, and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of Carly

Nutty brown butter spiked with crystallized ginger makes this sour cream coffee cake impossible to resist. A crumbly, buttery streusel tops tender whole wheat crumb, creating the perfect morning indulgence that tastes far more decadent than it should.

Brown Butter, Ginger, and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Brown butter is the secret weapon here, lending deep nutty warmth to every bite of this spiced, tender cake. The ginger hits twice, crystallized in a buttery crumb topping and ground throughout the batter, so you get both sharp spice and mellow heat. Sour cream keeps everything moist and tender. It's the kind of cake that tastes fancy but comes together without fuss.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 2 cupplus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cupall-purpose flour
  • 1 cupdark brown sugar
  • 1/4 tspkosher salt
  • 1/2 cupchopped crystallized ginger
  • 1Unsalted butter
  • 2 cupall-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cupwhole wheat flour
  • 1 tbspbaking powder
  • 1 tspkosher salt
  • 1 tspground cinnamon
  • 1 tspground ginger
  • 3/4 tspbaking soda
  • 1/2 tspground allspice
  • 1 3/4 cupsugar
  • 4 largeeggs
  • 1 1/2 cupsour cream
  • 1/2 cupwhole milk
  • 1 tbspvanilla extract
  • 3/4 cupalmonds with skins, coarsely chopped
  • 1A nonstick 10" tube pan with removable bottom

Instructions

  1. Simmer 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until deep golden-brown bits form on the bottom, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour the browned butter into a 2-cup measuring cup. If the level falls short, add more butter until you reach 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons total (any added butter will melt right in).

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, dark brown sugar, and salt. Pour in 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the brown butter, reserving the rest for the cake batter, and stir until moist clumps form. Fold in the crystallized ginger and set the streusel aside.

  3. Preheat the oven to 325°F and butter the tube pan generously. Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, and allspice together in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup browned butter with the sugar using an electric mixer until light and thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each. Beat in the sour cream, milk, and vanilla, then fold in the flour mixture just until combined.

  4. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter 1 cup of the streusel evenly over the surface, then drop the remaining batter in dollops on top and smooth it out. Work the almonds into the remaining streusel, squeeze the mixture into roughly 1/2-inch clumps, and scatter them across the top.

  5. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to release it and lift off the pan sides. Let the cake cool completely before slicing. The cake can be made 1 day ahead and stored airtight at room temperature.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Brown the butter slowly and watch it carefully, from the moment it foams to when those solids turn golden brown. It'll happen fast at the end, and burned butter tastes bitter, not good.
  • Make sure your eggs and sour cream are at room temperature before you start mixing. Cold dairy will seize the butter and make the batter break.
  • Don't overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients. A few streaks of flour are fine, even preferable. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough and dense.
  • The topping should cluster into small clumps before it hits the pan. Squeeze it gently in your hands so it sticks together and creates pockets of crunch.

Variations

  • Skip the whole wheat flour and use 2 3/4 cups all-purpose instead if you want a lighter crumb.
  • Swap the crystallized ginger for chopped dried apricots or candied orange peel in the topping, keeping the ground ginger in the cake itself.
  • Use pecans or walnuts instead of almonds, or skip the nuts entirely and add extra topping clumps for more buttery crunch.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon cardamom to the dry ingredients for a whisper of floral warmth.

Make ahead and storage

Wrapped well at room temperature, this cake keeps for up to 3 days. It's also fine frozen for up to a month. Bring it to room temperature or warm it gently in a 300 degree oven before serving if you want it soft again.