Sourdough Coffee Cake Muffins
These sourdough coffee cake muffins are the perfect sweet sourdough breakfast recipe or afternoon snack. They’re an easy same day sourdough recipe that uses sourdough discard OR active sourdough starter. No chilling and no long fermentation times required. From bowl to table in under an hour!
My sourdough coffee cake muffins are rich and buttery, not spongey like traditional muffins can be. Loaded with layers of cinnamon sugar, these bakery-style sourdough muffins are impressive and delicious!
If you like sweet sourdough recipes, you’ll love my Sourdough Apple Fritter Focaccia and Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Focaccia. My famous Sourdough Double Chocolate Chip cookies are perfect for a crowd.
Scroll down for the recipe card, followed by detailed step-by-step instructions (with photos).
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Sourdough Coffee Cake Muffins Recipe
Sourdough Coffee Cake Muffins
Ingredients
Sourdough Coffee Cake Batter
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, softened
- 1½ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ cups sourdough discard or active starter
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 cups all purpose flour
Cinnamon Sugar Filling + Topping
- 1½ cup brown sugar
- 5 Tablespoons flour
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons butter melted
Vanilla Glaze
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½-1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar Filling + Topping
- Stir the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Set aside.
Sourdough Coffee Cake Batter
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ (175℃). Place bakery style muffin liners in muffin tin and set aside. See notes about how important big muffin liners are for this recipe.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla extract, eggs, milk, and sourdough discard (or active starter). Mix to combine.
- Add the baking powder and flour and mix until combined. Don't over mix; this will help your muffins be fluffier.
- Scoop spoonfuls of batter into the bottom of the muffin liners, filling to about halfway of the muffin tin. Add some of the cinnamon sugar mixture to each muffin and add another spoonful of batter on top. Crumble and press the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture onto the top of each muffin. They should be filing the muffin tin cups to the top. As they bake, the muffin liners will keep them in as the muffins rise so the large liners are very important.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350℉ (175℃) until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Be careful to not over-bake or you risk having dry muffins.
Vanilla Glaze
- While the sourdough coffee cake muffins are cooling, make the glaze by mixing up powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Start by adding 1/2 Tablespoon milk to the mixture and gradually add more to get your desired consistency for the drizzle. Drizzle over muffins and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes 12 JUMBO bakery-style muffins. The tulip style paper baking cups are super important for keeping the muffins in the cup as they rise.
- If you don’t have the tulip style paper baking cups, you can adapt this recipe to make more, smaller muffins. Simply use regular paper baking cups (make sure they won’t stick) and make 24 smaller muffins by adding less batter and filling to each muffin cup. Adjust baking time down to 15-20 minutes with smaller muffins.
- This is a sourdough coffee CAKE muffin recipe. Emphasis on cake! It’s a buttery, more dense cake that is still fluffy without being spongey.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It is quick and simple! These sourdough coffee cake muffins can go from bowl to table in under an hour. There’s no bulk fermentation time and no chilling of the dough required. You can whip up a batch in no time!
- It takes sourdough coffee cake to the next level with bakery style muffins. They’re beautiful and impressive. They’re preportioned so they’re easy to gift or take to your next holiday gathering. Who doesn’t love an easy holiday sourdough recipe?
Important Ingredients
This sourdough coffee cake turned muffins recipe uses mostly classic pantry staples. But take note for:
- Sourdough discard or active sourdough starter – Yes, you can use either one! Since you’re using sourdough discard or starter to enhance the flavor, you can use either one you have on hand.
- Vanilla extract – Maybe I’m biased, but there is nothing like the flavor of homemade vanilla extract. I think it levels up any sweet treat recipe. Any kind of vanilla extract will do, but if you want to kick it up a notch, use homemade. I like this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card above.
Note on Making Bakery Style Muffins
To achieve the large, bakery style look and bake with these sourdough muffins, you will need bakery style baking cups (also called tulip cupcake liners). These large paper baking cups aren’t just pretty, they keep the batter in during baking as the muffins rise. Which is SUPER important for jumbo, bakery style sourdough muffins!
How to Make Bakery Style Sourdough Coffee Cake Muffins
Set your oven to 350℉ (180℃) to preheat while you make the muffin batter and topping.
Step 1: Stir the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla extract, eggs, milk, and sourdough discard (or active starter). Mix to combine. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until combined. Don’t over mix; this will help your muffins be fluffier.
Step 3: Scoop spoonfuls of batter into the bottom of the muffin liners, filling to about halfway of the muffin tin. Add some of the cinnamon sugar mixture to each muffin and add another spoonful of batter on top. Crumble and press the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture onto the top of each muffin.
Step 4: Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350℉ (175℃) until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Do not over-bake or you risk having dry muffins. Allow to cool while you mix up powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk for the glaze. Drizzle the glaze on top of the sourdough coffee cake muffins and enjoy!
How to Serve
Sourdough coffee cake muffins are served best with… you guessed it: a cup of coffee. It’s a classic for a reason! But this sourdough coffee cake isn’t just for a sourdough breakfast treat. Make for a holiday brunch, after-school sourdough snack, or sourdough holiday dessert.
How to Store
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days. If they last that long!
Frequently Asked Questions
These sourdough coffee cake muffins are perfect for your next holiday brunch gathering, special sourdough holiday breakfast recipe, or a weekend sourdough treat. They’re a spin on a classic family recipe and I hope you love them as much as we do!
Remember to rate this recipe and save for later!
These sourdough coffee cake muffins are fluffy, rich, and buttery. They’re SO easy and can be made with either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter.
It’s a sourdough spin on a classic family recipe and I hope you love them as much as we do! Leave me a comment with any questions you have and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Yum! Simple and totally delicious, perfect for breakfast or brunch!
Thanks so much, Ashleigh!
Awesome Recipe! I love anything cinnamon and I have always been a great fan of coffee cakes. Totally saving this!
Hi, Heidi! Same here. A good coffee cake just hits the spot for that cozy baked good craving!
Wow, I love me a good coffee cake but I never thought about making them into muffins. I bet these would be amazing for a camping breakfast/dessert with coffee. Thanks for sharing.
That’s such a great idea, Kaitlin! A great take along camping breakfast or dessert for sure. Eating these around a campfire with a warm cup of coffee? Yes, please!
These sourdough coffee cake muffins are delicious and easy to make!! This is one of my favorite new recipes!
Thanks so much for sharing, Vanessa! So glad youn enjoyed them! 🙂
those look like straight out of the bakery!
Thanks so much, Ophelie!
These sourdough muffins look absolutely delicious and they don’t sound too tricky to make. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thank you, Alisha!
Wow, what a great recipe!!
Thanks so much, Lisa!
My mouth is watering just looking at these photos! What a delicious and fun recipe idea!
Thank you, Molly!
Can I bake in a loaf pan!? busy toddler, trying to save time this looks DEVINE!
Hi, Alicia. You can try it in two loaf pans or my sourdough coffee cake recipe is very similar if you want to try it! https://hellohoneycomb.blog/sourdough-discard-coffee-cake/ You can make the full coffee cake recipe in a 9×13 pan or halve the recipe and make it in an 8×8 pan. Just adjust the baking time!
YUM! Just wow!
Thanks so much, Kirsten!
Yum! I love coffee cake anything. I will have to make these!! 🙂
Thank you, Lydia! Hope you enjoy!
These look delicious!
I love coffee cake and this is such a great idea baking it in a muffin tin! Easy treat to grab and go, or share with friends.
wow these look fantastic! perfect camping breakfast!
Thank you, Penny! Absolutely perfect for camping!
I thought this would be complicated at first look, but when I read it, it seems so simple! I’m so glad I checked this out because I would love to make these!! Thanks for sharing!
So glad, Priscilla! They look impressive but they’re easy peasy!
I love coffee cake and I love muffins! I’m making these this week! Look delicious!
Thanks so much, Maria! Hope you enjoy!
Can salted butter be used in this recipe?
Hi, Amy! Yes, you can used salted butter for this recipe. Either salted or unsalted is fine; you can use whatever you have on hand!
These are fabulous! They are super easy and very tasty. They were a big hit at the brunch I made them for. The tulip liners are key for not only making these muffins look pretty and professional but they are perfect for filling the muffin tin full. Thanks for this free recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing, Melinda! They are definitely the perfect sourdough brunch muffins. Glad they were a hit!
Have you ever doubled or tripled this recipe with success? I know some recipes can’t be double as easily as others. I have to make four dozen so I just wanted to know if you had doubled it successfully thanks so much.
Hi, Debby! Yes, this recipe is easily doubled. There’s no problem with that. If you triple it, making sure all the ingredients are incorporated evenly gets trickier. So just make sure to use extra large bowls to allow enough room to stir everything together. Hope you enjoy! The only thing better than a batch of these sourdough coffee cake muffins is a DOUBLE batch! 🙂
Thx so much.., making 2 double batches tomorrow for a large meeting. These are delicious.. BTW I also make them in chocolate. I replaced the cinnamon with cocoa for the topping and I used a filling for the inside layer of: 110g sugar, 75g butter, 70g semisweet chocolate and 25g cocoa. Melted the 1st 3 ingredients together and then added the cocoa and let it completely cool. Outrageously delicious! Thx again!
Oh my goodness! The chocolate version sounds amazing! I will have to try those. Do you add any cocoa to the batter or leave it as vanilla cake?
Left it vanilla! Delicious!
I will have to try it! Thanks so much for the suggestion, Debby.
I like this recipe and they are delicious but the parchment tulips have so much grease on them after baking. I baked specifically as noted, so I’m open to any suggestions
Hi, Mandy! So glad you find these delicious! That would be the butter. 🙂 There’s a lot of butter in this recipe between the cake and filling so depending on the liners, it may seep out more for some. I would recommend trying different, thicker parchment tulips. Or you can add a second liner to the bottom of the muffin once they have been baked and cooled. I remember going to a friend’s house and that was her mom’s secret to making perfect looking cupcakes–a fresh liner on every one. Hope this helps!
Delicious muffins!! Baked them and gave some to my son & his GF. Was told they are delicious, which I already knew from trying one. Definitely a KEEPER recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much, Lori! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them!
Have you tried making the batter in advance – 24-36 hours and leaving out the baking powder till you’re ready to bake? I have time to put these together today, but I don’t need them till Friday (1 1/2 days) and I won’t have time to put them together on Friday. Thx
Hi, Debby. I have not tried that but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! I’d personally keep the batter in the fridge and let it come to room temp on the counter before adding the baking powder when it’s time to bake. It’s an experiment! Let us know how they turn out with that method.
Hi Debby, can you tell me if this worked? I usually do a long cold proof with sourdough bread due to a gluten allergy but I haven’t tried it with this kind of recipe. I was so excited to see your comment. Thanks!
This recipe sounds so good, but I have a potato flake sourdough starter. Do you have any suggestions for converting the measurements?
Hi, Kelly! No need to convert it. Just use your potato flake starter as you would a regular starter. They may be a tad more dense I think they will still turn out well. Happy baking!
These sourdough coffee cake muffins are out of this world delicious!! I forgot to make the glaze and they were still delicious. Heated up for 30 seconds and served with a cup of coffee it felt like such a treat in the morning. Making these again today but this time I won’t forget the glaze!
Thanks so much, Vanessa! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Eating one with a cup of coffee is my favorite way to enjoy them, too. A classic treat 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Sourdough anything will always catch my eye, but these look utterly delicious! Can’t wait to give them a try
Thank you, Jaice! This recipe is one of our favorites!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Wonderful instructions and just looking at them makes my mouth water!
Thank you, Molly! Hope you enjoy!
Definitely going to try this one soon! Looks delicious!
Thanks, Olivia! Enjoy!! 🙂
This looks delicious! We love sourdough and coffee cake! I will definitely be making this for breakfast.
Thanks, Mara! Hope you enjoy a special breakfast treat!
These look so so delicious. We try to avoid sugar, but use things like maple syrup or honey instead. Any tips on how we could adjust the recipe by chance?
Hi, Meredith. I’m not quite sure how to sub the sugar for maple syrup or honey but experimenting is always fun! Let me know if you find a way to swap.
Coffee cake muffins is such a brilliant idea! I was just thinking of coffee cake the other day too. Will have to save this for later – they look so good!
Thanks so much, Nicole! Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely delicious and come out perfectly every time. Definitely a repeat recipe!
Absolutely delicious, these are my favorite!!
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
These look so delicious!
I made these and the feedback has been incredible! They are perfect. Delicious and they look amazing too. I feel like a superstar with all the accolades. Thank you for the recipe!!!
Thanks so much for sharing, Inez! I’m so glad everyone is loving them and appreciating all the care you put into these muffins. I supply the recipe but you make the baking magic happen! Enjoy!! 🙂
First time making “sourdough discard” muffins. And we absolutely LOVED it!! My topping didn’t get very wet and crumbly when I made. But it turned out ok after I baked them! I will make them again with NOT homemade tulip shape muffin liners! I made them with parchment paper and it was difficult to fill in the batter, topping, and more batter. But as I said, the muffins were DELICIOUS!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
So glad you loved these, Noriko! I haven’t tried using homemade liners with parchment paper; I can definitely see how that could be tricky! Good work powering through and glad they turned out wonderful in the end. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
These look so good and tasty! I am always looking for ways to use my sourdough discard and these are a great way to use a lot of it 🙂 I love your baking cups too!
Thank you so much, Rachel! 🙂
literally my favorite discard recipe!! I ended up making twelve muffins and then put the rest into a round cake pan and it turned out SO good!!
would this freeze well? In case I decide to make extra?
So glad to hear it, Ariel! Yes, you can freeze these muffins. Just allow to cool fully and wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer in a plastic freezer storage bag. Thaw on the counter and then reheat before serving. They’re best fresh, of course, but can be frozen as well. Happy baking!