I offered up a streamlined version of one of my favorite coffee cakes in my Twice as Tasty column this week for the Flathead Beacon. The simplified recipe is easy to make with store-bought ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your kitchen. It’s also easy to pour the batter into a muffin pan and bake it into muffins.

Both shapes have their pluses and minuses. It’s attractive as a coffee cake for a group brunch, especially if you bake it in a springform pan, which makes it easy to release and shows off the streusel layers as you cut and serve it at the table. But that shape may be less ideal for an outdoor gathering or if the coffee cake will be eaten over several days at home. That’s when muffins make sense: They’re more informal but easy to eat on the go and keep well in the fridge or freezer. With either shape, you can upgrade my streamlined recipe by using scratch-made ingredients, like Homemade Sour Cream.
Learn to make Sour Cream–Applesauce Coffee Cake or Muffins