This Cake Mix Coffee Cake is a simple cinnamon coffee cake made with minimal effort. It is low risk, fool proof, and perfect for beginners and busy bakers alike.
For a from scratch version, try this Sour Cream Coffee Cake.
I love to bake. And I love to bake from scratch.
But sometimes, you need a fail proof recipe. And that’s when I bring in the cake mix.
I’m no stranger to using cake mixes for everything but a cake. You can make Cake Mix Brownies, Cake Mix Cookies, and even Cake Mix Muffins. So of course, you can also make a killer Cake Mix Coffee Cake!
This Coffee Cake gets devoured every time I make it. You get 4 delicious layers – cake, crumb, cake, crumb. It’s sweet and it’s moist and it turns our every time I make it. It’s perfect for breakfast or brunch, or even as a snack or dessert. And it’s super easy to make. It’s a winner all the way around!
Ingredients
- Cake Mix: You will need a yellow cake mix. Different brands are different sizes, but as long as they are for a 9×13-inch cake, it should work. You are using the dry mix only here.
- Sugar: You will need light brown sugar for the crumb.
- Flour: The flour is also used in the crumb mix.
- Butter: You want to make sure that your butter is cold. If needed, you can cut it into cubes, then place it in the freezer for 10 minutes to make sure it’s nice and cold.
- Vanilla: This is for flavor. I like to use a good vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon: This gives lots of cinnamon flavor. I use a full tablespoon.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs will mix in more evenly. I always use large eggs.
- Sour Cream: The sour cream keeps this coffee cake nice and moist with a great texture.
How to Make Cake Mix Coffee Cake
STEP 1: Start by making your crumb topping. You will take 1/2 cup of the cake mix and combine it with the brown sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Use a pastry blender or a fork to mix until it resembles crumbs.
STEP 2: In another bowl, combine the remaining cake mix with the eggs and the sour cream.
STEP 3: To assemble the coffee cake, start by spreading half of the cake mix in the bottom of a prepared 9-inch baking dish. Spread this as evenly as possible.
STEP 4: Take half of the crumb mixture and sprinkle it over the top. Make sure to get it all the way to the edges.
STEP 5: Take the remaining cake batter and add it by spoonfuls over the crumb mixture. You don’t want to just dump it all in the center because this layer is a little tricky to spread.
STEP 6: Gently start to spread the batter into an even layer. I think this is easiest with an offset spatula. You want to try not to mix the crumbs all into the cake layer, but to keep it a layer on top.
STEP 7: Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top. Bake this until the cake is fully baked, then let it cool slightly before slicing to serve.
Tips and Tricks
You will want to make sure your baking dish has high sides so that it will all fit without overflowing. I use this pan, which is 9x9x2. This will not fit in an 8×8 inch dish.
We cut this into 9 pretty generous portions. Feel free to cut the slices smaller, especially if you are serving this with other items as well.
This cake can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days if it is covered. Ours usually doesn’t last that long, though!
More Sweet Breakfast Ideas
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Kolaches Recipe
Blueberry Waffles
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Cake Mix Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the cake mix, the brown sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter, cut the ingredients together until it is crumbly.1 box yellow cake mix, 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- In another bowl, mix the remaining cake mix with the 3 eggs and the sour cream.3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture evenly over the top.
- Add spoonfuls of the remaining batter to the top of the crumb mixture. You want to be able to gently spread it out, so try to drop the batter evenly. Spread as well as possible, without disturbing the crumb layer.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumb over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Let cool until warm before slicing and serving.
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