We may earn a commission when you click on the affiliate links in this post.
This easy Cake Mix Coffee Cake tastes like it came straight from a bakery, but it starts with a simple box of yellow cake mix. The soft, moist cake and buttery cinnamon-sugar topping make it the perfect treat for brunch, holidays, or a cozy morning at home.
The Coffee Cake Recipe I Make Again and Again
This Cake Mix Coffee Cake recipe is often on my breakfast menu when I have overnight guests. It’s easy to prepare in the morning, and it fills my house with the most amazing smell as it bakes. The cake is moist and tender, and the streusel topping is buttery and crunchy – so much flavor in every bite. Everyone loves it!
If you love coffee cake, I have two more favorites for you to try. Our Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is delicious for an Easter brunch, and our Pumpkin Coffee Cake is perfect in the fall.
❤️ Erica
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
For the Coffee Cake
- Yellow Cake Mix: Serves as the base of the coffee cake. It will still taste like it’s made from scratch! You can optionally use our homemade cake mix in place of the cake mix and oil in this recipe.
- Vanilla Pudding Mix: Adding pudding mix to your cakes makes them so rich and moist!
- Buttermilk: This gives your coffee cake a bright, tangy flavor and adds to the moisture. You can substitute regular milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice if needed.
- Oil: I like to use coconut oil, but you can use vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Eggs: Large eggs help bind the ingredients together giving it moisture and a fluffy texture.
- Sour Cream: This will truly take your cake to the next level. Don’t leave it out!
For the Streusel Crumble Topping
- Sugar: You will use both light brown sugar and white granulated sugar for this streusel crumble topping.
- Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the crumble and helps separate the wet and dry ingredients.
- Cinnamon: A little of this seasoning with a warm flavor!
- Salt: Adds flavor but also balances out the sweet.
- Unsalted Butter: The butter needs to be very cold, not at room temperature or melted. Pop it in the freezer for a few minutes if needed. If the butter is too warm, then you won’t get that delicious crumbly texture.
- Walnuts: The nuts are optional. You can use pecans as a substitute.
How to Make Cake Mix Coffee Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer or large bowl blend the cake mix, water, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and pudding mix together for 2 minutes. Fold in the sour cream.
- Pour the coffee cake batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- For the streusel topping, combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the sugar mixture.
- Use a pastry blender or fork to incorporate the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the nuts.
- Sprinkle half of the streusel topping over the cake batter. Using a knife, swirl the mixture through the cake.
- Evenly sprinkle the remaining streusel topping over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake after 35 minutes. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, cook an additional few minutes and test again.
- Place the baked cake on a cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or continue to cool until read to serve. This cake tastes great served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Storing and Reheating
This cake mix coffee cake is so easy to store and reheat for another day. Simply bake your cake and let it cool before storing. You will be thanking yourself for keeping at least a slice for the next day!
- Leftovers – Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last four to five days. You can also freeze leftovers by wrapping individual slices in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat – You can eat it cold but if you like it warm just do 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave per slice. This will warm it through just enough!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, coffee cake is a great make-ahead recipe. Bake it the night before, cover it tightly, and let it sit at room temperature. In the morning, just reheat individual slices or warm the whole pan in the oven before serving.
No, the coffee in the name refers to a cake eaten with coffee. It is great as a breakfast dish, a side, or a dessert, and can be enjoyed any time of the day!
Yes, this coffee cake can be frozen. Bake as directed, let it cool completely, then cover tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw at room temperature and warm slices in the oven or microwave.
Stick a toothpick in the center of the baked cake. If it comes out dry the cake is done cooking. If it comes out wet or has batter on it, the cake needs a little more time to bake.
Yes! This recipe works with either white or yellow cake mix. Yellow cake mix gives a slightly richer flavor, while white cake mix makes the crumb topping stand out more. Both are delicious options.
READ NEXT: 33+ Breakfast Ideas
More Recipes That Start With a Cake Mix
Did this coffee cake disappear as fast at your house as it does at mine? Please leave a comment and review below and let us know how you liked the recipe! ☕️🍰
Cake Mix Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
- Hand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 yellow cake mix (15 to 18 ounce mix)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup oil
- 3 large eggs
- 3.4 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 cup sour cream
For the topping:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and pudding mix. Beat with a mixer for about 2 minutes. Fold in sour cream.
- In a smaller bowl, combine sugars, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter into small pieces and add to the sugar mixture. Mix together with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in nuts.
- Pour batter into a greased 9×13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle half of the topping over the batter. Use a knife to swirl the mixture throughout the cake.
- Top evenly with the remaining topping.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
i made tgis with an Aldi cake mix and added an extra egg. This was delicious – soft and moist and I will make again. When i put in dish i put in half the batter and then covered it with topping and swirled it into batter. Then i added rest of batter and topped with final layer of of crumb topping. When i added the milk I used half regular milk and half coconut milk. This is a great recipe!
Thank you so much for this great comment! I love Aldi and wish we had one close by. I would love to try this with their cake mix. Also love the idea of using coconut milk, yum!
Best coffee cake I’ve ever made. Thank you for posting.
So glad you liked it!
I’m a bit confused. I don’t see anything that says add baking powder for rise. But a few comments said they did it as suggested and it worked….. anyone clarify that?
Someone in the comments said they added 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder based off a recipe they found in a cookbook. People have tried it and said it works well!
It’s in the cake mix?
You are right
This is a terrific recipe! I omitted the nuts because I wasn’t sure if anyone in the crowd had allergies. This cake is so moist and tender and you can really taste the sour cream which is a nice counter to the sweetness of the two sugars. I am definitely pinning this and making again. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent flavor in this moist cake. I added 1/2 teaspoon baking powder to the topping (as recommended in a cookbook I have) and it may have boosted the rise. I’ll make this again, thank you!
So so moist and so yummy! This will be a new favorite for breakfast at our house!
Really enjoyed your blog. Thank you for sharing. You’ve found a new fan.
Very delicious! It kept very well in my covered dish and didn’t dry out after a few days. My kids couldn’t get enough. The only substitution I made was pecans instead of walnuts. I will definitely make it again!
This coffee cake is delicious. I make it using a butter pecan cake mix and substitute pecans for the walnuts. Love this!
I tried your recipe for the coffee cake and it’s in the oven I’m sure it will turn out delicious I’ll let you know.im a beginner at this so i hope it turns out great!!!! Like I’ve read about we will see in about 15
Really good flavor, but I’ll leave out the pudding mix next time. I added a teaspoon of baking powder to give it a boost, which worked well.
This coffee cake is delicious! It’s a keeper.
I noticed that there is sour cream listed in the ingredients but not mentioned in the directions. Is it just mixed in with the batter? Or maybe I missed it??
Oops, never mind. I see it. 😊
Do you have to use buttermilk?
You should be able to use whole milk instead. It might not be quite as moist, but it will turn out well.
I followed this to a T and used Duncin Hines Super Moist mix and it came out great! Will definitely be doing this again! Thanks for the recipe!
I am so glad you loved it! Thanks for the 5-star rating!!
I used Duncan Hines Super Moist cake mix and also followed the recipe to a T (I did swirl some of the topping thru the cake). The cake fell during the baking. I think it was the swirling that caused this because I personally thought a stick of butter was too much. Cake was good but looked terrible.
Oh no! I am so sorry this didn’t turn out well for you. It could have been the swirling, I’m not sure what else could have caused it to fall like that. Let us know if it works out for you next time!
Made this cake exactly as directed, but it did not rise. Very dense and wet. I think way too much ingredients for a box cake. I make cakes weekly and this did not work. Texture was like a pudding cake.
That is so strange! It definitely should have raised. What kind of cake mix did you use? I’m trying to figure out what could have happened to make it not rise. I will have to make this soon and see if I can figure out the problem. Thanks for letting us know!
My husband had a heart attack last November and his cardiologist informed us that coconut oil is not in fact better for you it’s worse!!! Worse for you than butter!!! Seems impossible but check out the back of your jar next time you’re in your kitchen! I was shocked and very sad as we love to use coconut oil and everything! Can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ve been looking for one that incorporates sour cream as I plan to try yogurt!
Yes, Dr. Furhman says all oil is bad for you actually. Eat to Live is a great book to get some interesting food health insight.
will it mess up this recipe if I use a already moist boxed cake mix then add buttermilk to it? what should I do different so that this turns out well ?
It should turn out fine if you use a moist cake mix with the buttermilk. Thanks for asking!
Can we put apples in the cake mix. If so, how much? Thanking you in advance.
We haven’t done that before but I don’t see why not! I am sure you can add as many as you would like. It might be a good idea to use dehydrated apples that are chopped small so you don’t alter the texture of the Coffee Cake. Hope this helps!
This coffee cake as a big hit!Everyone loved it, the best remark came from my husband, Wow, tastes like a bakery made this!
Nice! What a great compliment! Thank you to both you and your husband 🙂
OMG I made it exactly as recipe says and It’s a hit!!! Gave some to my son and he took the container to work gave 3 pieces away He said one of the guys on the crew said his parents use to own a bakery yrs ago and this tops it! He asked my son to please have me make him one he will pay lol Soooooo GOOD!
Thank you so much for this amazing comment and compliment! So glad your son was able to share the love 😀 Thank you for coming back to share your experience!
I would imagine if you get a cake mix that already has ‘pudding in the mix’ that you wouldn’t add the extra pudding mix??
This came out, Perfect!
Is was so moist and tasty.. thank you for sharing ♥️
i THINK COCONUT PUDDING MIX WOULD BE GREAT IN THIS CAKE! SORRY CAPS LOCK WAS ON AND DID NOT NOTICE IT! LOL
i THINK COCONUT PUDDING MIX WOULD BE GREAT IN THIS CAKE!
I have made the blueberry cream cheese coffee cake numerous times to take to different events and they are always the big hit. Everyone wants the recipe.
This is the first time I have ever tried the cake mix coffee cake but I’m sure it will be wonderful!
Thank you! Let us know how you like the coffee cake.
I made this and I don’t know if I didn’t bake it long enough or I had bought DuncanHines cake mix and it said on box extra moist and combined with the pudding I added it seemed too moist. The taste was excellent though and it was gone in no time.It just didn’t look like the picture. I was wondering if I just could buy the cake mix with the pudding in it already?
You definitely could if you think it is too moist– we haven’t really had that issue before :S
I just made this for the second time and used Betty Crocker moist yellow cake. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and my cake turned out way too moist, but it did have great flavor. The second time I made the cake, I looked at the Betty Crocker cake box and it said pudding was already in the mix. I left out adding the additional pudding and the cake was delicious!
This is in the oven as I sit and type! I noted where you could add apples or blueberries….I don’t have any apples (but in a couple of months I will be making loads of apple stuff!) – have blueberries but promised DH another blueberry cheesecake with them. But, I had mistakenly bought a larger can of fruit cocktail instead of peaches, so I thought “why not?”! Drained it well and added to the cake. I also doubled the topping as suggested and oh my! What a lot of topping but can you ever have enough crunchy topping??? It is starting to smell amazing – can’t wait for it to come out of the oven and cool so we can taste this masterpiece!! PS – I made this all sugar free as DH is a diabetic – I do this with all my recipes and I am expecting that there will be no difference in taste, as usual.
Wow! I can’t wait to find out how it turned out. Kudos to you for baking sugar free. It takes extra work and some trial and error, but it’s wonderful that you do it and DH gets to eat delicious baked goods and not feel deprived because of diabetes. Thank you for sharing these ideas with us!
***** Turned out great just a little on the dry side, because I was being creative as I tried to use what was on hand! I used the basic Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow cake mix, added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, substituted olive oil (for coconut)and pecans (for walnuts) omitted: buttermilk, pudding and sour cream as I had none. Next time I will try Brandy’s suggestion of yogurt for sour cream! Also I needed to Swirl my sugar mixture through the batter a little better because most of it ended up on just the top!