This Yellow Cake Mix Coffee Cake is another easy winner for a quick breakfast or dessert! I really love recipes that start with a cake mix because it saves me time AND mess. And this breakfast cake has that perfectly soft cake layer topped with a sweet, nutty crumble. Coffee cake perfection!
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My Favorite Cake Baking Essentials
I’m a total sucker for a baking pan with a lid. This 9×9 set of two from Wilton is perfect!
Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer. I’ve used this one for years, and I love it!
Parchment paper – I like these pre-cut cookie baking sheets because you can cut them in half for a perfect cake pan liner!
All Clad Measuring Cups – I know these are in investment, but they’re sturdy, beautiful and you’ll never have to buy another set again. I use them constantly!
This non-stick baking spray is by far my favorite way to bake with peace of mind. NOTHING ever sticks! This is not an affiliate link because the price on Amazon is ridiculous. So pick it up at Williams Sonoma.
How to make a perfect coffee cake
The ideal coffee cake should include 2 essential things. Deliciously soft and moist cake coupled with a brown sugar crumble in the middle and on top. I love how the middle layer of crumble gets soft and a little gooey, and the topping gets a little crispy. Such a great combination of flavors and texture.
Start by removing 2/3 cup of the cake mix and combining with brown sugar, butter and pecans. This makes the crumble. Easy, right?
Next, stir up the rest of the cake mix with sour cream (this makes it super fluffy and moist) and eggs.
Last, pour half the coffee cake mix into your prepared baking pan, then add 1/2 the crumble, then more layer of cake mix and top with the rest of the crumble.
Bake it up for 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it rest 15 minutes and then slice it up and enjoy!
Love this coffee cake recipe? Try these other awesome cake recipes!
If you decide to give this recipe a try, be sure to snap a photo to share, tagging @theovenlight and #theovenlight on Instagram or Facebook!
Yellow Cake Mix Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1/4 C unsalted butter melted
- 1 C brown sugar
- 1 C chopped pecans or nut of your choice
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 C sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9×9 inch pan; set aside.**
- Remove 2/3 Cup cake mix and combine with melted butter, brown sugar and chopped nuts; set aside.
- Combine remaining cake mix with the eggs and sour cream, mixing until batter is smooth. Pour half into prepared pan. Top with half of the nut mixture. Repeat layers.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Trying it now! Looks and sounds delicious.
Use a bigger pan if not you will have a mess in oven
I’m so sorry it overflowed! I’ve not had this problem, but the recipe could also be made in a larger pan (9″x13″) if it seems overly-full. I hope you’ll try it again!
The same thing happened to me. I believe it needs to be baked in a 9 x 13. It’s frustrating that this created another job for me to do (clean my oven).
I’m so sorry! Truly. I hate cleaning my oven. I’ve added a note to the recipe that a 9×13 pan may be better if you don’t have a 9×9 with high sides. I really am sorry and I hope you give it another go, it’s really delicious!
I made this last night, so delicious! Amazingly I had all the ingredients. So easy to make. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I just made it- I added a little vanilla bean paste too. So yummy ! I was tempted to add some apples but maybe next time! I also skipped the nuts and baked it on top of a sheet pan in case it overflowed. Ps. We couldn’t wait for it to cool and ate the first 2 pieces about 5 minutes out of the oven. Ty ty. Sharing!! Theresa
So happy you liked it! Such a deliciously simple recipe. Love your apple idea, I’ll have to give that a try.
I made this in a greased and floured Bundt pan. Looks and tastes delicious. It is always a crowd pleaser for a brunch.
Have you ever added cinnamon to this recipe?
I haven’t, but I’m sure it would be amazing!
Hi do you prepare the rest of cake mix according to the cake box or just add the sour cream and eggs?
For this recipe, you’ll ignore the coffee cake instructions on the box and just add the sour cream and eggs as noted in the recipe.
I added cinnamon (probably 2 T) to the strudel type layer and 1T vanilla and 2 T butter to the sour cream mixture–I only had 1 cup of sour cream on hand. It was wonderful and easy.
How much sour cream is needed? 1 container is 8onz?
This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sour cream. 1 cup is 8 ounces, so you’ll need two 8 ounce containers or one 16 ounce. Enjoy!
No coffee in the recipe – ?
Sorry, this is a classic coffee cake, usually made to go WITH your coffee, but does not contain any coffee in the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Easy recipe and so good. I added a Pinchot pie spice to topping. Very good
Easy recipe and so good. I added pie spice to strudel topping. Very good
I used plain yogurt in place of sour cream. No overflowing using 9×9 pan. However, cake did fall in the middle. Still delicious.