Easy Coffee Cake Recipe
I have a thing for buttery crumbs or anything with a crumble or streusel topping. The more crumbs there are, the happier I am. Let’s talk about coffee cake for a minute — I think it’s very underrated. I would prefer a slice of glazed coffee cake with those big crumbs to a fancy layer cake most any day. It’s even better when the cake is extremely easy and fast to make. I had this coffee crumb cake made, cooled, and ready to dig into in under an hour. It tastes like something you’d get at a bakery but better because it’s not dry in the least, a problem I find with cake in general from bakeries. The secret is that I doctored up a box of yellow cake mix. Who knew that cake mix combined with brown sugar and melted butter could yield such a scrumptious crumb topping? If you’re cake mix averse, make this scratch base and use this crumb topping minus the cocoa. This cake mix coffee cake is soft, fluffy, and tender. The crumbs add subtle texture and it wouldn’t be coffee cake without plenty of glaze. It’s a perfect brunch cake or simply a great recipe to keep on hand for when you need a fast, easy coffee crumb cake that everyone will love.
What’s in Coffee Crumb Cake?
For this yellow cake mix recipe, you’ll need:
Yellow cake mix Eggs Water All-purpose flour Canola oil Light brown sugar Unsalted butter Cinnamon Powdered sugar Corn syrup
How to Make Coffee Crumb Cake
To make the cake mix coffee cake base, simply add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Turn the batter out into a greased 9×13-inch pan, then make the crumb topping. The crumb topping is made by mashing the ingredients together with the back of a fork until the texture resembles coarse sand. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake batter, then bake until the center is set. Once the coffee crumb cake is out of the oven, let it cool slightly before whisking together the glaze and drizzling it evenly over top. Give the cake a few more minutes to cool before slicing and serving.
Can I Make This Easy Coffee Cake Recipe in Advance?
Yes, you can certainly make this cake mix coffee cake the night before you plan on serving it. The glaze will stay fairly soft, but it won’t soak into the cake, so nothing should get mushy.
Can I Omit the Glaze?
Of course! If you don’t have the ingredients for the glaze or simply don’t want to make it, this coffee crumb cake is delicious without it. But try making it with the glaze at least once to know whether or not you like it!
Tips for Making Crumb Coffee Cake
When making the coffee cake batter, you do NOT make the cake mix according to package instructions. You should measure it out like you would any other dry ingredient and mix it with the ingredients I’ve listed in the recipe card below. And when making the crumb topping, you don’t want to overwork the mixture. Tossing lightly with a fork is the way to go. If you overwork the crumb topping, it’ll be too fine in texture and will just sink into the raw cake batter. Unlike a layer cake, you actually want to add the glaze to this coffee crumb cake while it’s still a little warm. The residual heat helps the glaze sink into the crumb topping and makes for the most delicious, gooey bite of coffee cake.
More Easy Coffee Cake Recipes:
Sweet Cream Vanilla Coffee Cake — You’ll never guess what special ingredient keeps this fast and easy cake so soft and moist! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake – An EASY, no-mixer cake studded with juicy blueberries and topped with big buttery streusel nuggets that are just SO GOOD!
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Coffee Cake – Between the cinnamon-sugar crust AND the cinnamon-sugar swirled through the center, this EASY coffee cake is IRRESISTIBLE!
Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake – A FAST and EASY no-mixer coffee cake with rich pumpkin flavor!! Super soft, tender, and topped with the BEST crumble topping that you’ll fall in love with!
Strawberries and Cream Coffee Cake — Sweet juicy strawberries are found in every bite, and the cream cheese glaze is the perfect tangy complement to the creamy, sweet cake.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Coffee Cake — The cake is soft, fluffy, light, and very moist, with just enough density to give it some heft and dimension.
