This easy cake mix coffee cake tastes like it’s made from scratch! Moist and tender, with a ribbon of cinnamon pecan streusel and a crunchy crumb topping, it’s perfect for a holiday breakfast or special brunch.
Table of Contents
If you love easy coffee cake recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this pumpkin coffee cake with cake mix, this apple bundt cake, this lemon poppy seed cake, a loaf of Amish friendship bread, and this French farmhouse breakfast cake, too!
Very good and VERY moist! We love it!
– Beth
With its warm spices, rich flavor, and sweet glaze, this coffee cake with yellow cake mix is the ultimate breakfast or brunch for special occasions. Whether you’re hosting guests for Easter brunch, preparing a festive Christmas spread, or just spoiling your family with a special Sunday treat, this easy cake is a guaranteed hit. Perhaps best of all, you can bake the cake ahead of time, sleep in, and pour yourself a warm cup of coffee in the morning. There’s no need to wake up early!
The Inspiration Behind this Cinnamon Cake Mix Coffee Cake
Old-fashioned cinnamon coffee cake is a moist, dense cake with a rich, smooth, buttery inside, a cinnamon streusel filling, and a crisp, golden brown crust. It’s traditionally prepared in a Bundt pan or tube pan, but can also be baked in two loaf pans. In America we often call this type of dish a coffee cake because the traditional sweet cake is an ideal complement to a cup of coffee or a foamy latte. When you’ve got a warm beverage and a slice of this decadent treat on your plate, it’s definitely not bad to eat cake for breakfast!
While I love nothing more than a made-from-scratch Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel, sometimes we need a quicker, easier option that still tastes delicious. The idea for this recipe came from a local country market, where I noticed they sell a cinnamon coffee cake that’s made with yellow cake mix and vanilla instant pudding. I realized that I could do the same here at home by combining the cinnamon streusel from my scratch-made recipe with the moist cake mix Bundt recipe from my favorite lemon cake. This delicious treat was born!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- I always use Duncan Hines yellow cake mix, but any similar brand of boxed yellow cake mix will work. Readers have even had good luck with the gluten-free varieties!
- You only need the small 4-serving (3.4 ounce) box of dry instant vanilla pudding mix — not prepared into actual pudding.
- The gelatin component in the pudding mix makes the cake super moist. It’s the secret ingredient to make your cake more fluffy, too! When baking a cake in a Bundt pan, a very moist batter is necessary so that the cake doesn’t dry out. Don’t omit the pudding, which is a key ingredient.
- I use vegetable oil, but any neutral oil (such as canola oil) will work. You can even sub with melted unsalted butter.
- Chop the nuts very fine so that they blend into the streusel easily. You don’t want them ground into a powder, but small bits are ideal. I like to buy chopped pecans and then pulse them a couple of times in a mini food processor to create slightly smaller pieces, or purchase a package of “chipped pecans.”
- A light-colored or gold Bundt pan is always best to ensure even baking and color. Dark metal pans tend to cause the exterior of the cake to burn before the center is cooked through.
- Grease the Bundt pan really well by coating with butter and then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can use a nonstick baking spray. These options will ensure that your cake pops right out of the pan when it’s done.
How to Make Coffee Cake with Yellow Cake Mix
Prep ahead for quick grab-and-go breakfasts during the week, serve it for a holiday brunch, or enjoy a slice with a cozy drink for an afternoon snack. Heck, we even love this easy cinnamon coffee cake as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Combine the streusel ingredients until you have a mixture that’s the consistency of wet sand.
- Mix together the batter ingredients in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle half of the streusel in the bottom of the Bundt pan (when flipped over at the end, this will be the top of your cake).
- Add a layer of cake batter.
- Sprinkle on another layer of streusel, followed by the rest of the cake batter.
- Bake the cake for about 50 minutes. Don’t leave the cake in the pan for too long after baking — about 10-15 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
- Invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
- Whisk together the glaze and drizzle over the cake.
- Slice and serve!
Serving Suggestions
This easy cinnamon coffee cake with cake mix is perfect on its own with a hot cup of coffee, tea, or mulled cider. For a bright, fresh touch, garnish each slice with fresh berries and whipped cream. If you’re serving a more elaborate brunch, pair the cake with this sausage egg and cheese casserole, this easy fruit salad with vanilla pudding or just a platter of fresh melon. It’s also great alongside Southern shrimp and grits, candied bacon, a ham and egg casserole, Quiche Lorraine, and this breakfast casserole with biscuits.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Wrapped tightly, the Bundt cake will last at room temperature for at least 2-3 days. It does not need to be refrigerated.
- Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- If you’re enjoying cake a day (or more) later, reheat the leftovers to give the slices a nice, soft texture. Just loosely cover an individual slice and microwave for 10-15 seconds (or until warm).
- How to Freeze: Allow the cake to cool completely. Do not glaze. Wrap tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight. Once the cake is completely thawed, drizzle with icing and serve!
We had overnight guests last week and I wanted a simple but delicious breakfast option for them; this was perfect! It was so moist, and very easy to make! I’m definitely going to keep this recipe!
– Kelly
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Cake Mix Coffee Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE STREUSEL
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small cubes and chilled (I use salted butter, but unsalted butter is fine too)
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 4 large eggs
FOR THE GLAZE
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan; set aside.
PREPARE THE STREUSEL
- In a medium bowl, combine the chopped pecans, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add chilled butter and mix together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. It should have the texture of wet sand, and you shouldn’t see any dry pockets of flour. Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.
PREPARE THE CAKE
- Combine cake mix, dry pudding mix, oil, water and eggs in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 more minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture in the prepared pan (this will be the top of your cake when it’s later inverted after baking). Top with half of the batter. Add remaining streusel, and then remaining batter.
BAKE THE CAKE
- Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes; invert the cake onto a wire rack and let cool completely before glazing (about 2 hours).
GLAZE THE CAKE
- Once the cake is cool, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Use half as much streusel and skip the topping. Instead, just sprinkle the streusel in the middle layer of the cake.
- Swap out the pecans and use chopped walnuts or almonds.
- If you don’t have a Bundt cake pan, you can prepare this cake in a tube pan. If your tube pan has a removable bottom and sides (so that you don’t invert the cake at the end), sprinkle the streusel topping in the middle of the batter and on top of the batter.
- Cinnamon Coffee Cake Loaf: Bake this recipe in two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Remember to add the streusel to the middle and top of the cake (not the bottom of the pan). Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Instead of icing, dust the top of the coffee cake with powdered sugar.
- Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake: add about 12 ounces (1 bag) chocolate chips to the cake batter.
- Blueberry Coffee Cake: Add about 2 cups of fresh blueberries to the cake batter.
More Coffee Cake Recipes to Try
Cranberry Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Old Fashioned Blueberry Buckle
1 hour hr
Maple Walnut Cake {with Cake Mix!}
3 hours hrs
Originally published in November, 2021, this post was updated in April, 2025.
By far your best total selections for my family summer glamping
trips – all easy – tasty and travel-easy. Thanks.
Would love to see more.
M. Nelson
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that! Hope you have a fun summer. 🙂
This cake is always a hit no matter what! Everyone is always impressed. I’ve done lots of versions: spice cake with lots of extra spices like ginger and cardamom in the streusel, lemon cake with blueberries, chocolate pudding instead of vanilla. It’s turned out great every time as long as I follow the basic instructions.
Wonderful. Your different versions sound amazing, Catherine. Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
I love this coffee cake! Can it be made in 9×13 baking pan? We’re traveling and would like to take it with us to share with our friends. The baking pan would be easier to transport. BTW, our friend named this coffee cake “the show stopper”!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Bridget! We recommend using two 9×5 loaf pans instead.
This is delicious. Do you think it could be made into muffins?
Hi Pamela,
We haven’t tested this recipe as muffins but think it would work. We’d love to know how it goes if you try it out!