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Cake Mix Coffee Cake

April 10, 2018 by Emily Hill 25 Comments

Cake mix coffee cake is ridiculously delicious, which is surprising considering how easy it is to make. Think rich, moist coffee cake with the perfect amount of brown sugar goodness and vanilla glaze. Mmm…

Slice of cake mix coffee cake bundt cake with full cake in the background

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I’m a super fan of doctored cake mixes because they produce some of the most decadent cakes and cupcakes. My triple chocolate bundt cake is the perfect example; it’s one of my most popular desserts and it consists of only a handful of ingredients. This sour cream carrot bundt cake is another cake mix cake that is absolutely delicious.

Cake mix coffee cake bundt cake with vanilla glaze

While traditional coffee cakes are generally baked in square or rectangular pans, I find bundt cakes far more to my liking because they’re pretty without being too pretentious (unless you buy some crazy bundt pan like this “platinum” Nordic Ware pan). They’re also easy to dish out to guests—just slice along those nice little lines and serve!

Closeup of a slice of cake mix coffee cake bundt cake with vanilla glaze

Don’t let the lack of cinnamon swirl in the middle of this cake mix coffee cake deceive you. A lot of the brown sugar filling bakes right into the mix, making the cake extra moist and flavorful. (A solid buttery yellow cake mix helps too.) And the rest settles to the bottom while baking, creating a nice, slightly crunchy filling along the top.

Cake mix coffee cake bundt cake topped with vanilla glaze with a slice cut out of it

The positioning of all that brown sugary goodness aligns nicely with the vanilla glaze, making the top of this cake mix coffee cake the most delightful of bites.

Closeup of a slice of cake mix coffee cake bundt cake with vanilla glaze

I served this cake mix coffee cake at a barbecue we hosted last weekend for my oldest and her college friends. It’s a bit of an understatement to say it was a huge hit and I may be a bit disappointed there weren’t more leftovers. They didn’t leave much of the Texas sheet cake I made either, so I’m full of sad dessert-related feelings. College kids… what can you do? Love ’em, of course, just like you’ll love this cake mix coffee cake!

CAKE MIX COFFEE CAKE -- Cake mix coffee cake is ridiculously delicious, which is surprising considering how easy it is to make. Think rich, moist coffee cake with the perfect amount of brown sugar goodness and vanilla glaze. Mmm... | halfscratched.com

Cake Mix Coffee Cake

Yield: 16
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Cake mix coffee cake is ridiculously delicious, which is surprising considering how easy it is to make. Think rich, moist coffee cake with the perfect amount of brown sugar goodness and vanilla glaze. Mmm...

Ingredients

Cake

  • 18.25 oz yellow cake mix, (1 box)
  • 3.9 oz vanilla instant pudding mix, (1 small box)
  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 4 eggs

Filling

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup salted butter, softened

Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 T salted butter, softened
  • 4 T skim milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan; set aside.
  2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides occasionally. Pour half of the batter into the bundt pan.
  3. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup butter in a medium bowl using a fork or your fingers to cut in the butter. Sprinkle half over the batter in the pan. Top with remaining batter followed by remaining filling.
  4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes before turning over onto a plate or cake stand. Cool completely before adding glaze.
  5. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and butter in a medium bowl. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined, adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Pour glaze over top of cake and allow to set before serving.

Notes

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 332mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 0gSugar: 37gProtein: 2g
© Emily Hill
Cuisine: American / Category: desserts


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Filed Under: breakfast/brunch, desserts, food & recipes Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, bundt cake, cake, cake mix, cake mix cake, coffee cake, dessert

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jessica Levinson

    April 10, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    This would be a beautiful addition to a Mother’s Day brunch! So easy to make and looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 10, 2018 at 9:51 pm

      It really is a great brunch menu item!

      Reply
  2. Emily

    April 10, 2018 at 10:36 pm

    This coffee cake looks AMAZING! That glaze! Wow, can’t wait to try out this coffee cake mix1

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 10, 2018 at 10:52 pm

      The glaze is super delightful!

      Reply
  3. Veena Azmanov

    April 11, 2018 at 1:03 am

    Wow, this COFFEE CAKE looks so cute. I want to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is perfect for me. I definitely want to try this and I’m sure it is very tasty. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 11, 2018 at 1:05 am

      It is a rather pretty cake!

      Reply
  4. Tiffany

    April 11, 2018 at 2:30 am

    Doctored cake mixes are the best. And that drizzle…OMG yum!!!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 11, 2018 at 10:24 am

      I agree! Some of my favorite cakes start with cake mixes!

      Reply
  5. Debbye

    April 11, 2018 at 5:39 am

    Gonna totally make this for mother’s day. Your glaze looks heavenly. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      April 11, 2018 at 10:24 am

      It’s perfect for Mother’s Day! I will probably make it again!

      Reply
  6. Kara

    October 17, 2018 at 1:20 pm

    I love a doctored up cake mix, especially when it’s in Bundt cake form. This looks crazy delicious!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      October 17, 2018 at 3:22 pm

      Doctored cake mixes are the best!

      Reply
  7. Cheryl

    October 18, 2018 at 6:43 am

    I have a cup of coffee just waiting for a slice!! This looks amazing!!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      October 18, 2018 at 9:28 am

      It pairs perfectly with that. :)

      Reply
  8. Aimee

    October 18, 2018 at 7:17 am

    Love this easy coffee cake recipe!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      October 18, 2018 at 9:28 am

      Easy coffee cakes are perfect for holiday brunch!

      Reply
  9. Stacie

    October 18, 2018 at 7:19 am

    This sounds delicious! I’ve never thought to doctor up a boxed cake mix, but that concept is right up my alley!! I’m adding this one to my baking list.

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      October 18, 2018 at 9:28 am

      Doctored cake makes are such fun!

      Reply
  10. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert

    October 18, 2018 at 7:22 am

    This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy! I love this delicious version!!!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      October 18, 2018 at 9:28 am

      It’s one of my faves!

      Reply
  11. Margaret Zelle

    June 6, 2019 at 7:05 pm

    Not to be a party pooper, but this site, like so many similar sites, has too many comments about how someone “would like to make” the recipe, but actually hasn’t. It’s not useful. Why doesn’t this drive everyone else nuts? I just scrolled through all the comments. Not one person has actually MADE THE RECIPE! Maddening.

    Reply
    • Becky

      November 18, 2019 at 1:56 pm

      I totally agree. I am looking to see how people made this because the cake looks different than the directions say to do it, but found no one actually made it, despite quite a few comments. I rarely find a comment on any food blog that actually contributes to the recipe. People just waste their time looking at recipes and telling everyone how good they look evidently. Weird. I’m glad to have finally found someone that has noticed this because it has driven me crazy for a long time. That said, the recipe says to put the filling in the middle and on the bottom, but the pictures look like it’s on top. I’m going to put it on the top and hope for the best!

      Reply
      • Emily Hill

        November 18, 2019 at 3:16 pm

        Hi, Becky! Because you flip a bundt cake after cooling, the topping ends up on the top of the cake. If you were to sprinkle it on top of the batter before baking, it would end up on the bottom after turning the baked bundt cake onto a platter. The filling also sometimes sinks, which is why I sprinkle some of it in the middle. You don’t want too much of the topping at the very top of the cake! If you’re baking this in a 9×13-inch pan, you would totally sprinkle the topping in the middle and on top before baking since you’re not turning it over. Hope that helps!

        Reply
  12. Sue B

    June 6, 2020 at 1:53 pm

    I used some of the cake mix with brown sugar instead of the flour for filling. I added walnuts. I put filling in pan first because we like a crumbly top then cake mix then some more filling. I used some lemon rind in the mix. I used almond milk in the icing. It’s baking now and the aroma is wonderful!

    Reply
    • Emily Hill

      June 7, 2020 at 12:05 am

      This sounds absolutely heavenly!

      Reply

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