Easy Coffee Cake Recipe - Easy, Tasty, and Freezable! (2024)

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It’s the dream, right? Eating cake first thing in the morning as you sip your coffee. Well today we’re making dreams come true with this easy coffee cake recipe.

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe - Easy, Tasty, and Freezable! (1)

Coffee by its very nature is meant to be enjoyed slowly. Morning coffee time is one of our favorite times of day. Huddled on the couch with our 3 kids. Careful not to sit on the dog, Turbo (he’s an itty-bitty little guy), who is undoubtedly snuggled under the shared blanket for warmth. And then the Pavlovian beep of the coffee maker draws us to the kitchen for our morning cup (or two). It’s a welcome time of day when things move a little slower. Before the hustle and bustle of the day spins up. The only thing that could make this fleeting time of the day better? Well…cake, of course.

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe - Easy, Tasty, and Freezable! (2)

It only seems natural that the coffee drinkers of the world would eventually say, “Hey, what can I have to go with this?”. Enter coffee cake. The only cake that’s socially acceptable to have for breakfast. Which isn’t to say I haven’t occasionally indulged in a slice of leftover heath bar cake or oatmeal cake with my coffee (shhh!).

Coffee cake comes in various forms but they all arise from one simple idea…the desire for some sort of delicious pastry or cake-like item to enjoy with your morning coffee. An idea we can all get behind! Just be sure to get your behind in motion later in the day to work off some calories.

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In a 3 kid house, coffee cake is dangerous. Our kids already think that Mommy and Daddy stay up and eat candy every night after they go to bed. And on those nights when they do wander down after their bedtimes and find us eating dessert there’s always a look of betrayal in their eyes. Now, they’re going to come down in the morning and find us eating coffee cake? Ah well, their feelings of betrayal will quickly give way to elation when we tell them they can have a slice.

This coffee cake isn’t an every day treat, but it is a really perfect comfort food for holidays and special occasions. It’s very popular at coffee hours at work (how to make one of those long work meetings go better–coffee cake) or after church get-togethers. The only thing is…if I’m hosting a big meal later in the day I don’t always have extra energy for a complicated recipe which is why I LOVE this easy coffee cake recipe.

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The Secret to an Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

Duh, don’t take on anything overly complicated. That’s why I love that this easy coffee cake recipe uses a yellow cake mix. There are times when it is nice to bake things from scratch and there are times when easy wins the day. And so sometimes an easy coffee cake recipe means using a boxed cake mix. Others may call it cheating, I call it winning! 🙂

I’m sure you can find at least a few complicated recipes in this list of next level coffee cakes, but the goal with this coffee cake is making things easy. Mix up the cake mix, mix up the topping while the cake starts baking, then top with crumb topping, and bake for a little longer. Then it’s, ready to go! It even tastes delicious when you freeze it and save for another time. Just slice it up and store tightly wrapped in the freezer and pull out a day before (or night before) you are going to serve it and it’s ready to go.

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So go ahead and give this easy coffee cake recipe a try. I’m thinking of making it again (why not?!) and pairing it with this delicious looking slow-cooker pumpkin spice latte I found over on the Kitchn.

Time to dig in!

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe - Easy, Tasty, and Freezable! (6)

Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

easy coffee cake

4.38 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, brunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 9

Calories: 682kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 box yellow cake mix plus ingredients for to make mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla

For the topping

  • 2 sticks butter cold
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 c flour
  • 3/4 c brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 dash white powdered sugar for sprinkling on top after baking

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.

  • Make cake mix according to directions on the box and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.

  • Pour cake batter in greased 13x9 inch pan.

  • Bake for 20 minutes.

  • While cake is baking, mix together remaining ingredients until clumping together (I used food processor)--similar to a crisp or crumb cake texture.

  • Remove cake from oven and sprinkle crumb topping all over top of cake.

  • Return cake to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.

  • Sprinkle with white powdered sugar and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 682kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 625mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 705IU | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 3.2mg

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Easy Coffee Cake Recipe - Easy, Tasty, and Freezable! (2024)

FAQs

Can you make a coffee cake and freeze it? ›

The texture improves and moisture remains. It also freezes well! To freeze the cake, let it cool completely, then wrap it in a layer of plastic followed by foil. The double layer helps prevent it from drying out in the freezer.

How long will homemade coffee cake stay fresh? ›

Coffee cake can last up to a week in the fridge, though it's worth noting that the cold could cause it to dry out, even if it's still technically good to eat. Tightly sealing the cake can help it maintain its moisture in the refrigerator, but mileage may vary.

How do you increase the flavor of coffee in a cake? ›

Here's how we made it happen:
  1. Infuse the Batter With Coffee Two Ways. Bakers know that that the easiest way to get coffee flavor into a baked good is to add instant espresso powder to the batter. ...
  2. Add a Mocha Swirl. ...
  3. Pack the Crumb Topping with Coffee, Too. ...
  4. Finish with a Boozy Latte Glaze.
Apr 28, 2015

What is coffee cake made of? ›

Coffee cake, or kaffekuchen, is a single layer cake with a sweet, cinnamon-infused flavor and streusel top made from flour, butter, and sugar. Streusel can also be layered inside of the cake like a filling. Fruit variations are prevalent, with blueberry being the most common.

How do you freeze a cake without it drying out? ›

Whether unfrosted layers, loafs or Bundts, completely decorated and frosted cakes that have already been cut into slices, or anything in between, the steps are all basically the same: Cool the cake completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer.

What happens to cake in the freezer? ›

Other things to know about freezing cake

Freezing will cause thin layers of buttercream on the outside to crack because your cake will expand on freezing. Filling a cake inside with buttercream is okay because you don't see it.

How do you thaw a frozen coffee cake? ›

The cake is best defrosted by opening the heavy duty freezer bag in which it was frozen and storing the cake at room temperature for a few hours. It will taste as fresh as just baked!

How do you freeze and reheat coffee cake? ›

Place frozen coffee cake in a cold oven, then heat it at 250 F, and ensure it gets warm enough to enjoy but not so hot that it's overcooked and dry. The dish should be heated for around 10 to 20 minutes depending on your oven. You can also opt for the microwave for a quick defrost.

Why is my coffee cake so dry? ›

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while measuring or mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand which common cake-baking blunders to avoid, you'll know how to bake a moist cake every time.

What makes coffee cake taste like coffee cake? ›

No, coffee cake does not taste like coffee. There is no coffee or caffeine in this cake despite its name. This streusel cake tastes like a lightly sweetened cake and oftentimes has spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Why my coffee cake doesn t taste like coffee? ›

Basically, it's a case of not looking at coffee exclusively as a dry ingredient - try adding it to your cake mix in its liquid form. And don't be afraid to keep it nice and punchy, as the rest of the ingredients will dilute the flavor significantly.

What coffee is best in cake? ›

A dark roast or robust espresso will give rich, hearty treats plenty of depth, while a lighter, fruitier variety won't overpower a delicate dessert. Follow the recipe's instructions for coffee temperature, too.

What is the real name for coffee cake? ›

It wasn't until 1763 before coffee cake was first mentioned, though technically even then by another name, the German “gugelhupf”.

What is a substitute for sour cream in coffee cake? ›

Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. Whether you're baking or making a dip or sauce, yogurt is a 1:1 sub. That means if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt. Full-fat Greek or natural yogurts work best, but low-fat or even nonfat can be used, too.

Why is a coffee cake called a buckle? ›

A buckle is a funny name for an old fashioned fruit studded coffee cake. Like many other desserts in the extended cobbler family buckles take their name from their appearance—grunts grunt as they cook, slumps slump when served, buckles—you guessed it—buckle.

How do you reheat frozen coffee cake? ›

For the best flavor, heat the coffeecake in a 350 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes before serving. If your coffeecake calls for an icing, you can ice it before or after it has thawed. However, the icing will look fresher if it's put on after the cake has thawed.

Can you freeze coffee cake with butter icing? ›

You can freeze frosted cakes as long as the frosting is freezer-stable. Delicate meringue-based frostings will not freeze well, but buttercream and cream cheese frostings will freeze nicely.

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