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This bundt-style coffee cake makes for a delightfully decadent breakfast, sweet afternoon treat, or simple dessert. Made with baking mix, this easy coffee cake recipe is simple to throw together and the sweet ribbon of cinnamon streusel is the best part!
When I was a little kid, I remember my Nana having different flavors of Entenmann’s desserts on her counter. Whether it was donuts or pastries, I was pretty much always a fan of her selection, unless it was crumb cake.
I think she always referred to their crumb cake as coffee cake and when you’re 6, anything with the word coffee in it is a no-go.
But fast forward 35+ years later and coffee cake is one of my absolute favorite sweet treats!
What is Coffee Cake?
Every time I share a coffee cake recipe, I get someone wondering why there’s no coffee listed in the ingredients. So we have to ask:
Does coffee cake actually have any coffee in it? Why is it called coffee cake?
Coffee cake is a moist cake that is often topped with some kind of streusel topping. It does not typically have any coffee in it. It is called coffee cake because it is meant to be enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee (or tea!).
This easy coffee cake recipe is one that does not have any coffee in it, but I can testify that it does taste great alongside a cup of your favorite coffee!
How to Make This Easy Coffee Cake Recipe
Every once in a while I come across a vintage baking recipe in an article that catches my eye. It’s how I found out about whipping cream cake, and it’s how I found out about this easy coffee cake recipe.
The original recipe calls for “JIFFY” all-purpose baking mix and even though I tweaked the recipe itself quite a bit, I stuck with using the “JIFFY” mix.
The result is a super light, buttery coffee cake with a ribbon of cinnamon streusel running through the center. It is one of the best coffee cakes I’ve ever eaten!
Is “JIFFY” baking mix the same as Bisquick?
I did a side-by-side comparison of the ingredients in the “JIFFY” all-purpose baking mix and Bisquick mix. While they do share a lot of similar ingredients, they also have quite a few differences.
So at the end of the day: No, “JIFFY” baking mix and Bisquick mix are not the same.
That said, they are both all-purpose mixes, so you should be able to substitute them for each other in most recipes.
I easily found the “JIFFY” mix with the other all-purpose baking mixes at my grocery store. If you are having trouble finding it, you should be able to use my homemade Bisquick in this recipe instead.
The best pan for this recipe
I tried making this recipe two different ways: Once in a bundt pan, and once in a 13×9-inch pan.
While the sheet-style cake in the 13×9-inch pan was good, it didn’t hold a candle to the bundt-style version.
Look, I can’t tell you why the bundt cake was better, ok? All I can say is that I highly recommend baking this easy coffee cake recipe in a bundt pan. It’s so good.
When you use the bundt pan, just make sure that you grease and flour the pan, or use a nonstick spray especially for baking. Otherwise, you will struggle to get the cake out of the pan in one piece.
Making this recipe
To make the coffee cake batter, whisk together the baking mix and sugar in a large bowl.
Since baking mix is crumbly and compacts easily, I like to measure it the same way I measure flour. Learn how to measure flour to make sure you have success with this recipe.
Use a pastry cutter to cut the cold butter into the baking mix until the mixture is crumbly and resembles a coarse meal.
Next whisk together the wet ingredients and add them into the dry mixture, stirring just until combined. Don’t be confused at this point: the batter is going to resemble a thin, lumpy pancake batter. I promise this is right!
Let the cake batter rest for 10 minutes while you make the streusel.
Mix together the brown sugar, baking mix, cinnamon, and chopped nuts.
(Psst! If you ran out of brown sugar, use my brown sugar substitute. If you opened your brown sugar container to find the sugar is hard as a rock, learn how to soften brown sugar quickly!)
Use your fingertips to rub the softened butter into the brown sugar mixture until crumbs form.
Once the streusel is ready and the batter has rested for 10 minutes, you can assemble your cake. You’ll notice that the coffee cake batter is much thicker now than it was before!
Pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Top with half of the streusel, then the remaining cake batter, followed by the rest of the streusel.
This easy coffee cake will bake for about 45 minutes. Make sure to let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before turning it out and serving.
More Great Coffee Cake Recipes
I’m such a fan of coffee cakes. Maybe it’s the streusel topping, maybe it’s the excuse to eat cake for breakfast.
If you loved this easy coffee cake recipe, make sure you check out these other delicious coffee cakes:
Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake
The BEST Gluten-Free Coffee Cake
Eggnog Coffee Cake
Apple Coffee Cake
Easy Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 3 cups “JIFFY” all-purpose baking mix
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the topping:
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup “JIFFY” all-purpose baking mix
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans optional; you can substitute raisins
- ½ cup unsalted butter 8 tablespoons, softened and cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-cup bundt pan. You can also use a nonstick spray for baking. Set aside.
Make the cake batter:
- In a large bowl, combine the baking mix and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse meal.
- In a large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Mixture will resemble a thin, lumpy pancake batter in consistency. Set batter aside to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the topping.
Make the streusel:
- In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, baking mix, cinnamon and nuts. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the brown sugar mixture until well combined and the mixture clumps together.
- After the batter has rested for about 10 minutes, give the batter a final whisk and pour half of the batter into the prepared bundt pan, reserving the rest of the batter.
- Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter in the pan. Top with the remaining cake batter, then sprinkle with the remaining streusel mixture.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 20-30 minutes before removing from the pan.
Video
Notes
- I have easily found the “JIFFY” all-purpose mix next to the other all-purpose baking mixes at my local grocery store. If you cannot find it, you can try substituting my homemade Bisquick.
- Adapted from Yahoo!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is delicious. The only place I could find the Jiffy baking mix was at WalMart as no grocery stores around me had it. I was glad to be able to make the recipe as listed. Really worth it. The cake is moist and not too heavy, and the topping is very flavorful. I’m sure it will get rave reviews at my “gracious ladies” tea party tomorrow! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I am so glad you loved the cake! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback – I hope your friends enjoy it as well! Happy baking –
Jamie
How many boxes of Jiffy would you say is needed?
Hi Sue – The Jiffy all-purpose baking mix comes in a big box and is usually with the other all-purpose mixes in the store (where you’d find the bisquick and such). Hope this helps!
Jamie