Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake

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Total Time 45 minutes

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Sour cream makes this coffee cake super moist and the best part is that it starts with a cake mix. It’s so easy to make, and loaded with lots of cinnamon crumbly goodness. This breakfast cake is an instant crowd pleaser!

a slice of cake mix sour cream coffee cake with a fork on a plate with glasses of milk and another piece of cake on a plate faded in the background.

I love eating cake for breakfast. And I know you know I’m serious because yesterday we chatted about my lack of shame for eating all sorts of debatably inappropriate foods first thing in the morning, such as these Best Baked Apples Recipe (don’t knock it ’til you try it.)

top view of cake mix sour cream coffee cake in a tray.

But really, cake is on the less-weird list of breakfast foods because while admittedly I have eaten frosted chocolate birthday cake with sprinkles within 17 minutes of waking up, it’s really not that far of a stretch from the towering shortstacks that we all like to down at the local IHOP. Really? Pancakes? We didn’t even try to disguise the name on that one.

top view of a piece of cake mix sour cream coffee cake on a plate.

At least this coffee cake isn’t smothered in syrup, right?

Instead it’s loaded down with a cinnamon crumble topping. Oh oh oh, and that same crumble topping is rippled right throughout the center of the cake too. Raise your hand if the streusel is your favorite part?? Good. So you all know exactly what I’m talking about when I say there can never be enough streusel.

pieces of cake mix sour cream coffee cake on small plates with glasses of milk.

I developed this recipe as an easy-to-make totally delicious option for feeding a crowd. When family and friends are coming over, the last thing you want to do is fuss over a labor-intensive breakfast. This cake is just the thing because it starts with a cake mix and just four other ingredients. Easy peasy. And the crumble topping is a cinch to make so the prep takes only 10-15 minutes tops then it’s into the oven. Super moist and loaded with cinnamon crumble, this is an instant favorite!

close up of a piece of cake mix sour cream coffee cake with a bite on a fork.

What people are saying about this Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake

“Absolutely the best coffee cake I have ever made, and maybe my new go to family treat. The trick to the second layer is dropping the batter by dollops and then sprinkling a bit of the crumb topping to help spread. Well worth the trouble! Delicious. It won’t last the day. I will recommend this to all my friends.” – Susanne

“I’m just sitting down to taste a piece of this coffee cake, all i have to say is DELICIOUS!!! The batter is thick but if you take your time and use dollops of the batter it will spread!! May not be the easiest of batters but the result IS worth the extra time! I will use this recipe again and again because it’s that good. Thank You Tiffany!!” – Tammy

“Found this on Pinterest when looking for a quick coffee cake recipe. After reading the comments I decided to spread all of the batter out first (with a spatula sprayed with Pam) and then put one layer of crumb on the top. Yes, the batter is thick but you can work with it. Oh my gosh, this came out so good! Rich, moist, flavorful, and the whole house smelled great! My husband loved it and it’s my new go-to recipe, highly recommend, so yummy!” – Lisa

“I wrangled all the dough into one layer, grinned with decadent delight at the massive layer of crumble that left me for the top, and I’m about to dish it out to my slobbering family with huge glasses of cold milk. It is to die for! I’m glad I “toughed it out” for that whole 5 minutes to make it! :p Thanks Tiffany!” – Ginger

Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake
4.76 from 208 votes

Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sour cream makes this coffee cake super moist and the best part is that it starts with a cake mix. It’s so easy to make, and loaded with lots of cinnamon crumbly goodness. This breakfast cake is an instant crowd pleaser!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
0 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 1 package yellow cake mix, (mix only, not prepared)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup sour cream , (may sub plain greek yogurt)
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Crumble Topping

  • 1 ¼ cups flour
  • cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup butter (8 tablespoons), chilled and cut into cubes

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • First prepare the crumble. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in chilled butter until crumbly. Set aside.
  • Next prepare the cake. Combine cake mix, egg, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla and mix until combined. It’s okay if the batter still has some lumps.
  • Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of the greased baking dish (see note.) Sprinkle with half of the crumble mixture. Grease a rubber spatula and gently spread the remaining batter over the crumble (this takes a little finessing but it's worth it if you just work with it.) Top with remaining crumble.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Notes

If you don’t want to worry about working with the batter (which is thick) to make the layers, you can spread all of the batter in the pan, then top with all of the crumble and bake as directed.

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 576IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a star rating or comment below!
Tiffany of Creme de la Crumb in the kitchen

Welcome!

Hey there, I’m Tiffany – chef, photographer, mother, and avid taco eater. I am passionate about turning simple flavors and ingredients into tasty meals the whole family will love, with minimal prep and cleanup so there’s more time to spend eating and enjoying. Stay awhile, and help yourself to a taco or two!

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4.76 from 208 votes (148 ratings without comment)

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216 Comments

  1. Julie says:

    1 star
    This recipe did not raise (batter to thick) and it also taste funny…I think it was from the cake mix.

  2. Nancy says:

    5 stars
    Yumaroo. Love this recipe – Easy and perfect. I bought too much sour cream and needed to make “something”. Now this will go to the top of my recipies. If you have the patience, the layers with the crumbly goodness through the cake is worth it. Just dollop the batter close and keep the Pam close by for the spatula. The good news is you can’t really mess it up. I think next time I make it (which will be soon) I might try tossing in frozen blueberries, sauteed apples pieces – or if it’s a bad week, chocolate chips. I’ve just added 6 yellow cake mixes to my grocery list (and more sour cream – now I don’t have enough!) Thank you Tiffany!!

  3. Dawn Hare says:

    Can I use Bundt pan?

    1. Tiffany says:

      Hi Dawn! A few readers have done this recipe using a bundt pan and had great success. They each said they baked at 350 for 50 minutes and it came out perfect!

  4. Connie Greenwald says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! Reminds me of my Mother In Laws ‘Cowboy Coffee Cake’. This recipe is now my husbands Ifavorite. I made 2 the last 2 times I made this recipe. One for the dentist office and today for a doctors office. In both cases they were very grateful for the gift. I would appreciate tips for spreading the batter. And if any of you have made muffins from this recipe were you able to get 12 muffins from the batter?

  5. Ronit says:

    Can you make it a day before?

    1. Tiffany says:

      Yes

  6. Katie says:

    5 stars
    I took this to church event and was told that cake is the bomb! What’s not to love!!!!

  7. Jen says:

    2 stars
    the batter was a dough not a batter. I added two more eggs and some water to make batter consistency. It’s in the ove n now.

    1. Grateful says:

      5 stars
      Follow Tiffany’s directions-great, no fail recipe! ! Excellent! Thank you Miss Tiffany! Xo

  8. Nicole Krause says:

    There is not enough batter to fill a 9×13 pan

    1. Carol says:

      Can you cut into pieces and freeze after you bake it .

  9. Aura Fequiere says:

    Loved your website. Thank you for posting. You got a lifetime fan.

  10. Tory Updike says:

    Loved your blog. Thanks for writing this. You found a new fan.