Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake
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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!
If you enjoyed this cake, then you’re sure to enjoy my Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake, and Good Morning Crumb Cake recipes as well!
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.)
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.
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.
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!
More Recipes to Try
- Cinnamon Roll Pound Cake – all the cozy cinnamon roll flavor without the extra work.
- BEST Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles – soft baked cookies that will melt in your mouth!
- Cinnamon Muffins – make your mornings better with these cozy muffins.
When you make this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on social – I love connecting with you and seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake
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
- ⅔ 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yes, the dough is extremely thick.
Yes, the dough is hard to spread, especially over the first layer of crumble
But you should absolutely make this. It’s delicious and completely worth the “struggle” . The two layers of crumble are a must.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I used all of the batter and baked it an additional 5 minutes. It was so good. 🙂
I think you missed a step, after spreading 1/2 of the batter, i will assume you add 1/2 of the crumble then the rest of the batter and the rest of the crumble……………… Please advise !!! Thanks !!
You can either do the layering method (my favorite) or add all of the batter and all of the crumble on top. If you do the layering method, be sure to spritz a rubber spatula with cooking spray – it will help you spread the batter more easily 🙂
This recipe is missing directions. It stops at “Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Sprinkle with crumble mixture.”
Hi Hannah! Maybe your screen isn’t working properly? All of the directions are definitely there! 🙂
All directions not on mine either but that part is easy to figure out. Wish I had warning on how thick mixture is. My crumble is not chunky but am sure it will tast good. It’s in the oven now.
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!
It was a mess to make, but I figured I was taking a shortcut anyway. I just plopped the second half on top and didn’t even try to spread. I dumped the second half of streusel on it and said “to heck with it!”. It took 45 minutes to test clean. Its a mess to look at, but its only my hubby and me, so its OK. Tasted good, though!
Ha! Well sometimes the ugliest dishes can be the tastiest!!
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!!
I too found the batter nearly impossible to spread but I used an off set spatula and even though it doesn’t look pretty I was able to spread it somewhat. I also decided to add apple pie filling to the middle and some on top layer. I chopped up the apples in the pie filling so as to get more manageable apples. I spread half the can in middle layer then the other half on top. It’s in the oven now and I hope it comes out good. We will see and I will let you know.
I’m baking this as I type. The batter was thick, but I used a buttered spatula to spread, which helped a little. So I decided to spread the crumble and that took care of spreading the batter evenly because the crumble served as a middle coating between my fingers/spatula. The top layer needed to be dropped in spoonfuls on the crumble layer, then I repeated my “technique” of using the crumble to help spread the thick batter. I’m sure it will taste great, since my home smells delectable right now! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, the batter is thick. There is a trick, though…to make spreading easier, just spray a rubber spatula with cooking spray periodically when spreading and use a light touch for the actual spreading. Works like a charm!!