Enjoy the perfect pairing of a cup of coffee and a slice of irresistible cake with this simple cake mix coffee cake recipe. This moist cake, topped with a delectable crumb; the streusel topping, promises to be your new go-to treat for any occasion.
This cake recipe begins with a boxed cake mix and requires no eggs, making it incredibly simple and easy to prepare.
Ingredients Needed
- 1 box cake mix - Be it white or a box of yellow cake mix, either will work.
- Flour - This additional all-purpose flour is added as we are making a box cake mix cake recipe without eggs. You can skip this if you are using eggs.
- Yogurt - Use the thick part of the yogurt for making cakes. I prefer using Greek yogurt for all my cakes. And this is our egg substitute in this recipe. You can replace the yogurt with two eggs. If using eggs, omit the additional 1/4 cup flour mentioned in the recipe.
- Oil - Any flavorless and odorless oil like canola or vegetable oil would work for this recipe. You can also substitute melted butter for oil.
For Streusel:
- Almond Flour - This can also be substituted with almond meal. It definitely adds a nice flavor to the streusel; however, you can choose to substitute it with regular all-purpose flour too.
- Cold Butter, cubed - Butter needs to be cold for making the streusel. I prefer using unsalted butter for baking. If you are using salted butter, then skip the salt in the recipe.
- Pecans - Added for the crunch. You can skip it if you prefer or substitute it with any other nuts of choice.
Print the detailed recipe from the recipe card shared at the end of the post.
Coffee Cake without Coffee?
This has been a long-debated topic among my readers since I first published my Yogurt Coffee Cake recipe.
There are two types of coffee cakes: one with the actual flavor of coffee infused in the sponge cake base, popular in Britain, and the other, often found in American cafes, where the cake is served with a cup of coffee.
Today, we're making the latter. If you'd like to add a hint of coffee flavor to your cake bases, you can refer to our easy coffee cake recipe instead.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the Oven:
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Prepare the Pan:
Grease an 8x8 inch square pan. Line it with parchment paper, ensuring that the paper hangs over the edges of the pan. This will make it easier to lift and unmold the cake once baked.
Crumb Topping:
In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt
(image 1).
Add the cubed cold butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (image 2).
Stir in the chopped pecans.
This is the versatile crumble topping that goes well with muffins, bundt cakes, pound cakes, etc.
Check out our brown sugar streusel recipe to customize it for your bakes.
Prepare the Cake Batter:
Add the vinegar to the warm milk, stir, and set aside for 5 minutes to create homemade buttermilk. This is your wet ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine the contents of the box mix with the additional 1/4 cup of flour, mixing well. This is your dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt, then gradually add the oil while continuing to whisk. Stir in the vanilla until fully incorporated (image 4).
To form the cake batter, alternate between adding the dry mix and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry mix. Gently fold until the batter is smooth (image 5).
Pour the prepared batter into the greased and lined baking pan. Spread it evenly (image 6).
Sprinkle the prepared streusel topping evenly on top of the cake batter (image 7).
Bake the Cake:
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes.
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake; it should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
In the last 10 minutes of baking, cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.
Cool the Cake:
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.
Using the overhanging parchment paper, carefully lift the cake from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional Lemon Glaze:
While the cake cools, prepare the lemon glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 tbsp lemon juice until smooth.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
Serve and Enjoy:
Once the glaze has set, slice the cake and serve.
This cake turned out to be incredibly soft, and the rich flavor of the streusel was perfectly crunchy.
The addition of a lemon glaze provided a delightful tartness that complemented the sweetness of the cake beautifully.
Hope you will enjoy this delicious coffee cake recipe too.
Storage Instructions
Keep the coffee cake in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap. It will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days at room temperature.
You can increase the shelf life of the cake to 1 week by storing it in the refrigerator.
Freezing and Thawing Instructions:
To Freeze:
- Make sure the coffee cake is completely cool before freezing to prevent condensation and freezer burn.
- Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap. For added protection, place it in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container.
- Label the package with the date and contents.
- The coffee cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To Thaw:
- Remove the cake from the freezer and unwrap it.
- Let it thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
- If desired, you can warm the cake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 10 minutes to refresh it.
Enjoy your best cake mix coffee cake whenever you like, whether fresh or frozen!
Best Tips
- Ensure that the milk is lukewarm but not hot when you add the vinegar. The mixture should sit for 5 minutes to thicken and curdle slightly, which mimics the texture of buttermilk.
- When mixing the cake batter, alternate between adding the dry mix and the buttermilk. This helps to ensure that the ingredients are evenly distributed and prevents overmixing, which can make the cake dense.
- Use cold butter and mix it into the flour and sugar until you achieve a crumbly texture. If the butter is too soft, the streusel may turn out more like a paste rather than a crumbly topping.
- Grease and line the cake pan with parchment paper, making sure the edges of the paper hang over the sides. This helps to easily lift out the cake after baking.
- If the top of the cake is getting too brown but the center is not fully cooked, cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- For an extra layer of streusel goodness, you can also sandwich some of the streusel between layers of batter. Simply pour half of the batter into the pan, level it, and sprinkle a layer of streusel on top. Add the rest of the batter over the streusel, then finish with the remaining streusel on top of the batter. This creates a delightful streusel swirl throughout the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you may. The baking time might vary slightly.
Yes, you can use any flavor of cake mix, but a yellow or white cake mix is recommended for the best results. If you use a chocolate or spice cake mix, it will alter the flavor of the cake mix coffee cake.
Add spices like cinnamon or nutmeg to the dry ingredients for extra flavor. You can also mix in chocolate chips or dried fruit into the batter.
Yes, you can adapt this recipe to make delicious coffee cake muffins or follow this cake mix muffins recipe instead.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease it.
Baking Time: Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Related Recipes:
- Cake Mix Muffins recipe
- Cake Mix Cake without eggs
- Universal Glaze recipe for cakes and muffins
- Turn your Brownie Mix into Cake
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The Best Cake Mix Coffee Cake without Eggs
Ingredients
For Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cups (90 gms) Plain Flour
- 1/2 cup (45 gms) Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup (90 gms) Brown Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/3 cup (76 gms) Cold Butter
- 1 cup Pecans, chopped
For Coffee Cake
- 1/2 cup (125 gms) Milk Lukewarm
- 1/2 tsp Vinegar
- 1 box Cake Mix
- 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 1/2 cup (120 gms) Yogurt (or two eggs)
- 1/3 cup (73 gms) Oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Instructions
Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Prepare the Pan:
- Grease an 8x8 inch square pan. Line it with parchment paper, ensuring that the paper hangs over the edges of the pan. This will make it easier to lift and unmold the cake once baked.
Crumb Topping
- In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, almond flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the cubed cold butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs
- Stir in the chopped pecans.
Preparing Cake
- Add the vinegar to the warm milk, stir, and set aside for 5 minutes to create homemade buttermilk. This is your wet ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, combine the contents of the box mix with the additional 1/4 cup of flour, mixing well. This is your dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt, then gradually add the oil while continuing to whisk. Stir in the vanilla until fully incorporated.
- Form the cake batter by alternating between adding the dry mix and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry mix. Gently fold until the batter is smooth
- Pour the prepared batter into the greased and lined baking pan. Spread it evenly.
- Sprinkle the prepared streusel topping evenly on top of the cake batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes.Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake; it should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Using the overhanging parchment paper, carefully lift the cake from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cake cools, prepare the lemon glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar and 2-3 tbsp lemon juice until smooth.Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
- Once the glaze has set, slice the cake and serve.
Notes
- Ensure that the milk is lukewarm but not hot when you add the vinegar. The mixture should sit for 5 minutes to thicken and curdle slightly, which mimics the texture of buttermilk.
- When mixing the cake batter, alternate between adding the dry mix and the buttermilk. This helps to ensure that the ingredients are evenly distributed and prevents overmixing, which can make the cake dense.
- Use cold butter and mix it into the flour and sugar until you achieve a crumbly texture. If the butter is too soft, the streusel may turn out more like a paste rather than a crumbly topping.
- Grease and line the cake pan with parchment paper, making sure the edges of the paper hang over the sides. This helps to easily lift out the cake after baking.
- If the top of the cake is getting too brown but the center is not fully cooked, cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- For an extra layer of streusel goodness, you can also sandwich some of the streusel between layers of batter. Simply pour half of the batter into the pan, level it, and sprinkle a layer of streusel on top. Add the rest of the batter over the streusel, then finish with the remaining streusel on top of the batter. This creates a delightful streusel swirl throughout the cake.
Hitasha says
Hi mam
I am big fan of ur recipes and always got amazing results.
In this recipe can we make our own cake mix instead of cake box . Eagerly waiting to try this
sushma iyer says
Hi Hitasha.. Glad to see that you are liking our recipes..thank you. And I have not tried making with homemade premixes.. but I am sure that should work too..