Made with simple ingredients, this Best Ever Coffee Cake is a traditional yellow cake with a classic cinnamon & brown sugar swirl and topping.
The recipe is the best and easiest way to make a sweet breakfast treat. It is one of our favorite family recipes you’ll want to make again and again.
A tender, soft coffee cake does not need to be challenging to make friends. Use a yellow cake mix and add a homemade topping; no one will ever guess you didn’t make it from scratch. Trust me – everyone will want a second slice of this breakfast treat.
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
From trusty pots and pans to handy gadgets, I’ve curated a list of products I use and love.
Recipe Inspiration
I call this recipe “Shelia’s Breakfast Cake” because my mom’s dear friend Shelia always made it for us and gave my mom the recipe. Growing up, I had the best childhood; many memories were of my parent’s most beloved friends: the Augustines, Vilhauer, and Gotschall. We were all like family.
Shelia Augustine was a gem, and on top of that, she made the best sweet treats EVER! Every camping trip was adorned with her goodies, half of why I loved going.
This is her most coveted recipe. Judging from the taste of it, one would have assumed she worked on it for hours, slaving away in the kitchen till the wee hours of the night making this delicious treat. Oh, were we wrong! Shelia gave the recipe to my mom, and we were shocked to find out how simple and easy it was.
What is coffee cake?
Coffee cake is a sweet, dense cake with a cinnamon sugar crumb topping. There are many variations, and this recipe is made easy with a cake mix.
While it’s usually served with coffee or tea for breakfast, I love it as a snack cake.
Ingredients
- Yellow cake mix – I like Duncan Hines
- Eggs
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Water
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Vanilla
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
Without fail, anytime I give this recipe to a friend or neighbor, they always, and yes, I mean always, say, “This is the best” or “I never knew it was this good.”
What to serve with coffee cake
How to make this recipe
Preheat oven to 350; grease a 9×13 metal pan.
Mix all the ingredients for the cake in a mixer for 7 minutes. Meanwhile, mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Once the cake is made and mixed for 7 minutes, pour half the batter into the greased 9×13 metal pan. Sprinkle ½ of the brown sugar mix over the cake in the pan. Pour the remaining batter on and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
Place in oven and bake for 25-35 minutes. Or until the cake is set and pulled away from the edges. Let it cool completely so it doesn’t crumble when you cut and serve.
This recipe will be known to the masses thanks to Shelia and her willingness always to share her unique recipes. Shelia is no longer with us today. Her love and laughter will never be forgotten, and her recipes will be passed on for generations. Love & miss you, Shelia.
More Coffee Cake Recipes
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Shelia’s Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 yellow cake mix I like Duncan Hines Just use the mix, don’t not follow the directions on the back!
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup instant vanilla pudding (just the dry mix, not prepared)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cinnamon Swirl & Topping Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350; grease 9×13 metal pan.
- Mix all the ingredients for the cake in a mixer for 7 minutes (this is key to make the pudding set). I love to use my Kitchen Aid mixer for this!
- Meanwhile, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Once the cake is done mixing for 7 minutes, pour half of the batter in the greased 9×13 metal pan. Sprinkle ½ of the brown sugar mix over the cake in the pan.
- Pour the remaining batter on and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
- Place in oven and bake 25-35 minutes. Or until the cake is set and is pulling away from the edges. Let it completely cool so it does crumble when you cut and serve it.
Delish! Added 1 cup of chopped walnuts with cinnamon / brown sugar mixture. Drizzled 4tbsp melted butter onto top of cake prior to putting in oven.
Glad you enjoyed this one Shelly, I will add walnuts occassionally and it is so good. I will have to try your butter idea.