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This Starbucks Coffee Cake Recipe may just be better than the real thing! It’s the perfect addition to any brunch and is so good, you will be looking for a reason to invite over guests!
Cake Mix Coffee Cake
One of my favorite things about Easter is Easter Brunch. And one of my favorite brunch recipes is a good coffee cake. This Starbucks Coffee cake is the perfect easy brunch recipe. You start with a boxed yellow cake mix, which guarantees a moist cake. And the cake comes together in a snap. Perfect for a busy holiday.
Why is it Called Coffee Cake When there is no coffee in it?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I love how tender and light the base of the cake is. It is a perfect compliment to the heavier, crunchy, sugary topping and it’s my favorite part. Usually foods with streusel toppings never have enough streusel topping for my liking but this Starbucks Coffee Cake has the perfect cake to topping ratio!
Ingredients Needed
- Yellow Cake Mix, I use a 15.25 oz. size and you will also need the ingredients listed on the back of the box, usually eggs, water and oil.
- Butter, I use salted butter and you want it cold. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
- Flour, I prefer unbleached all purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Brown Sugar, I use light brown sugar.
- Vanilla Extract
Tips from leigh Anne
- Make sure your butter is cold when making the streusel. Otherwise you will get a dough instead of a crumbly topping.
- When adding the streusel, gently add the topping a little at a time and don’t add big pieces all at once. This will keep the streusel on top of the cake. If it is still sinking into the cake, let the cake bake a few minutes longer before adding the topping.
How to Make Starbucks Coffee Cake
- Prepare yellow cake mix in a bowl following the package directions.
- Pour batter onto a greased baking pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees f until the center of the cake is just barely set.
- Prepare the crumb topping while the cake is baking,
- Mix together butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla with a mixer until crumbly.
- Remove cake from the oven when center is barely set.
- Break the crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers and sprinkle over the top of the cake.
- Return the cake to the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze coffee cake?
It freezes well. I recommend freezing it by the slice. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and then some foil. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator before eating.
Do I have to use a cake mix for this coffee cake recipe?
I have only made it with a cake mix. If you have a recipe for a homemade cake mix go ahead and use that, just use an equal amount to the cake mix.
Why is coffee cake called coffee cake when there is no coffee in it?
It is called coffee cake because it is meant to be eaten along with a cup of coffee!
If you need less coffee cake be sure and check out my small batch version of this recipe.
For more delicious coffee cake recipes try these:
Be sure and follow me over on YouTube for weekly cooking demos.
Starbucks Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 oz. yellow cake mix (plus ingredients on back of box)
- 1 cup salted butter cold, two sticks
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Prepare cake mix in large bowl according to directions on box.
- Spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray.
- Pour batter into pan.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until center is just barely set.
- While cake is baking, prepare crumb topping.
- In large bowl of electric mixer combine butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla until all crumbly.
- Immediately after cake is removed from oven, break crumb topping into marble size pieces with fingers, sprinkling over top.
- Put back in oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes (topping will begin to look a less less wet/raw) let cool fully then dust with powdered sugar using a sieve if desired.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts:
Andrea Gerber says
So, it is delicious but when I added the topping, it sort of “broke through” the batter that was barely set and then it got pretty weird. When it was finished baking there just seemed to be a lot of topping that had sunken into the center.
Should I have waited longer to add the topping? Any other suggestions? It’s so good, I just want to make it look great for my guests. Good thing I did a test run (and my family is happy too, lol).
Dino Iannuzzi says
Loved the site. Thank you for sharing. You’ve got a lifetime fan.
Christy says
might be a crazy question but do I use self rising flour or all purpose flor?
Leigh Anne says
All purpose, if I am using self rising I will specify that.
Steve Fay says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It could not have been easier. It turned out fantastic and tasted delicious. I noticed shortly before I planned to take the cake out of the oven that there were three tiny bare spots popping up on top. I took the cake out of the oven for a minute to cover those spots with extra topping from heavy spots. The cake looked perfect when it came out of the oven a few minutes later. I will make this recipe again when I entertain guests.
Leigh Anne says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know
Mary Beth Filling says
Can you freeze this coffee cake?
Leigh Anne says
It should freeze fine.
Mary says
Did you mean brown sugar, rather than regular sugar for the topping?
Leigh Anne says
It should be brown sugar – thanks for the heads up.