This Brown Sugar Coffee Cake makes your morning delicious and easy as it starts with a boxed cake mix! So simple to put together, whip this breakfast recipe up for your family or take it to a gathering.
The kiddos sure love a coffee cake for breakfast. Well, the hubby and I might as well. When the mornings can be lazy, this brown sugar coffee cake is a great addition to your breakfast menu.
It starts with a boxed cake mix which is a great little trick I love to have up my sleeve. I make plenty of coffee cakes from scratch, that do not start with a cake mix like this blueberry coffee cake, or this apple coffee cake, but sometimes speed is imperative.
Sometimes, also, we just don't want to put much work into it. (Can I get an AMEN??)
Instructions
It really is quite easy to make this breakfast/brunch favorite. All you need are a few ingredients and it does help to have a Kitchen Aid mixer or a hand mixer. I use my Kitchen Aid often and I feel it is worth the investment.
Mix the cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream with a mixer. Place the dough in a greased angel food cake pan. (Or also called a tube pan.)
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of the dough in the pan.
Take a knife and swirl the batter in the pan. Just swirl it, nothing too crazy. You will still have plenty of topping on top of the coffee cake. By swirling it, you help some of that brown sugar deliciousness to get on the inside of the coffee cake.
Bake and you are done!
A few tips
- Grease your pan well and when you take the brown sugar coffee cake out of the oven, use a knife to loosen the sides of the coffee cake. Don't try to remove it from the pan yet. Let it sit on the counter for a few minutes. Few=10.
- You don't have to drizzle frosting on top, but really, for the integrity of the cake, drizzle it. ;-) The frosting is only a two ingredient recipe so it is easy to put together.
- Some readers told me their cake collapsed. I have made it multiple times and have not had it happen. I believe the collapsing occurred because the brown sugar was in clumps, not fine like sand. If you do that, I don't believe you will have a problem. And, as mentioned above, be sure to let your cake cool for 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan.
See also: Cinnamon Coffee Cake
📖 Recipe
Brown Sugar Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoon almond milk or use regular milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Mix cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and sour cream in a large bowl with a mixer
- Mix for 1 minute on low speed then 3 minutes on medium/high speed
- Place in a greased tube pan and set aside
- Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of dough
- Take a knife and swirl through the dough
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick tests done
- Set on counter to cool and loosen sides with a knife
- After 10 minutes remove from pan
- After cooling completely, mix together frosting ingredients in small bowl and drizzling on topIf you need to put the frosting on before it is cooled completely, you certainly can. It just might melt a little bit. Still tastes great.
NOTE
- I do strongly suggest that the brown sugar is completely broken up (like in the picture above) before you sprinkle it on top of dough.
Nutrition
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Debbie
Is this cake batter supposed to be super thick? I couldnt even hardly use the mixer it was so thick
Kim
It is a thicker batter, but you should be able to use a mixer with it.
Angela M Morris
I want to make this but I am surprised that it doesn't call for any liquid, like milk or water. Will the cake come out dry?
Kim
No, it will not. The sour cream will help keep it moist. It is a thicker dough, but it will come out great. :-)
Linda
Made this cake it’s perfect , hope it is as good as it looks ,tune in let u all know ??????
Colleen
I made this cake with a butter cake box mix and it fell before it was even done. Tasted great but was all over the plate
Kim
You are not the first reader to say that it fell. I have not had that problem (and I know several readers haven't) but I think I am going to make it a couple of times and see if I can duplicate it falling. Then I can include a tip on the how's and why's. Thanks for letting me know!
Cathy
Coleen, did you keep opening the oven to check it? Loss of heat can make a cake to fall. ?♀️
Sally Ann
Can I make this in a 9”x13” cake pan instead of a tube pan? If so, will the time and temperature be the same? Looks absolutely delicious!
Thank you
Kim
I'm sorry, I was away from the computer until now! I have never made it in a 9x13 pan but I would assume it would work. The time it would take to cook would probably be less. I would check the cake after 25 minutes and then after. Hope that helps!
Pat Nichols
My cake is still in oven as it was not done in 30 minutes. Anyone else have this problem
Stacy
Yes! Mine took like 15 extra minutes. Hoping it’s not all dried out.
Pat
Don't have a tube pan. But several sizes in Bundt pans. Will this work. Promise to let it sit 10-15 minutes.
Kim
Yes it will! Make sure to grease it and it will work fine!
Cathy
Has anyone tried this with a gluten free cake mix. If I do, I will let you know how it turns out.
Kim
Let me know if you try a gluten free cake mix! I would love to know if it works!
Sharon Ryan
I’ve made this cake three times, it is outstanding, & my family loves it! My cake as well as, has fallen apart every time! I think I problem is it is an upside down Bundt cake, so your shifting it while it’s still hot! Next time, I think I’ll try cooling in the pan then transfer. Fabulous cake!!!
Kim
I'm glad you enjoy it! Yes, always let it sit for a bit before removing it from the pan. Thanks for the comment! I haven't made it for my family in a while, I will have to make it again. :-)
Cherre F Grunert
I added apple pie filling to this recipe and it came out great! Just a little extra flavor.
Kim
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Becky
wheres the frosting recipe?
Kim
It was in the ingredient section. I did add a header for it, so I hope that helps. Enjoy!
Dennis Doyle
A cup of brown sugar sure seems like a lot for this recipe. I made the coffee cake according to the directions, but the cake collapsed when cooling and there were pockets of brown sugar throughout the cake. The flavor was good, but very "sugary." I would guess that1/4 cup of brown sugar would have made a big difference. Comments?
Kim
I love honest comments like this one because it helps me grow as a baker and blogger! I'm sorry the cake collapsed on you! Not sure what happened there. A few thoughts: Maybe the brown sugar was in "clumps" and not more broken up completely. Also, maybe the cake wasn't cooked all the way through.
Thank you for your comment!