Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Coffee Cake
Coffee, This Cake, and Happy Conversations
Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Coffee Cake is a perfect cake for those who don’t really bake. Made from a box cake mix and a few added special touches like melted butter and extra vanilla, this cake is perfect to have around the house for coffee breaks and would make a delicious Christmas morning treat.
I had a similar cake as this at my friend’s house the other day and she revealed that the secret was Krusteaz Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake! She had said she doctored it up some, so I came home and figured out a way to fancy this up and it is delicious!
Ever since I moved I have been talking about how I always want to have a “Counter Cake,” a cake that I always have out on the counter for when people stop by so that I can offer them a piece of cake and coffee. I decided to start a series of Counter Cakes that I can share with you all.
The last few weeks I have been making my Dunkaroos Cake over and over because we love it so much. But this week I decided it was time for a new cake and now we have the Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Coffee Cake.
Omit The Oil
While many of you know that I am a lover of toxic oils, I decided in this cake to use melted butter instead of the oil that is listed on the box to make this cake. The melted butter gives this a much richer flavor and the cake came out perfectly baked using the butter.
Box Cake Mix For The Win
This is the brand of cake mix I used. You can find this in the baking aisle at literally any store.
The recipe uses TWO of these mixes, but you DO have to mix each on separately and then layer the batter. It just came out better this way to mix them each on their own so do not skip this step.
Dot The Top
The recipe card has you “dotting the top” of the cake with the second batter. Pictured above is what I mean by this step, then you will spread the batter out.
You will not get this perfect so do not fret. Just try the best you can.
The Glaze
You make the glaze from milk, powdered sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. I am not sure if this should be refrigerated after you make it and if it is going to sit.
I did not refrigerate it and we have been eating it and it is fine. You do you.
I prefer the cake warm or room temp. If you do refrigerate this cake, I would warm up slices before serving.
Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Coffee Cake Recipe
Cinnamon Pecan Crunch Coffee Cake is a recipe for all the non-bakers of the world. This is a doctored up box cake mix that comes out tasting like it was made from scratch. Perfect for a cup of coffee.
Ingredients
- 2 boxes of Krusteaz Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake Mix *pictured in post
- 8 tablespoons of Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 1 and 1/3 cups of Water, divided into 2/3s
- 1/2 cup Toasted and Chopped Pecans
- 1 tablespoon of Vanilla Extract plus another 1.5 tablespoons
- 3 cups of Powdered Sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon of Sour Cream
Instructions
- You will be making the box cake mix slightly different from the directions on the box. I also mix each box separately even though I am adding it to the same baking dish.
- Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and heat your oven to 350°
- Mix up ONE of the cake mixes (set aside the cinnamon crumb) using one egg, 2/3 cup of water, 4 tablespoons of melted butter, and a 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Mix until the ingredients are just combined. The cake mix should be slightly lumpy.
- Spread the cake mix in the baking dish and then sprinkle with the bag of the cinnamon crunch topping. Use the whole bag.
- Mix up the second box of cake mix the same way, I did not feel the need to clean the bowl in between.
- Spoon heaping spoonfuls of the cake mix on top of the mix that is already in the baking dish, dot this all over the top then use a spoon or spreader to spread the batter as best you can over the top. This does not have to be perfect.
- Top the rest of the cake with the cinnamon crunch topping and the pecans. Bake for about 45 minutes. Every oven is different so keep an eye on this the first time you make it. Use a toothpick to check that the center is done.
- While the cake bakes, mix up the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and sour cream into a glaze. This mixture should be thinner, so eyeball the powdered sugar until the glaze is the way you want it.
- When the cake is done, pull it out and drizzle the glaze all over the top of the cake while it cools.
- If you use the sour cream I suppose technically the cake should be refrigerated before serving and after, but I just left it on the counter while we ate it for days. You can also omit the sour cream and just add another tablespoon of milk.