Remember a few days ago when we were talking about husband hugs?
Here’s the deal with me and husband hugs: I’m more than willing to wait for them. Sure, I can come with a serious case of the ‘wants’, but I’m usually able to talk myself into a bit of patience.
Your comments to my last post about hugs and husbands totally touched my heart. They helped me realize why husband hugs are so great, because they come from a place of deep love and comfort. That doesn’t just happen overnight. That’s the serious stuff- the stuff that comes with time, patience, understanding, commitment, love… you know, all the good stuff. I say all of this to say: I’m content. Not to worry. I’m more than willing to chillax on the husband hug front until it’s right and proper.
I’m flexible. I’m sweet. I’m happy: just like this coffee cake.
Coffee Cake Any Way
This recipe comes from one of my favorite soul food cookbooks, Sweets. I like this cookbook because it lacks all pretension. The cake comes together with yellow boxed cake mix. Yea… cake mix. It’s sweetly familiar. This cake is also unflinchingly flexible. I threw in walnuts and dark chocolate chips, although you might want to try any of these combinations in your cinnamon swirl.
Dried Cranberries and White Chocolate Chips
Toasted Pecans and Sweetened Shredded Coconut
Walnuts and Pecans
Dried Apricots and Dried Cherries
and now… the recipe:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 (18.5 ounce ) box yellow cake mix
1 (6 ounce) package vanilla Jell-O pudding
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
3/4 cup hot water
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Brown Sugar Icing
1/3 cup light packed brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup whole milk
splash of whiskey (optional)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and lightly flour a 9 by 13-inch pan. Set aside.
To make the cake, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts (if using) in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Set the bowl aside. Measure out the chocolate chips (if using) and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream and hot water. Mix well. Your mixture will be thick. Beat in the eggs, vegetable oil and extracts until very few lumps remain.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle all of the brown sugar mixture over the cake batter. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips, or whatever topping you’ve chosen. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the brown-sugar and chocolate chip mixture. With a butter knife, spread and swirl the cake batter and brown sugar mixture.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake form the oven and cool slightly.
To make the icing, combine the sugar and the flour in a bowl. Set the bowl aside. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan. Whisk the flour and sugar mixture into the melted butter until the mixture becomes moistened. The mixture will appear to separate from the butter. Decrease the heat to low and keep stirring, it will come together after about 2 minutes, becoming slightly stringy.
Stir in the milk. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the mixture becomes thick and smooth, stirring frequently. It will look like gravy. Remove from heat. Add the splash of whiskey and vanilla extract. Let cool to lukewarm and drizzle over warm coffee cake.
This cake stays moist for days. Enjoy!
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
This cake is fresh, fun, and wildly indulgent, like a certain baker I know :)
I would put some cinnamon in the icing as well, just because I love it so much!
I think I might try doing candied cinnamon almonds and semi sweet chocolate chunks.
I love “husband hugs” or in my case, fiancee hugs.
Your coffee cake looks so delicious! Hubby hugs are not the easiest to come by here. I’m a hugger and he’s not! But, he gives them to me when I ask! Very rarely does he ask though!
Did you use an instant pudding mix, or the “cook & serve” kind? I have my mom and dad coming over in the morning, and this looks like a great treat!
The brown sugar icing got our attention. It’s just so ribbony…Is that a word?
awww. im all teared up :)
I’d love to try this, but I’d have to send my hubby to buy the cake mix for me. :) Kidding!
Sending some hugs your way, but I’m warning you, my fingers are cold, it’s freezing up here!
amanda- you’re super sweet. Good luck with the new job! I want to hear about it.
Meg- cinnamon in the glaze sounds great!
Julie- I used instant pudding. Good question! Enjoy!
Thanks- that is what I was hoping you would say, as that was already in my pantry!
your comment on husband hugs made me realize I need a hug, you’re post on this coffee cake is making me realize that it would be great to have this for breakfast . . . the power of suggestion :)
That coffee cake is just plain sinful.
amanda, this looks so good. i can just imagine maple in the frosting – yum!
Just a suggestion–try Penzey’s “cake spice” in place of the cinnamon! It has cinnamon, cardamom, and a couple other things in it (too lazy on this COLD Saturday to go into the cold pantry to check) and gives an AMAZING depth of flavor to whatever you put it in. I used it on our Christmas morning coffee cake and everyone loved it.
Oh yeah, gotta try this coffee cake too. Minus the nuts–allergies in this house–but it looks goooooooood.
thank you for this recipe! i just found your blog through jodie allen’s (jodified) blog link list. what a great find! i made this delicious cake last night and we enjoyed it for breakfast this morning and i’m bringing the other half to my friends who just had a baby. goodness all around. thanks for the inspiration!! may all your dreams come true.
I’m such a lazy baker. I love the ease of using cake mixes. Your list of mix-ins takes this above and beyond just an ordinary cake mix. No one would ever know that it was the base. And the picture of the batter, makes me want to go mix this up just to eat a spoonful.
mmmmmmmmmmm coffee cake!!
I do know what you mean about husband hugs though but let me tell you they’re so worth waiting for!! You’ll get the perfect one!
I know I’ve said this before, but your ability to connect food and feelings is seriously unmatched. I just love it. And I like you even more for loving and posting a recipe that has cake mix in it. I feel like food bloggers aren’t legit if they don’t make every single thing from scratch, and I’m soooo glad you have fantastically proved that wrong. Also, you’re my hero for using “chillax” in a sentence. Your street cred if off the chizarts.
Beautiful photos! I might have to try this recipe next time it’s my turn to take breakfast into work.
Don’t worry about finding a husband. It’s sometimes best to wait. I didn’t find mine until I was 31 and wasn’t even wanting to get married in the least!
This looks like a great coffee cake…and I think it could hug you.
What an awesome flexible coffee cake. That icing is amazing!
This coffee cake looks really delicious. I would love to do this recipe and add the cherries too. Yum!
I love your site. Love it. Thank you for sharing your love and passion for baking with us.
Question. Can I just use butter instead of butter extract or a similar replacement?
Thanks!
Oh gah! Making this.
Like first thing tomorrow.
This sounds and looks so delicious! I am going to try it today! Thank you for sharing!
O-M-G, that cake looks delicious!! Looks better than the usual (dry) ones I see. I will definitely try this out when more than one person is in the house. :( You see, instead of a husband hug, I need a wife/girlfriend hug. I know exactly how you feel, and I cried on the original post about hugs. I guess we have to be patient. *sigh*
Take care! Sending virtual hugs to you…
Hi Joy.
Saw the recipe the day you put it up and made it today (SUNDAY)….this is the third recipe I have tried from your blog.
This one came out perfectly :)
As they saw third time is a charm.
Thanks for sharing with all of us. I so enjoy your blog and perusing your recipes.
Have a most wonderful week.
Erin
I tried this Coffee Cake the other day… Oh my Oh my.. they’re sooooo good….:) you always made bad ass cakes and cookies.. love it. One thing I really like about this cake, it wasn’t too sweet and the combination of chocolate chip and icing just perfect. Have I told you about how much soft is this cake? It was soooo soft..lol
wow!!!! It looks so delicious! I must try!
Fabulous recipe!!!
You just can’t beat a good coffee cake. This looks really tasty – I wish I had it for breakfast.
Looks so moist, perfect with my cup of coffee! If you were to replace the whisky with something, what would be a good substitute?
Who would have thought to use pudding mix? I have a really cool cookbook called Sweety Pies (also a soul food cookbook) that includes several recipes that include pre-made mixes or boxed ingredients. Every recipe that I’ve tried from that book is amazing. Have you ever heard of it?
Can’t wait to make this for my book club tonight!
You are always there to crack me up! I love the splash of whiskey! I will never forget when you said to me, and I quote “Whiskey goes with exactly everything”! You’re the best! Thanks for the recipe!
Pudding and cake mix can make anything taste good and this looks fantastic.
Since I love your blog… I’ve left this award for you. Pick it up here…
http://socalpastrychef.blogspot.com/2009/01/omg-my-first-award.html
… and thanks.
Would you be willing to relocate to New York City to marry my son? He’s smart, cute, and most importantly – funny. Never say never!
Joy, this is the recipe that brought me out of lurkdom – I made it this weekend for “my guys” – and consensus was its an instant classic! Of course, the initial reaction wasn’t so hot when I mentioned I was making coffee cake – but they came around after one bite. I did alter slightly, as I didn’t have any butter extract on hand, so I melted a couple tablespoons and cut back a smidge on the veggy oil
Thanks so much for sharing with us.
And don’t sweat the husband hugs – I’m sure they’ll come in time. In the meantime, surround yourself with good friends – friend hugs are just as important ;-)
What a yummy blog you have! I can’t wait to try this coffee cake. I followed a link from Tina at Cherry Hill Cottage.
this looks delicious :) it looks so moist and yummy :)
OMG! Why haven’t I found your blog before!! I love it,love it. I will be delving into this tonight. Ive already bookmarked a few I must try, starting with this one. You are lovely. Your food looks fabulous!!! Thank you!
Although I’ve heard a lot about coffee cakes, I’ve never tried to bake any. This is about to change ;)
This looks so good…I’ll definitely be trying it. I have just one question …what is butter extract?
Wow, brown sugar icing? I must make this very soon!
I made the cake yesterday for a Ladies Bible Study at my house. Not bad. The cake was delicious even though I added some “extra”ingredients on accident. I laid all the dry ingredients out the night before so I could get up and assemble the cake fairly quickly and get it baking so it would be hot and fresh when everyone arrived. When I got to the part about sprinkling the layer of goodies in the middle, I picked up the wrong bowl–the one with the flour and sugar for the icing–and sprinkled that over the cake instead. It wasn’t util the bowl was completely empty that I realized what I had done. I sprinkled the correct ingredients over the top and continued. I couldn’t really tell so it wasn’t a big disaster! i used chocolate chips and pecans. The icing I wasn’t really sure about though. It didn’t really have any flavor and once it cooled, was almost like a gelatinous gravy resting on top. I noticed several ladies peeled it off and ate the cake. The only ingredient I omitted was the splash of whiskey. Since it wasn’t cooked off, I was afraid the taste might offend some who came to bible study! Other than that, I couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t much to the taste. I’ll make the cake again, but may tweak the frosting part a bit.
Just made this!! I used butterscotch pudding with cranberries, I think the pudding makes up for the butter extract absence, not sure I’ll need icing at all! Thank you!! I did have to bake mine 20 more minutes than suggested, just an FYI for others out there!
Joy … can I make this cake without icing ?
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