My great-grandma used to make this coffee cake so often that she was known for it and my family knows it simply as “Grandma T’s Coffee Cake.” She made it for church gatherings, family gatherings, and any other gathering where coffee was served. I remember when she was a little girl she would help her bake one of her own in her little kitchen. Me, standing on a stool with a hand mixer, and my great-grandma standing behind me making sure all the ingredients are mixed together properly. A few years ago, my grandmother (her daughter) gave me the same pan that Grandma T had used to bake the cake and it is the only pan she used for this recipe. You don’t have to use a pan (although it looks nice and you can add icing to it). A standard 9×13 rectangular pan works great too.
This recipe is as simple as it sounds and I’m telling you, it’s the best coffee cake you’ll ever have. Wet. Sweet. Perfect with coffee. Perfect for any gathering.
Grandma T’s Coffee Cake
1 yellow cake mix
3-ounce box instant coconut pudding (use vanilla if you can’t find coconut)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of oil
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a Bundt pan or 9×13 pan. Beat cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil and sour cream 5 minutes on fast speed. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and nuts and reserve. Spread half of the cake batter into the pan. Sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture. Pour/spread remaining batter on top and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
*If using a bundt pan, after inverting it onto a plate, you can make a frosting with powdered sugar and milk and pour it over the cake.