Butterscotch Coffee Cake Recipe

Butterscotch coffee cake might sound complicated, but it really isn’t. This one uses a yellow cake mix, two boxes of pudding, and a brown sugar crumble that creates a crunchy, caramel topping that people will start picking at before it even makes it to the table. It’s the kind of cake that you make for a weekend brunch and wind up having to eat cold out of the fridge at 10 pm because it’s that hard to forget about.

It bakes in a 9×13 inch pan and feeds a crowd, plus if you make it the night before, you’ll have zero prep in the morning. That alone makes it a winner for your meal rotation. The unique butterscotch pudding adds a soft touch to the crumb making it denser than a scratch cake. Which to my surprise, was more moist than any scratch cake I’ve made, and it had a depth of flavor you don’t expect from a boxed mix.

What Makes This Breakfast Easy

• Two pudding mixes = serious moisture. The butterscotch and vanilla pudding don’t just add flavor — they change the structure of the cake batter. It comes out with a tighter, denser crumb that stays moist for days, not hours.
• The crumble topping bakes in, not on. You drop it on top of the raw batter and it partially sinks during baking, creating a middle layer of caramelized sugar and a crispy top. That texture contrast is the whole point.
• It’s forgiving. You can mix this with a hand mixer, a stand mixer, or a big bowl and a whisk. The ratio of wet to dry is stable enough that minor variations don’t wreck it.
• Pecans are optional, not essential. The cake is excellent without them. If you’ve got nut-averse people at the table, skip them entirely or do half the pan with, half without.
• Make-ahead friendly by design. Bake it the night before, cover it, leave it at room temperature. It’s just as good — arguably better — the next morning.

What to Know Before You Start

This recipe calls for instant pudding only -don’t use cook-and-serve. The distinction matters because cook-and-serve pudding will not react the same way when put in a batter and could result in an undesirable gummy texture. Look for the check box when purchasing.

The batter is thicker than cake batter. That’s right — it’s dense because of the pudding and oil before it goes in the oven. So, use a spatula to spread it evenly in the baking pan instead of pouring it.

Keep in mind your oven’s timings can differ from ours. The recipe suggests 35-45 minutes, so be sure to use your own judgement based on your oven’s tendencies. Check the center with a toothpick around the 35 minute mark; it should have a few crumbs on it. If it is overly moist or dry there is no need to check any further. The edges will pull away from the side of the pan and the center will look fully set.

One honest caution: do not rush the crumble. If your butter is melted (as in, fully liquid) and instead of creating distinct lumps that sit in the crumble, it will create a paste that causes the crumble to spread out and not have distinct lumps and infill areas. You want the butter soft and workable, but not fully melted. Ideal would be room temp.

Ingredients

Let’s break down the ingredients in this cake and what each ingredient actually does:

For the Cake Batter

• 1 box yellow cake mix — the base. Use a standard 15–16 oz box. Store brand works fine here.
• 1 box instant butterscotch pudding (3.4 oz) — this is the flavor driver. It adds a warm, brown-sugar-adjacent depth that plain cake mix doesn’t have on its own.
• 1 box instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz) — adds moisture and helps balance the butterscotch so it doesn’t come across as too sweet. Both puddings go in dry.
• 1 cup water — your liquid. Some people use milk here and it works, but water keeps the butterscotch flavor front and center without competing dairy richness.
• ½ cup vegetable oil — fat for tenderness. Don’t substitute melted butter here; oil keeps the crumb more moist over time.
• 4 eggs — structure and binding. Large eggs, straight from the fridge is fine.

For the Crumble Topping

• 1 cup brown sugar — packed. Light or dark both work; dark gives you a more molasses-forward flavor if that appeals to you.
• 2 tablespoons melted butter — just enough fat to pull the sugar together into crumbles. Note: the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, not a lot. If your crumble feels too dry to clump, add a teaspoon more butter at a time.
• 1 cup chopped pecans, optional — toasted pecans are better here if you have the time, but straight from the bag works. They add crunch and a slightly bitter contrast to the sweet topping.

How to Make Butterscotch Coffee Cake

Step 1: Prep Your Pan and Preheat

Preheat the oven to 350°. You can now either butter or spray a 9×13 glass baking dish Don’t forget to coat the corners and sides well because this cake is dense and will stick. When it comes to baking with glass and metal, glass is the better option because it will conduct heat, so baking will be more even and you’ll get a clean bake without the edges overcooking before the center sets.

Step 2: Mix the Batter

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, the two pudding mixes (add them dry, no need to mix them first), water, vegetable oil, and eggs. If you have a hand mixer, mix for about 2 minutes on medium speed. If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment. Yes, the batter will be thick — thicker than most cake batters. After you mix, be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and mix one final time to incorporate everything evenly.

Evenly distribute the batter across the entire baking sheet, as it can be difficult to spread it across the entire surface. Be sure to try to make the top as level as possible so that it bakes evenly across the entire sheet.

Step 3: Make the Crumble

In another bowl, mix the brown sugar with the slightly melted butter. You can use a fork or your fingers to combine the two until it is crumbly and sticks loosely once you pinch it. If you are including pecans, toss them in now and stir to mix.

When dropping the crumble, do it in loose and uneven clusters, like you’re throwing it. Don’t press the crumble down or spread it out into a smooth layer. Having an uneven texture is what gives you that yummy contrast between crispy crumble pockets and softer areas.

Step 4: Bake

Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350°F. Check at 35 minutes. The top should look slightly browned and set. The crumble should also look deep amber. The edges should be pulling away from the pan. To test, insert a toothpick in the center. You want some moist crumbs, but not wet batter. If you have wet batter, bake it for another 5 minutes.

My oven runs consistently at 40 minutes for this one. If yours runs hot, start checking at 33. If it runs cool, expect closer to 45.

Step 5: Cool Before Cutting

Before you start cutting the cake, make sure to let it cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. The cake is dense. Cutting it too soon will make the crumb layer and the topping get all messed up. Give it a good 15 minutes. 20 is even better. The cake is great at room temperature and even a little warm but not hot from the oven.

Helpful Tips

• Do half with pecans, half without. This works well if you’re serving a group where some people avoid nuts. Just add the pecans to one side of the crumble before baking.
• The crumble sinks a bit — that’s fine. During baking, the crumble partially sinks into the batter and creates a middle layer effect. The top still gets crispy, and the inside has pockets of caramelized sugar. That’s by design.
• Don’t overbake it. The dense crumb means it retains heat longer than a lighter cake, and it will continue cooking for a couple of minutes after you pull it from the oven. Pull it when the center is just set, not when it looks completely dry.
• A glass pan gives you better visibility. You can see the bottom and sides start to brown, which helps you judge doneness better than a dark metal pan where you’re guessing.
• Room temperature eggs and water bake more evenly. Not critical for a recipe this forgiving, but if you remember to pull your eggs 20 minutes before mixing, the batter comes together slightly smoother.
• A stand mixer makes this easier but isn’t required. A hand mixer works just as well. If you’re using a whisk by hand, make sure everything is thoroughly combined — the dry pudding can clump if you’re not mixing aggressively enough.

Variations Worth Trying

Swap the Pudding Flavor

Vanilla pudding may be a more versatile option than butterscotch pudding; however, butterscotch pudding is the star flavor. You can even switch the vanilla pudding out for cheesecake flavored instant pudding. It will add a nice tang and some richness which will go great with the butterscotch. Additionally, using two boxes of butterscotch pudding will yield a more intensely flavored cake. It will be sweeter and richer which is loved by some.

Add a Cinnamon Layer

Adding 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to your brown sugar crumble will create a more classic coffee cake taste and keep that butterscotch bottom as well. This is the version I would make if I were serving it at a brunch where I wanted a more traditional taste.

Use Walnuts Instead of Pecans

Pecans bring a buttery sweetness to the crumble that pairs particularly well, but walnuts are a decent substitute. They have a touch more bitterness and less richness, which can actually be a nice complement to the sweet topping. Toast them in a dry skillet before adding for an extra layer of flavor.

Storage and Make-Ahead

At Room Temperature

You can keep it at room temperature to keep the cake fresh for up to three days. Just make sure to cover the pan tightly in either foil or plastic wrap. By the second day the crumble will have softened a bit, but the cake will still be moist.

In the Refrigerator

You can store it in the fridge for 5 days. It will become a little denser and firmer, but it warms up nicely. Let each piece sit for 10-15 minutes or can be warmed in the microwave briefly (15-20 seconds each).

Make-Ahead the Night Before

This really is a great idea for a morning meeting. Bake the entire cake the night before and let it cool completely. Cover it when it’s at room temp to keep the cake moist and then slice it and serve in the morning. No need to use the microwave. It will taste just as good at room temperature, which is how most people will end up eating it.

Freezing

This cake freezes really well if you cut it into individual slices. To freeze cake slices, wrap each slice in plastic wrap and put them inside a zip-top bag or freezer container. You can freeze slices for as long as 2 months. To thaw, eat a slice, and put it in the fridge overnight or leave it out for a couple hours. The crumble texture will not be the same after softening for freezing, but the cake holds up fine.

Equipment That Helps

You don’t need anything too specialized but there are a few things that can make the process easier:

• A 9×13 glass baking dish — glass bakes more evenly than dark metal for this style of dense cake, and you can monitor browning better.
• A hand mixer — thick batter like this can be exhausting to mix by hand. A hand mixer does it in 2 minutes.
• A small offset spatula — for spreading the thick batter evenly in the pan without dragging it around.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use cook-and-serve pudding instead of instant?

No, and this is something to keep in mind while you are at the store. Instant pudding has been pre-treated with gelatin which means that it can thicken on its own when mixed with a sufficient amount of liquid, with the addition of heating not being required. Cook and serve pudding, in contrast, requires a heating step in order for the pudding to activate its starch. Additionally, just adding it dry to a batter does not work the same way and you will end up with a different texture, possibly gummy, or undercooked in the center even when the outside is fully baked. Buy instant.

Why is my batter so thick?

That’s how it should be. The mixture of cake mix, two boxes of pudding, and only 1 cup of water creates a much denser batter than a standard box cake. This is what gives the final cake its tight, moist crumb. It will be more like a thick batter that needs to be spread rather than poured. Also, if it is very difficult to spread your batter, double check that you’ve measured 1 cup of water and ½ cup of oil accurately.

Can I make this in a different pan size?

If you don’t have a 9×13 pan, you can use two 9-inch round cake pans. You’ll need to reduce the baking time to 25–35 minutes, and check them before that. A Bundt pan is also a good option, and it looks fancier. Just be sure to bake it for 45–55 minutes and check it with a toothpick. One thing to keep in mind is that if you flip the pan, the crumble topping will be more of an interior layer, and that is actually quite delicious. Do not use a smaller pan like an 8×8, because the volume of batter will be too large and the center will never bake.

My crumble is coming out as paste, not crumbles. What happened?

The butter was too warm. If you completely melted the butter, the brown sugar will absorb it and form a paste which will cause it to spread out and not hold onto distinct clumps. You can’t undo it once mixed, but you can push it into some thin, uneven shards across it, it will still turn into a caramelized layer once baked. Next time, try to use butter at room temperature.

How do I know when the cake is done?

One reliable way to check for doneness is the toothpick test. Stick one in the middle and check for moist crumbs, not wet batter. The top looks set, the crumble is deep amber, and the edges are pulled away from the pan. While visual cues are helpful, the toothpick test is the best check since different oven temperatures can lead to different baking times.

Can I add a glaze on top?

Sure, you can add a glaze, but the crumble topping is already sweet, so adding a glaze can push it more towards dessert than coffee cake. If you want to add a glaze, you can whisk 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2–3 tablespoons of milk and drizzle it over the cooled cake. An even better drizzle that ties the flavor together is butterscotch chips melted with a tablespoon of cream. Make sure to let the cake cool completely before drizzling so the glaze doesn’t slide off.

Related Recipes

• Quick Breakfast Casserole Recipe — another make-ahead option that feeds a crowd without much morning effort
• Pork Chop and Hashbrown Casserole — if you’re feeding people brunch and need a savory main alongside the coffee cake
• Mongolian Beef — not breakfast, but one of the most-visited recipes on the site