Cinnamon Spice Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Spice Coffee Cake has a spiced walnut tunnel running through the center and is topped with a spiced glaze.  This aromatic cake is perfect for brunch or dessert.  

Cinnamon spice coffee cake truly deserves to be called a coffee cake because cinnamon compliments a cup of coffee so perfectly!  Coffee cake isn’t just for breakfast or brunch though, it makes a wonderful dessert or even a nice afternoon snack.

Who wouldn’t welcome a deliciously spiced cake, with a tunnel of buttery sugary walnuts running through the middle?

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I made this coffee cake a little over a month ago when my dear friend, Gail, came to visit.  It’s been eons since I saw her, and I was so excited to spend the weekend with her!  Gail is married to my husband’s cousin, and ever since the first time I met her, we just hit it off.  

Over the years, we’ve come to know one another really well, and we text each other throughout the week.  We have a shared obsession with Rae Dunn.  If you’re not sure who or what that is, beware of the cuteness if you look! 

Gail lives about 3 hours from me, and she and I virtually shop for our RD obsession via cell phone photos.  Aside from the Rae Dunn, we have one very big thing in common, our crazy love for all things Valentine’s Day.  I have never known anyone who loved it like I do, and it’s so refreshing to just have someone else get me.  Ya know?

Gail loves reading blogs and she understands that side of me, too.  To some people, my job is like Chandler’s on Friends.  They know I work every day, but honestly just don’t understand what it is that I do.  Gail is my #SisterFromAnotherMister and I am so thankful she gets me.

She is also someone that I can always brainstorm recipe ideas with.  She has quite an amazing collection, so when she was coming to visit, I knew I had to make something yummy – and I know how much she loves cake.  It was perfect. 

Easy cinnamon spice coffee cake

Why is this cinnamon spice coffee cake so easy? Well, starting with a boxed cake mix and pudding mix sure helps. But, even with adding the spices and layering in the walnut spice tunnel into the cake, the whole process just takes just a few minutes. 

Then pop in the oven and get ready for a fragrant kitchen that will smell like a holiday and make you full of good cheer. 

I actually have a few coffee cake recipes, so I guess you might assume I either drink a lot of coffee or just love coffee cakes. I actually think that coffee cakes might just be in my DNA. 

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A Short History Of Cinnamon Spice Coffee Cake

Coffee cakes originally came from Vienna in the 17th century. They became popular as a complement to the beverage that was taking the world by storm at the time. As coffee spread in popularity across Europe, coffee cakes just went with the flow… and drip by drip, coffee cakes evolved.

Of course, every region and country and city would put its own spin on the cake. The basics remained the same. The best coffee cakes use sweet and spice to compliment the bitter notes of the coffee. 

Why Cinnamon Spice Coffee Cake Works So Well

Cinnamon spice coffee cake works so perfectly because cinnamon compliments coffee perfectly. In fact, cinnamon can actually make the coffee taste sweeter without adding any sugar to your coffee!

Cinnamon also helps stabilize blood sugars too. So it makes a little bit of sweet go along way. 

Bundt Cake Tips

A bundt cake mold helps transform any cake into a shapely work of art, but only if you can pop the cake out of it unbroken. Nothing like trying to hide a broken piece of bundt cake with some frosting. 

You might as well start all over again. Or just break it up more and called it a “deconstructed cinnamon spice coffee cake.”  It will still taste great even if it looks like an epic fail no matter how you describe it. 

However, since cinnamon spice coffee cake has a wonderful walnut filling, it is even more important that it pops out free and easy. 

Most bundt cake pans have a non-stick surface, and they can sure take a lot of the suspense out of whether or not the cake will come out unbroken. However, you’ll still want to evenly grease up the inside of the pan.  Especially in those little crevises like in the bundt pan I used here.  

Don’t Grease The Pan With Butter!

First off, don’t use butter to grease the pan! This is the most common mistake people make. Use vegetable shortening or a spray on vegetable oil. The milk fats in butter will actually cause sticking and can even burn.

Burned milk solids have a terribly acrid flavor. Avoid at all costs!

Make sure to liberally coat the entire inside of the bundt cake pan. If you are using aluminum or cast iron or any other type of mold, then it is even more important. 

Next, don’t grease the pan with spray on oil until right before you add the batter. If you do it too early then the oil just runs to the bottom of the pan. 

You can also grind up about a quarter cup of leftover walnuts and sprinkle them in the oil or shortening coating. Make sure the walnuts are ground to a powder similar to flour in granularity. (A fine dust). 

You can also sprinkle sugar in as well, but make sure to turn the cake over while it is still warm. If you wait too long, then the sugar hardens and will cause it to stick. That is exactly what you don’t want. 

Don’t use flour. It will cause sticking like milk solids do. 

If you like cinnamon spice coffee cake…

If you like my cinnamon spice coffee cake recipe, then I definitely want to recommend some of my other coffee cake recipes. You can use a different recipe for every occasion. And just for the record… you don’t have to drink coffee to enjoy a great piece of coffee cake! (I think they go great with tea too, or a glass of milk, or anything else for that matter)

• Cherry Filled Coffee Cake
• Apple Sauce Coffee Cake
• Banana Bread Coffee Cake
• Cinnamon  Crunch Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

You’ll love the smells from your oven while this Cinnamon Coffee Cake bakes! Let’s get to the recipe!   

4.80 from 5 votes

Print Recipe

Cinnamon Spice Coffee Cake

This bundt cake coffee cake starts with a boxed cake and pudding, then is spiced with cinnamon and cloves, with a swirl throughout made with walnuts, brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, star anise, and clove. I glazed it with a cinnamon vanilla glaze. It's aromatic and delicious and is perfect for breakfast or brunch, or even dessert.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bundt cake, cake mix, coffee cake, glazed, how to make a spiced coffee cake in a bundt pan, instant pudding, spiced, walnuts

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 524kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 18.25 ounce yellow cake mix
• 2 3.4 ounce boxes of vanilla instant pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil

For the walnut spice tunnel

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of each: cinnamon star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

For the Spice Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 10" bundt pan. (or spray with non-stick cooking spray)
• In a bowl, stir together cake mix and instant pudding. Add in eggs, oil, and water and mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, walnuts, and spices.
• Add half of the batter to the prepared bundt pan, top with spiced nut mixture, cover with remaining batter.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees, and bake for another 40 minutes.
• Cool slightly before inverting onto a plate. Glaze while still warm. (but not hot!)
• Delicious warm or cold.

Notes

It can also be made in a 9x13 pan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 383mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g