Name: Kid-Friendly Bisquick Coffee Cake (No Nuts, Just Fun)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1-1/3 cup Bisquick; 3 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons butter; 1/2 cup cold milk; 1 egg; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/3 cup Bisquick; 1/4 cup softened or cold butter

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Sneak Preview: Mix up this Kid-Friendly Coffee Cake made with Bisquick the night before and bake it the next morning. Or, whip it up after you drink your morning coffee and bake it immediately. Delicious either way!

coffee cake made with Bisquick is sliced ready to serve on a plate.

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This Bisquick Coffee Cake has won over picky eaters, toddlers, rushed morning cooks, and anyone who enjoys something sweet with their coffee. It’s easy enough for beginners and convenient enough for night owls—you can prep it the night before and bake it fresh in the morning.

The recipe comes from my niece Derinda, who calls it “the coffeecake Mom always made on Saturdays when I was a kid. Now my kids LOVE it. I like it because I can prepare it at night, put it in the fridge, and cook it in the morning.” Thanks, Derinda, for sharing a family favorite that’s still making mornings sweeter.

Sliced Kid-Friendly Coffeecake with Bisquick

Ingredients and Substitutions

BISQUICK:
- Classic baking mix forms the base.
- Gluten-free Bisquick works too.
BUTTER:
- Margarine or plant-based butter are fine substitutes.
MILK:
- Use any dairy or non-dairy milk.
EGG:
- Large eggs
- Sub with a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water) if needed.
BROWN SUGAR:
- For that rich, molasses-style sweetness in the topping.

Optional Add-ins

Chopped pecans (skip for kids with allergies)
Chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Shared & Loved

“All the kids in the neighborhood loved this cake.—SIS

Kid-Friendly Bisquick Coffee Cake (No Nuts, Just Fun)

By Paula Rhodes

This tender Bisquick coffee cake skips the nuts and fancy spices, making it a kid-approved favorite with a buttery cinnamon-sugar topping.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep time: 5

Cook time: 20

Total time: 25

Ingredients

Cake

1-1/3 cup (160 g) Bisquick
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons butter
½ cup (122 g) cold milk
1 (50 g) egg

Topping

⅓ cup (73 g) brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup (40 g) Bisquick
¼ cup (56 g) softened or cold butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Grease 8 or 9-inch round layer pan. (Square will also work.)
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together 1-1/3 cups Bisquick and 3 tablespoons sugar.
Mix wet ingredients. In another bowl, melt 2 teaspoons butter. Whisk in 1/2 cup cold milk and 1 large egg.
Combine and spread. Add wet to dry and stir just until combined. Pour into pan. (Don’t worry if there doesn’t seem to be enough batter. The topping adds a lot.)
Prepare topping. In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup Bisquick, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in 1/4 cup softened butter until crumbly.
Add topping and bake. Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake for 13–14 minutes (9-inch pan) or 20–21 minutes (8-inch pan), until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

Advanced Prep

May be mixed the night before, covered and refrigerated before baking in the morning. Add a few extra minutes to baking time.

Two Ways to Add the Topping

If you love gooey pockets of cinnamon-sugar (like in the first photo), make the topping Derinda’s way: melt the butter and stir it into the sugar and Bisquick before dropping it over the batter in clumps.

Prefer a crumbly, evenly distributed topping? That’s how her mom, Kay, did it. Cut cold butter into the topping mixture with a fork or rub it in with your fingers, then sprinkle it over the top.

Nutrition

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

5-Star Ratings Are My Favorite!Help others find this recipe in search results on the web.

FAQ

Can I make this the night before?
Yes. Assemble, cover, and refrigerate. Add 2–3 minutes to bake time if cold.

Can I double the recipe?
Yes, bake in a 9×13 pan and increase bake time by 4–6 minutes.

Final Thoughts

This nostalgic little cake checks all the boxes—fast, familiar, and totally shareable. It’s been passed down through friends, but it always comes back to that cozy combo of crumbly topping and warm slices straight from the oven. If you have little helpers in the kitchen, this is one they’ll enjoy making and eating.

Note to my friends who think I never use a mix: Sometimes there is not enough daylight or energy for baking from scratch, no matter how much you want to. Thank goodness for baking mixes in those times. Besides, it’s the way we’ve always made this family tradition.

Kid-Friendly Coffee Cake was adapted from a recipe on the back of the Bisquick box.

More Breakfast Goodies

Need help troubleshooting? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com—photos welcome!

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24 Comments

HI. Sounds great. We get generic Bisquick at the food bank every month so love a great new way to use it beside biscuits, zucchini and banana breads. Do you think I could make it in a 9×13 if I tripled the recipe? I clicked on the 3x recipe and the amount for Bisquick came up wrong. It should say 4 cups and it said 3-1 which was confusing. If you use applesauce instead of milk it will be more moist–just something I have found with all Bisquick recipes.
A 9×13 pan will be big enough for leftovers and less cooking! (I don’t own an 8″ or 9″ cake pan. Everything goes in 9×13 in our house!

Paula says:

at

Hi Patti,
I’m sorry tripling the recipe is glitchy. Sometimes I think it might be better if I didn’t offer it at all.

I like your idea of using applesauce.

I’ve never tripled that recipe. Guess you’ll just have to try it. I think it will work.

Reply

i use my bread machine mostly for rising the dough,,,then I do it needing with my hands, to get better effect..
no I never tried to baked bread in my bread machine only cake..i love to
but I must need lots of experiment and practice
thank you so much ….tips…handy

Paula says:

at

Hi florB,

Your bread machine will normally do a very good job of kneading the bread, better than most people can do by hand. I have never tried to make a cake in my bread machine so you have one up on me. Thanks for writing.

Reply

What an amazing mouth watering recipe. I just love eating cakes. I got another recipe for my cake list; I am definitely going to try this.

This looks wonderful! I have one quick question, please. I only have a new wave oven, which the baking temperature only goes to 350°. Is it at all possible I can make this at that temperature, cooking with a silicone cake pan? I sure hope so. The maximum heat precludes me from many recipes. I really hope so.

Paula says:

at

It’s worth a try.

Reply

Looks very tasty. I will try to make it

Oh.My.Gosh! This looks so yummy and sounds so easy. Got.to.try.it!

Hugs,
Kat

Amazing!! Thanks for sharing the recipe..
The pics are superb, makes me feel hungry..
Yummy delicious cake…my favorite..

Thanks

this looks amazing. my picky-as-all-get-out fiance miiiiight even eat this!! i don’t have bisquick but i have pancake mix… i wonder if that’ll work just as well.

Love coffee cake and that does look delicious. So many possibilities.

Awesome pictures and a very yummy looking cake!

When i saw that recipe than it make me hungry! I like that Coffee Cake. Thanks for share that recipe.

Making me hungry! I will have to get Ann to make this sometime.

I love coffee cake. Especially Starbucks. its really moist and sweet. You had done nice work to provide Recipe for Coffee Cake…………Thanks a lot

Coffee cake is delicious!
Thank you for sharing the recipe.

i love a good coffee cake. this looks delicious!

Thanks for the memories! All the kids in the neighborhood loved this coffee cake.
By the way, when they came out with the individual packets of Bisquick, we adapted the original recipe, so one packet just fits this recipe.
As always, great job with your pictures.

I love things I can make the night before to bake in the morning. This looks so good. No picky eaters here, so I’d add everything!

i never knew about the difference in the toppings, interesting! i’ve always cut the butter in.

re: dorie’s cooking class…. you could always cancel the Ft Worth class and sign up for the Dallas one 🙂 there is no penalty this far out. there are a few other bloggers who will be at the Dallas one too! plus it is even more special because Oct 24th is her birthday!! 🙂

Paula says:

at

Great idea, Jaime

Reply

Very nice! We have nut-averse, picky children who would love this recipe.

You do an amazing job with your pictures!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t believe I never even thought of chocolate chips or candy bar pieces!….Guess what my kids get to try Saturday morning:+)

Paula Rhodes, owner

As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.