A Premade Mix Is The Not-So-Secret Ingredient In Stress-Free Coffee Cake

If you really want to impress last-minute guests, reach for a box of Bisquick. This pre-made baking mix is well-known for making delicious pancakes and biscuits in a flash, but it's also an excellent way to make a scrumptious coffee cake in practically no time at all. It's like having a secret weapon for when you need to get something on the table quickly and stress-free.

So, how does it work? Bisquick's streusel coffee cake has only six ingredients and takes less than an hour to prepare and bake. Bisquick, itself a pre-made mix of flour, fat, leaveners, and salt, is the key component to this speedy recipe. The crumb topping is also made with Bisquick and adds a rich and buttery flavor. With most of the ingredients already in your kitchen, you'll have this cake in the oven in the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee. Versions of the classic coffee cake recipe have been on the backs of Bisquick boxes for years, and many continue to be shared online, where there are seemingly countless recipes for coffee cakes using Bisquick.

Just as you can add ingredients to boxed cake mix, it's likewise easy to dress up this unassuming coffee cake if you're feeling fancy. Stir nuts or chocolate chips into the topping, or incorporate fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter (don't forget some simple hacks to keep those berries from sinking to the bottom). A quick icing made of milk and powdered sugar can be drizzled on the top after it comes out of the oven.

Bisquick has been around since 1930 and has a unique origin story. According to legend, a passenger on a train heading to San Francisco was feeling peckish and asked the on-board chef to whip something up. He quickly produced some biscuits that he had made from a blend of pre-mixed ingredients. The passenger, who happened to be a salesman for General Mills, was amazed that the chef was able to make piping hot biscuits in so little time. He brought the result back to General Mills, and Bisquick was born.

As for the best way to freeze coffee cake and have it ready for later, simply wrap it in plastic wrap and foil and pop it in the freezer. It will stay good for up to three months. Cutting the cooled cake into serving sizes before putting it in the freezer will make it easier when it's ready to be served. Defrost the cake on the counter for the best results. If you need something to serve when unexpected guests drop by, you can microwave individual pieces for 30 seconds.