Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I have always loved cinnamon cake in all its forms. When I was younger my mom would make sack lunches. When we got to choose our snack, I would choose those Crumb Coffee Cakes from Hostess, over a Twinkie, and I love Twinkies! So that's saying something. :) They were always so sweet and moist and delicious! On Monday I found something even better...


This cake is EVIL! Evil in the way it is so SO good that you can't stop eating it, and you when you do stop eating it, you just end up thinking about how good it is all day long! It is hands down the most moist cake I have ever eaten and one of the BEST. I will forever be thankful to my new friend Tania for sharing with us! They eat this every Christmas morning, and I am thinking we'll just have to follow suit. It totally trumps those boxed coffee cake mixes I know you are all using. So throw them out and make this right now!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake
adapted from Allrecipes via Janis Woods

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix ****
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix ****
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil ****
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup nuts *optional
• 
  Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan, or a 10 inch Bundt cake pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, vanilla pudding mix, and butterscotch pudding mix. Add the eggs, oil and water, mix until well blended. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, and cinnamon (and nuts if using). Pour half of the batter into the pan, spread evenly. Sprinkle with half of the nut mixture.**** Cover with the rest of the batter, and sprinkle with the rest of the nut mixture.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes.
   
   
   

****Other tips and helpful info:

• Substitute 1 cup oil with applesauce or apple butter. I think next time I'll try 3/4 c nautral applesauce and 1/4 c oil. Everyone says it still tastes fantastic and moist!
• Switch up the types of pudding you use: my friend used vanilla and banana (was fabulous). You could even try vanilla and cheesecake, or vanilla and vanilla, or whatever!!! 
• Use a cake mix that doesn't already have a pudding mix incorporated into it. If you do, just use one less pudding packet.
• If using bundt pan, many others suggested to cook about 10 min. longer, so watch closely.
• Drizzle a little icing on top of cake after cooking. (1/2 c powd. sugar, 1 T milk)
• For more swirl effect in cake, use 1/3 batter to 1/3 topping instead of half
• This cake ages very well! Best served completely cooled.