Bisquick coffee cake is a traditional coffee cake made with Bisquick baking mix used as both part of the cake batter base and the streusel topping. Coffee cakes made with Bisquick generally taste no different than those made from scratch. Boxed baking mixes like Bisquick don’t typically contain unusual ingredients, they’re just a perfectly proportioned mixture of dry baking ingredients like flour, baking powder and salt. Making Bisquick coffee cake is usually faster than measuring all the dry ingredients from scratch, and this often preferred by cooks that like quick recipes.
Many versions of Bisquick coffee cake use Bisquick Original as the base, but health-conscious bakers may use Bisquick Heart Smart. The taste is typically the same, the only real difference is that Heart-Smart Bisquick coffee cake isn’t usually as dense as cake made with the Original mix. For both recipes, the coffee cake batter generally starts with 2 parts Bisquick mix, 1/8 part sugar, one egg, and 2/3 part milk, water, or lactose-free milk. Once blended, the batter should be dense and runny, somewhat like white school glue or very thick honey.
The batter may rest in the bottom of a lightly-greased square cake pan while the cook makes the streusel. This sweet, crispy topping for Bisquick coffee cake usually starts with 1/3 part each of Bisquick mix and brown sugar, 1/8 part butter, and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Once mixed together, the streusel should look crumbly and golden brown. The cook then spreads the topping evenly over the cake batter and the whole cake bakes in an oven for about 20 minutes at 375°F (about 190°C). When finished, the streusel should be crisp and dark brown, while the cake should be light, crumbly, and slightly golden yellow.
This basic recipe for Bisquick coffee cake is by no means the only version. One very popular variation involves adding fruit. Peeled, cubed apples can turn the cake into an early autumn treat, as do pears. Blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries can make this dish a fast summer dessert.
Some cooks may even want to combine different kinds of fruits. Peaches and blueberries, strawberries and apples, or pears and blackberries may all make delicious combinations. Other possibilities include crushed pineapple and diced banana for a tropical Bisquick coffee cake. Walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts often add protein as well as flavor. A winter holiday coffee cake might include dried fruits, like chopped apricots, raisins, currants, and even cranberries.