Name: Make-Ahead Coffee Cake Mix
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Serves 16 (Makes enough mix for two 9-inch cakes)
Ingredients: 1/3 cup packed (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) brown sugar; 1/3 cup (2⅓ ounces/66 grams) granulated sugar; 1/3 cup (1⅔ ounces, 47 grams) all-purpose flour; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds, chopped; 3 cups (15 ounces/425 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) brown sugar; 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) granulated sugar; 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces/71 grams) buttermilk powder; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

Why This Recipe Works

For homemade coffee cake with the ease of a boxed mix, the freezer was key. Along with flour, sugar, spices, and leavener, we found that buttermilk powder in our cake mix was an ideal “dry” replacement for the sour cream in our favorite coffee cake recipe. By using the food processor, it was possible to pulse the butter in with the dry ingredients before transferring it to the freezer in a bag. When it comes time to bake, we simply combine our dry mix with eggs and milk (warmed to melt the butter), top it with the streusel, and bake.

Before You Begin

You can prepare a second batch of mix without cleaning out your food processor, giving the makings four four cakes at the ready in your freezer. To bake the cake, see our recipe for Make-Ahead Coffee Cake.

Instructions

For the Streusel: Using your fingers, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon in bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in nuts. Freeze in zipper-lock bag for up to 2 months.

For the Cake: Process flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, buttermilk powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in food processor until combined, about 30 seconds. Add butter and pulse until mixture is uniform and resembles wet sand, about 15 pulses. Freeze in zipper-lock bag for up to 2 months.