The recipe came from another young military wife’s mom. My friend couldn’t cook to save her life, so we baked this cozy apple cake to surprise her husband...and we did, once he was sure he wasn’t heading to the medic from her cooking (again).
Since then, that recipe has gone through many iterations in my kitchen: swapping in honeycrisp apples, more warm cinnamon spice, and adding the vanilla cider glaze to go over the buttery crumb topping.
Everytime I bring this to a brunch, a Friendsgiving table, or just have it at home for my family, the pan is obliterated. Not a crumb left, and the recipe is always asked for.
Jump to:
Amazing Apple Coffee Cake
The best thing about this cinnamon apple coffee cake recipe is that it bakes up moist and tender every time with juicy tart-sweet apples tucked in, there's not a dry bite in sight, honey.
The cinnamon streusel topping stays crisp and golden, and every slice is full of cinnamon apple goodness, thanks to tossing those apples in flour. It's pure cozy fall baking, on the same pedestal as pulling apple fritter bread from the oven or spreading apple butter over fresh biscuits. It's heaven.
When we have company, I'll serve it beside mugs of chai and a platter of the best pumpkin bread for a full on fall spread. It needs no fancy equipment so it's beginner friendly and always better the next day...if I can get it to last 'til the next day!
Ingredients Needed
- All Purpose Flour
- Eggs
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda - For the best rise, buy new ones for your fall and holiday baking. They lose their lifting power after about 6 months, so fresh is best!
- Spices - cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg all go right in.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar - white sugar adds sweetness and brown sugar adds moisture!
- Sour Cream - this is my favorite cake 'enhancer'. Sour cream brings tangy flavor and makes a light and fluffy cake!
- Baking Apples - I used Honeycrisp and Granny Smith.
- Vanilla Extract
- Apple Cider - this is the drink, not the vinegar.
- Powdered Sugar
Equipment I Used
How to Make Apple Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
Step 1
Prep and mix dry ingredients.
Peel and chop apples, grease the pan, preheat the oven, and whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step 2
Add the wet ingredients.
Stir in melted butter, vanilla, sour cream, and eggs until almost combined.
Step 3
Fold in the apples.
Gently mix apples into the batter for even distribution.
Step 4
Swirl in the brown sugar butter.
Pour batter into the pan, swirl the brown sugar butter through with a knife.
Step 5
Make the streusel.
Combine softened butter with streusel ingredients until crumbly.
Step 6
Top and bake.
Sprinkle streusel over the batter and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 7
Cool and glaze.
Cool in the pan, whisk the glaze, and serve drizzled with the glaze.
Baker's Tips for the Best Coffee Cake
- If your apples are extra juicy, pat them dry or toss them with a little flour and sugar before folding in. This prevents gummy pockets in the cake.
- Get an inexpensive oven thermometer, it'll ensure you're baking at the right temperatures.
- Put the streusel crumble into the freezer for a few minutes to firm up the butter in the mixture, it'll help keep the streusel from melting into the cake if your butter is too soft.
- Grease your baking pan well with butter or my magic cake goop recipe (I swear by this stuff!). Your cake will slide right out.
Troubleshooting
This usually happens from overbaking or overmixing. Bake just until a toothpick comes out clean and stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears into the batter.
Chop the apples into small, even pieces. Toss them in a spoonful of flour before folding into the batter so they stay suspended.
If you can't find sour cream, equal parts buttermilk will work or whole milk that has been soured with a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Short-term storage: Keep at room temperature overnight, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a baking pan with a tight-fitting lid. Pro Tip: Tastes even better the next day, so making it a day ahead for a party or brunch is a win.
Fridge: Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Wrap cooled slices or the whole cake tightly in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp before serving.
Keep the Fall Flavors Coming
Craving more cozy recipes? Sign up for the Sweet Tea & Thyme newsletter, save this recipe with the Pin button. If you whip it up, tag me (@sweet_tea_thyme on IG/@sweetteaandthyme on TikTok) and don’t forget to leave a star rating and note below, it helps more than you know, friend.
Apple Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Cake Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces
Brown Sugar Swirl
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Apple Cider Vanilla Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider, do not use apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter, baking spray or magic cake goop.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and both sugars in a large bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Stir in melted butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold the apples in, then pour the batter into your prepared pan.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sour cream, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 Honeycrisp apples, 2 Granny Smith apples
- In a medium bowl, stir together all the brown sugar swirl ingredients together well. Pour over batter, then swirl into it using a knife or spoon.¾ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- In another medium bowl, put all the crumble topping ingredients and use a fork to blend ingredients until you have large crumbles. Sprinkle over the cake batter evenly and generously.¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Put pan in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before removing from pan.
- In a small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients using a whisk.¾ cup powdered sugar, ¼ cup apple cider, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Wait until the apple coffee cake is cool to glaze and eat.
Recipe Notes
Storage and Freezing Instructions
This apple crumble cake stays in your fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 4 days. This cake is also very easy to freeze. After baking, let the cake cool to room temperature and wrap it tightly with a few layers of plastic wrap. Freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Make the glaze the day of or day before.Variations and Pro Tips
- Baking soda and baking powder have a shelf life of about 6 months before they lose their lifting power, so the fresher the better.
- When mixing your cake, stir until the dry ingredients are just combined into the batter
- Grease your baking pan well with baking spray, butter, or my magic cake goop recipe (I swear by this stuff!). Your cake will slide right out with no stickage.
- Make sure all the refrigerated ingredients are room temperature. Everything will bake up evenly and consistently every time.
Leave a Reply