Apple Coffee Cake. This sour cream coffee cake features light brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, and fresh peeled and diced apple. The cake is topped with a brown sugar and cinnamon streusel topping and baked until golden. The apple coffee cake with streusel topping is drizzled with an apple cider glaze.
I love working with apples. A favorite in fall holiday recipes, they are a year round staple in my baking.
Tartistry has recipes for apples in everything from cupcakes to muffins to doughnuts.
Most of my big efforts go into apple tarts and apple cheesecakes, but I love the classics, and coffee cake is true comfort food. So simple, and easy to make, the batter for this apple coffee cake comes together in minutes, and the brown sugar and cinnamon topping makes the house smell amazing.
It’s no secret I’m a fan of coffee cake. I’ve been making them for as long as I can remember. The brunch treat was one of the first baked goods I made on a regular basis, along with banana bread and blueberry muffins. There are several coffee cakes on the blog, like this blueberry coffee cake, as well as some twists like baked coffee cake doughnuts.
Today, I decided to forego swirling the streusel topping into the rest of the cake and let it reside on the top. This cake gets its apple flavor from two large peeled and diced fresh apples. Once the cake is cool, I drizzle an apple cider + vanilla bean glaze over the golden topping.
Why You Should Make This Cake
- classic brunch and dessert dish featuring cinnamon and apple.
- simple cake batter comes together in minutes.
- the house smells amazing when you bake this cake.
- perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
- wonderful snacking cake delicious with or without glazing.
How To Make Apple Coffee Cake
The oven is preheated to 350 degrees F. I prepare a parchment sling (extended parchment paper up the long sides of the pan so I can easily remove the dessert once its cooled). I usually butter the sides of the pan if I’m using a sling.
For this apple cinnamon coffee cake recipe, I like to start by making the streusel. All-purpose flour, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of ground nutmeg are added to a small mixing bowl.
Next I peel and dice two large, fresh apples. As soon as I have my apple pieces, I add them to a small bowl toss them with a few tablespoons of flour. The flour helps the apple pieces from sinking to the bottom of the batter as the cake begins to bake.
Unsalted butter, sugar, and light brown sugar are added to a stand mixer and beaten on medium speed using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Eggs are added, one at a time, and beaten on low for about 30 seconds, after each addition. Vanilla bean paste and sour cream are added to the cake batter and the cake batter is beaten on low just long enough to incorporate.
The stand mixer bowl is removed from the stand mixer.
Half the flour mixture is added to the stand mixer bowl, and folded in using a large spatula. It doesn’t have to be completely incorporated. Half the milk is added to the cake batter and folded in using a large spatula. The process is repeated with the remaining flour and milk.
The reserved apple pieces are folded into the cake batter with a large spatula.
The cake better is transferred into the prepared pan and spread evenly into the corners with a spatula.
The reserved streusel topping is sprinkled over the top of the cake batter.
The cake is baked for 45 minutes in a preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The cake is cooled and topped with a glaze prepared from powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla bean paste.
Other Apple Recipes You Might Enjoy
Some of our most popular apple recipes include caramel apple cheesecake, apple butter pop tarts, mulled apple cider, baked apple doughnuts, caramel apple cupcakes, apple bread, and apple pie bars.
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Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel:
- 187 grams all-purpose flour (1-1/2 cups)
- 200 grams light brown sugar (1 cup, packed)
- 6 grams ground cinnamon (1-1/2 teaspoons)
- 1 grams ground nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon)
- 170 grams butter (3/4 cup) cold + cubed
Cake:
- 240 grams peeled and diced apple (2 large)
- 16 grams all-purpose flour (2 tablespoons)
- 226 grams unsalted butter (1 cup), room temperature
- 150 grams granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
- 150 grams light brown sugar (3/4 cup)
- 150 grams egg (3 large), room temperature
- 10 grams vanilla bean paste (2 teaspoons)
- 180 grams sour cream or plain yogurt (3/4 cup)
- 470 grams all-purpose flour (3-2/3 cups)
- 5 grams fine sea salt (1 teaspoon)
- 15 grams baking powder (1 tablespoon)
- 300 grams whole milk (1-1/4 cups)
Glaze:
- 125 grams powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 30 grams whole milk or apple cider (2 tablespoons)
- 3 grams vanilla bean paste (1/2 teaspoon)
Instructions
Streusel:
- Add all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add cold cubed butter to flour mixture. Cut butter in using the back of a fork or a pastry blender. Cover and chill until ready to use.
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Outfit with parchment paper sling, if desired. Set aside.
- Add peeled and diced apple to small bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Set aside.
- Add unsalted butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar to stand mixer. Using paddle attachment, beat on low for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat on low until fully incorporated, after each addition. About 30 seconds.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and sour cream. Beat on low until fully incorporated. About 30 seconds.
- Add the 470 grams of all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, and baking powder to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Remove the stand mixer bowl from the stand mixer. Add 1/2 the flour mixture to the stand mixer bowl. Fold in with large spatula, just until combined. Add 1/2 the milk and fold in, just until incorporated. Repeat the process with the remaining flour and milk.
- Add the reserved apple pieces to the cake batter and fold in with a large spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread evenly into the corners with a spatula.
- Sprinkle streusel mixture over the cake batter.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven and place on wire rack to cool.
Glaze:
- Add powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla bean glaze to small bowl. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake before serving.
- Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla for the glaze. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake and serve.
