This moist and fluffy coffee cake is studded with tender cinnamon-spiced apples, brimming with buttery streusel, and generously drizzled in vanilla icing!
I have to admit that I didn’t hop onto the coffee cake train until much later in life. For some reason, I always thought that coffeecake was only to be enjoyed with coffee. Afterall, it is called COFFEE cake. So as someone who doesn’t care for coffee, I pretty much wrote coffee cake off. That is, until I realized that coffee really has little to do with coffee cake, and it’s actually one of the most delicious breakfast cakes around!
So with apples in their prime this time of year, I decided to combine this fall fruit with this breakfast classic!
Exquisitely soft, tender, and buttery, this Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake is everything that a coffee cake SHOULD be. Loaded with fresh cinnamon-spiced apples and absolutely no shortage of streusel, you’ll be asking for seconds before you even finish your first piece.
What Makes This Coffee Cake Better Than The Rest?
Heavy on the Streusel – If we’re being honest, streusel is kinda the best part of the coffee cake. So why not have a thick layer of it in the center and pile it nice and high on top?
Cinnamon-Spiced Apples – The fresh and perfectly tender apples add an extra delicious element to this coffee cake. They’re also cooked in a heavenly bath of butter, brown sugar, and warm spices, making every bite of this cake breathtaking.
Moist and Fluffy Crumb – You won’t find a dry crumb anywhere on your plate. This coffee cake is supremely moist and not at all dense or chewy. It’s simply perfection.
Tips for Coffee Cake Success
Line the Pan: To ensure easy (and stress-free) removal of the coffee cake, line the pan with parchment paper. I also advise spraying the bottom and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. I used a 9-inch cake pan (2-inch depth), but if you have a 9-inch springform pan, that’ll make cake removal SO much easier!
Add Sour Cream: The fat and acidity in sour cream ensures a moist, tender, and light crumb. The fat prevents the cake from becoming dry, and the acidity tenderizes the gluten strands in the flour, making the cake softer and more delicate. Sour cream also adds a subtle tanginess to the cake, cutting through the sweetness of the sugar. If you don’t have sour cream, you could also use plain or Greek yogurt.
Don’t Overmix the Batter: I’m sure you’ve read this a million baJillian times already, but I cannot stress enough how important this is. Overmixing develops too much gluten, creating a tougher and denser texture. If you want your coffee cake to be light and fluffy, stir the batter until it just comes together. If you still see a few dry patches of flour, that’s exactly what you want. It’s also important to note that the batter will get another stir when it comes time to fold in the spiced apples.
Pre-Cook the Apples: I’m a little finicky when it comes to apples baked in cakes. I hate when they’re too hard or firm, so my solution is to pre-cook the apples before folding them into the batter. To do this, you’ll cook the apples in some butter, brown sugar, water, and a few spices–cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. You basically want to cook them until they’re softened, yet still a little firm. There should be a little give when you press on them with a wooden spoon. Try not to overcook them, or else you’ll end up with applesauce.
Dollop for Easier Spreading: When it comes to layering the batter with the streusel, I recommend dolloping the batter evenly into the pan, rather than just pouring a big blob into the center. This allows you to basically connect the dollops of batter together using an offset spatula or butterknife. Don’t stress if you accidentally mix some of the streusel into the batter. It’ll bake up just fine!
Test for Doneness in Several Areas: Coffee cake can be a little tricky when checking for doneness because of the streusel layer in the middle. The only way to really know if the cake is done is to stick a toothpick or wooden skewer into several different spots of the cake–center, outer edges, inner edges, etc. If the toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is done baking.
Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Spiced Apples:
- 10 ounces peeled and diced apples
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Streusel:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 5 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Cake:
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla Icing:
- 1 ⅓ cups powdered sugar
- 3-5 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF, and line a 9-inch round cake pan* with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the Spiced Apples:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples, water, brown sugar, butter and spices together until apples have softened, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from stove and set aside to cool slightly.
Make the Streusel:
- Place the butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl, and stir with a fork until it resembles clumps of sand. Don't add the pecans yet. Set streusel aside.
Make the Cake:
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together until combined. Add the sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla, mixing until batter is almost combined. Pour in the melted butter and continue mixing until smooth. Gently fold in the spiced apples.
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel evenly over the batter. Pour the remaining batter on top, smoothing it out evenly. Toss the chopped pecans into the remaining streusel, then sprinkle evenly over batter.
- Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in several areas comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly while you make the icing.
Make the Icing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, and vanilla together until smooth. Add more heavy cream, if needed. Drizzle icing over coffeecake. Slice, serve, and enjoy!