This apple coffee cake is a delicious breakfast, brunch, or dessert recipe that is loaded with tender, tart apples, a delicious brown sugar pecan streusel topping, and a cinnamon vanilla glaze drizzle.
Coffee cake is such a classic treat – and for good reason! If you think about this delicious cake variation, there’s really no time of day when it isn’t a welcome site for family and friends. From a sweet breakfast to an afternoon snack or after-dinner dessert, coffee cake is never a bad decision. I know I love them, and I make them in all sorts of varieties to keep on hand for grabbing a quick snack or breakfast or serving to my kids and grandkids when they come to visit. The best part about them is all the different fruits you can add to them. Take this apple coffee cake, for example, I load it up with tons of diced apples for even more sweet flavor and texture in every bite.
Apple Coffee Cake
This delicious cake starts with a classic coffee cake batter loaded with cinnamon. Then, I add diced apples for that classic apple cinnamon flavor combo. Finally, I top it with a simple brown sugar pecan streusel and bake until moist, tender, dense, and delicious. When it’s baked and cooled just enough I gild the lily with a simple cinnamon vanilla glaze and serve. After that, it’s all over but the oohing and aahing!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Coffee Cake Recipe
- The combination of apples, pecans, cinnamon, and a streusel topping is irresistible.
- The streusel topping is a nice balance of crunchy and chewy and adds a delicious flavor to the cake.
- And, the cinnamon vanilla glaze drizzle adds a touch of sweetness and elegance to the cake.
Apple Coffee Cake Ingredients
This is easily one of the simplest fruity coffee cakes you’ll ever make. It uses simple baking ingredients, and almost everyone has apples on hand. You might not have to do any shopping at all for this recipe!
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Brown sugar
- Sour cream
- Butter
- Milk
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Granny Smith apples
- Brown sugar
- Chopped pecans
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Apple Coffee Cake
The recipe itself is just as easy as the ingredient list. It’s a straightforward process with no complicated mixing instructions or layering. You must dump, mix, and bake. It’s as easy as apple pie, er, coffee cake.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Step 2: Combine the Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
Step 3: Combine the Wet Ingredients
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the brown sugar, sour cream, butter, milk, egg, and vanilla until combined.
Step 4: Make the Coffee Cake Batter
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Then, stir the apples into the batter mixture and pour it into the prepared baking pan.
Step 5: Make the Streusel
Combine the brown sugar, chopped pecans, flour, and melted butter and sprinkle evenly over the batter.
Step 6: Bake
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 7: Add the Glaze
While the coffee cake cools, mix the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl until combined. Then, drizzle it over the warm coffee cake and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Mix your coffee cake batter only until just combined for the best crumb and moist texture.
- A hand mixer or stand mixer will make the process so much easier.
- Use the toothpick test, not color, to determine doneness. This coffee cake gets very dark, and it’s easy to think you’re burning it. You’re not!
Variations
- Try using chopped pears, peaches, plums, apricots, or your other favorite fruits for this cake.
- Add berries for a berry variation.
- Chopped walnuts or almonds will work for the streusel topping.
- If you don’t have sour cream, you can use an equal amount of full-fat Greek yogurt.
What to Serve with Apple Coffee Cake
As the name suggests, a hot cup of coffee is always great with this cake. A cup of tea or a glass of milk is a nice pairing, as well. For more sweet flavor, you can serve this cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on top, too. For a lighter pairing, try adding fresh fruit.
Recipe FAQ
Some coffee cake recipes do have coffee in them, in fact. However, the reason coffee cake might have the name but not the ingredient is because this cake is traditionally served with coffee.
Coffee cake is also called gugelhupf or kaffekuchen.
Coffee cake gets its name because it’s traditionally enjoyed with a cup of coffee.
If you plan to eat your coffee cake within 3 days, then there’s no need to refrigerate it!
You sure can! This coffee cake freezes very well and will last for up to 3 months in the freezer when stored correctly.
How to Store and Reheat Apple Coffee Cake
Store this coffee cake at room temperature in a covered container for up to 3 days. Place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, as well. For longer storage, wrap the coffee cake in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat this coffee cake, simply place a slice on a microwaveable plate covered with a damp paper towel and heat at 30-second intervals.
Try This Delicious Apple Coffee Cake Recipe Today
This apple coffee cake is moist, tender, and absolutely loaded with the flavors of apple, cinnamon, and sweet vanilla. And of course, we can’t forget that crunchy streusel crumb topping. It’s easily one of the most delicious and easy-to-make coffee cakes you’ll ever make. Give this one a try, and I know you’ll keep it in your recipe rotation forever!
More Delicious Apple Recipes You’ll Enjoy
This Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze is another apple recipe perfect for the fall season that is a family favorite fall dessert recipe the whole family will enjoy.
Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Apple Coffee Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups apples, diced or sliced
Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup melted butter
Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a 10” springform pan with parchment paper.
Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel Topping
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, chopped pecans, flour and melted butter. Stir.
Apple Coffee Cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, add brown sugar, sour cream, butter, milk, egg and vanilla. Beat until combined.
- Gradually add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Stir the apples into coffee cake batter.
- Add batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly., and add the streusel topping.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze
- In a small bowl, stir powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla together..Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake and dust with additional powdered sugar if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank You Terri, this recipe looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!
Thank you so much, Carmen. I hope you enjoy this coffee cake as much as we do. :)