A serving of this apple coffee cake is a great way to start the morning. Full of chopped apples and topped with a cardamom cinnamon streusel makes this a perfect pairing for coffee and tea.
I think I have been in love with coffee cake since I was in high school. There was a cool little coffee and ice cream shop that had some awesome coffee cake. There is nothing better than having a nice big piece of coffee cake with a nice big cup of coffee or tea. By adding some chopped apples it makes this coffee cake a little more special. Make this for any apple lovers and you will be the their hero.
In this recipe
There are two major parts to this recipe, the coffee cake and the streusel topping. There are a few ingredients that will help you get the perfect coffee cake.
Buttermilk: this will help keep the coffee cake nice and moist while baking. Will help the cake rise with the baking soda.
Sour cream: adds additional fat without adding a lot of additional liquid.
Apples: use a nice firm apple like pink lady, honeycrisp, gala, or granny smith.
Keep it all at room temperature
It is important to make sure that everything is at room temperature. This is will ensure that everything mixes well and you get the best coffee cake. By having everything at room temperature it will keep the batter from breaking. This happens when either cold eggs or cold buttermilk/sour cream comes in contact with softened butter. This will cause the butter to seize or firm up and make the batter look curdled. If that happens the batter is considered broken and will not bake as well.
Making the apple coffee cake
One of the things you want to make sure of is the size of the apple pieces. You want to make sure they aren’t too big because they will fall to the bottom of the coffee cake. With all of their extra water this can cause the bottom of the coffee cake not to completely bake and become soggy. A good trick to help keep them from sinking is to toss them in the flour before using the flour and remove them before using it to make the cake.
Streusel for the win
When makin the streusel topping you want to make sure that it isn’t a even paste. You want to have chunks of the topping that clumped together. They don’t have to be big chunks but make sure it isn’t even. If you want a layer of the topping in the middle of the cake then put half of the batter in the baking dish and sprinkle about a third of the streusel topping on top and then add the rest of the batter and the remaining topping. If you add too much in the middle it will make it more difficult to spread to top layer.
Looking for other breakfast recipes?
Apple Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- Potato peeler
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk or flour sifte
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1½ pounds apples medium, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ¾ cups butter unsalted, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the streusel topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup butter unsalted, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, 177°C, or gas mark 4. Grease the 9 x 13 inch pan and set aside.
Make the streusel topping
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, sugars, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Mix to combine evenly and then add the butter. Mix but leave clumps and don't mix until evenly combined. Place in the refrigerator while you make the coffee cake.
Making the cake
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk or sift until combined.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter with the brown and granulated sugar on medium high until the mixture becomes lighter in color then add the sour cream.
- Add the eggs one at a time waiting a minute between each egg. Add the maple syrup, and make sure to scrape down the bowl.
- Reduce the speed to low add ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add half of the buttermilk, mixing to combine as well. Add another ⅓ of the four mixture and alternate with the remaining buttermilk and remaining flour mixture. Wait until each has just been added before adding the next portion. Add the apples and mix until just combined.
- Pour into the greased 9 x 13 pan and top with the streusel topping. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to completely cool before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
You absolutely nailed this apple cake recipe. Soo delicious with the streusel… omg. Very nice indeed. Will definitely make it again.
Beautiful and sweet. You can never go wrong with apples and spices. This makes a great dessert or a sweet treat at breakfast time. My family loved it.
I love a good coffee cake and this recipe certainly did not disappoint! Loaded with spice and flavor, definitely will be making it again!
How pretty and how delicious! Coffee cake is such a great treat, but I really think the cardamom here sets it apart. It’s the perfect touch in the streusel.
The spices and apple made this cake so flavorful. I made it for brunch and it went perfect with my coffee.
Love a coffee cake and the addition of the apples! This looks so delicious, I can’t wait to try it!
I recently made it and it was absolutely delightful! The combination of moist cake, tender apples, and cinnamon topping was a perfect treat for breakfast or dessert.
We love something sweet in the morning but nothing like a Danish with frosting on it so this recipe was just what I was looking for. I made one cake for us and one for our elderly neighbor who was going to have family visiting. BOTH of the families loved the apple taste and the crumbly topping. This is a coffee cake I’ll be making regularly.
I love a good coffee cake. Simple and delicious. No fancy decorating is needed. Perfect for breakfast too.