Apple coffee cake is a standard weekend or coffee morning treat for many, but to many more, the delights of the coffee cake apple dessert are yet to be fully embraced!
We love the combination of sweetness and tartness that’s brought about by the apples, sugar, and cinnamon. We prepared the following recipe that’s easy to make at home (that will hopefully make this dessert more accessible to everyone!).
Our easy apple and coffee cake recipe is absolutely delicious, but it’s the streusel topping that really seals the deal for us. Keep reading, and find out how to prepare the best apple coffee cake with streusel topping.
How to make apple coffee cake
Apple coffee cake is a deliciously appley take on the classic ‘coffee’ cake recipe. It’s a great way to bake a sweet yet tart dessert that’s completed with a crumbly streusel topping.
Like most ‘coffee’ cakes, this cake doesn’t actually contain any coffee - it’s simply meant to be enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee or during your morning coffee break!
The following recipe prepares one large coffee cake apple dessert, and there will be enough for at least 8 large slices of cake. You’ll need an apple peeler to get started, plus your favorite apples (we recommend Granny Smith for the added tartness).
Easy apple coffee cake recipe
Makes 8 slices of apple coffee cake
Ingredients for apple coffee cake
- 2 c of diced apples
- 1 c of all-purpose flour
- ¼ c of room temperature butter
- ¾ c of brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ c of sour cream
- ¼ c of vanilla flavored yogurt
- ¾ tsp of cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp of baking soda
- ¼ tsp of salt
Ingredients for streusel topping
- ¼ c of all-purpose flour
- ¼ c of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp of butter
- ½ tsp of cinnamon powder
Directions for apple coffee cake
- Make sure you’ve prepared your apples before starting this recipe. They need to be peeled, cored, and diced into small chunks. When your apples are ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish.
- While the oven preheats, it’s time to prepare the apple coffee cake batter. Measure out butter and brown sugar into a mixing bowl, and mix together (if you have an electric whisk, this is the most effective method). Once mixed, beat the large egg into the mixture, then follow up with sour cream and vanilla flavored yogurt. Keep beating the mixture until your batter forms.
- Next, mix together 1 cup of flour with cinnamon powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt in a separate mixing bowl. Once combined, add to your butter and egg batter. Beat together again to mix, then add your diced apples to the batter.
- Pour your apple coffee cake batter into the greased baking dish, and set it to one side while you prepare the streusel topping.
- For the streusel, mix sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon powder together in a mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together into a crumbly topping, then spread over the top of the apple coffee cake batter.
- Place your apple coffee cake into the oven and leave to bake for at least 40 minutes. Apply the toothpick test to ensure the cake is cooked all the way through. Once baked, allow to cool before serving!
What’s the difference between an ‘apple coffee cake’ and an ‘apple cake’?
An apple coffee cake and an apple cake are very similar types of cake. Both styles are almost indistinguishable, in fact, except for the fact that an apple cake is prepared with more cake and less streusel.
A traditional apple coffee cake often has a lot heavier toppings, with more streusel and a thinner cake center. That being said, an apple cake can also be called a coffee cake - it’s really down to the baker!
What are the best apples to use for coffee apple cake?
We highly recommend using the classic Granny Smith apple for baking your coffee apple cake. Granny Smith apples are large, and they are well-bred for baking. They hold up well under high heat, and they aren’t overly sweet but tart in taste.
That being said, any apples will do quite well too. A good combination to try is a mixture of tart and sweet apples. Try dicing up a Granny Smith alongside a Honeycrisp or Fuji apple, for example.
All the apples you use should be peeled, cored, and then diced up into small chunks before mixed into the batter.
What can I serve with coffee apple cake?
This is a wonderful sweet treat, and it can be served on its own accord as a light snack, treat, or as a dessert. As the name might suggest, this cake goes particularly well with a cup of coffee!
This makes for a great apple breakfast cake, with a little extra yogurt, or it’s a wonderful dessert with the addition of ice cream, cream, or extra fruit.
If you love your apples, then why not try serving apple coffee cake with applesauce and ice cream? That’s one of our favorite combos!
How long does apple coffee cake last?
Apple coffee cake is best served fresh. We suggest baking, leaving to cool, then serving on the same day for super freshness and the best taste levels!
If you’ve made too much, though, then the apple coffee cake will last for at least 3 days. Store the remaining slices in a resealable cake tin, and for the freshest results, leave refrigerated.
The cake can technically be frozen as well, and it will keep for 6 months. We think this ruins the taste and texture, so we don’t recommend it unless absolutely necessary!
What’s the best way to keep apple coffee cake moist?
Apple coffee cake can dry out quite quickly, so we suggest adding a simple mixture of water and sugar (a syrup) to stop this from happening.
All you have to do is boil water and sugar together (in equal measures) to create a syrup solution. Once your apple coffee cake has baked and been left to cool, give the exterior of the cake a brush of syrup to keep it moist.
Is coffee apple cake healthy?
This isn’t exactly a healthy apple coffee cake, but there aren’t too many of those out there. All cakes involve large quantities of sugar and carbohydrates, and so by definition, they aren’t going to be healthy. This is a sweet treat, remember!
You can make this cake healthier by using sweeter apples (such as a Fuji) in place of so much sugar. You can also try natural sweeteners such as agave syrup or maple syrup instead of sugar.
Apple coffee cake: the last bite
Apple coffee cake is a wonderfully simple yet absolutely delicious coffee cake dessert that you can prepare at home. The sugar and cinnamon really add to the natural sweetness of the apple, but at the same time, the tartness of the Granny Smiths gives this cake an almost savory finish!
However, the crumbly streusel is the real deal, and no apple cinnamon coffee cake is ever complete without this delightful finishing touch. If you’re looking to bake, then why not bookmark our apple coffee cake recipe to try out at the weekend?