Apple Coffee Cake With Crumb Topping is a delicious Fall dessert that will surely be a show-stopper at any party. The cake is light, soft, and moist on the inside and is topped with perfectly caramelized apples and buttery-nutty-crunchy crumb topping.
To take it to the next level and make it scream Fall, I have drizzled the crumb top with cinnamon glaze before serving. This recipe is super simple and requires a few essential ingredients.
My favorite season of the year.
The Fall colors are here, and the pleasant weather keeps me very happy this time of the year. Fresh Fall produce is at its peak, and our Farmers Market is gleaming with colorful varieties of berries, nectarines, pears, apples, pumpkins, corn, gourds, squashes, zucchinis, and many more. It smells like a holiday whenever I walk into the market. The best quality apples and pumpkins are available, especially this month. Over the last week or so, I have been busy preparing several Fall specialties for back-to-back office potlucks and for a weeknight barbecue we hosted for our friends last night.
Our colleagues and friends really love spending time outdoors, mostly in the midst of nature. So most of our potlucks and get-togethers are hosted outdoors. With the temperatures dropping sharply over the last two weeks - especially in the evenings, I am guessing these would be our last outdoor events this year.
We would be fortunate to squeeze in one or two such events in the following weeks. During Fall, my family enjoys going on long walks in the evening to drown ourselves in nature's beauty, and the Fall foliage this year has been simply breathtaking! Luckily for me, even when I am indoors, I have a beautiful view of the foliage through my kitchen window. So, I get to enjoy the colors even while I am cooking 🙂
My love for apples
As most of you know, I love using apples in my recipes, and I am always on the lookout to try new things using them. I have given links below to some of my favorite dessert recipes using apples. Some of them are popular on my blog and have been tried and tested by many of my readers. Do check out.
However, this recipe is not new or inspired. In fact, this was among the first few cakes that I prepared after I started baking. I have made it many times since then. After several experimentations with this recipe over the past 3-4 years, I have finally settled on what I think is a no-fail & show-stopper version. The cake is like a black horse, and its looks could initially be deceiving. It is rustic, and I usually directly serve it from the baking pan sans any fancy presentation. But the moment anyone takes a bite of it, then there is no stopping. The cake vanishes in no time. There are no second helpings, so be prepared!
The recipe for apple coffee cake is super simple to make and requires a few basic ingredients. The recipe is forgiving at the same time - which means you can make small changes to it but still get the best end result. If you do not have sour cream, then feel free to substitute it with hung/greek-yogurt, or even with heavy cream or whole milk. You can substitute almonds for any nuts available in your pantry and choose to increase/reduce the sweetness as per your taste. Do try this out, and I am sure you are going to love this coffee cake.
Ingredients
For Caramelizing Apples
Apples - 3
Butter - 1 tbsp
Brown sugar - â…“ cup
Salt - pinch
For Cake Batter
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking soda - ½ tsp
Baking powder - 1 ½ tsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Cinnamon powder - ½ tsp
Sugar - â…” cup
Brown sugar - â…“ cup
Vegetable oil - â…“ cup
Sour cream - ¾ cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
For Crumb Topping
All-purpose flour - ½ cup
Butter melted- ½ cup
Almonds chopped - ½ cup
Cinnamon powder - ½ tsp
Salt - ¼ tsp
Brown sugar - ½ cup
For the Cinnamon Sugar Glaze
Milk - 1 to 1 ½ tbsp
Confectioners sugar - ½ cup
Cinnamon powder - ½ tsp
To prepare the apple coffee cake:
Peel the apples and chop them into small chunks. In a non-stick pan, melt butter on medium flame. Once the butter has melted, add chopped apples and saute them till they develop a light golden color. Then add brown sugar and a pinch of salt, and saute for about 7 minutes or until apples are golden in color and all the juices evaporate. Set this aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, sugar, and brown sugar. Add vegetable oil, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract, and using an electric beater, beat until it is smooth. Do not overmix. Pour this batter into a prepared 9-inch by 9-inch baking pan. Gently tap the baking pan against the work surface to remove any trapped air pockets. Sprinkle caramelized apples on top of this.
In a large bowl, stir all the ingredients required to prepare the crumb topping using your fingers. Add this topping over the caramelized apple. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
In a small bowl, add confectioner's sugar, cinnamon powder, and milk and whisk so that there are no lumps. Drizzle this on top of the cake. Apple Coffee Cake With Crumb Topping is ready. Serve and enjoy!
FAQs
Yes, a coffee cake can be prepared a day in advance and stored on the counter at room temperature. Coffee cake is known to taste better the next day as the flavors would have matured better.
After the cake cools down completely, just make sure to wrap the baking pan containing the cake in cling film to avoid the cake from drying out or coming in contact with air.
Store on the countertop - Remains fresh for up to two days. Wrap the cake as instructed below.
Store in the refrigerator - When wrapped and stored in the refrigerator, the cake remains fresh for a week.
Store in the freezer - Wrap the cake and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Wrapping instructions:
After the cake comes to room temperature, wrap the baking pan containing the cake in cling film. You can also add another wrap of aluminum foil over this. The two layers wrapped around the cake prevents it to come in contact with refrigerator/freezer air, thus keeping it fresh, odor-free, and locking in moisture.
If the cake is frozen - you can thaw the cake for 24 hours in the refrigerator or for 6 to 8 hours on the counter before serving.
Cinnamon is commonly used for flavoring coffee cakes. Alternately, you may use cardamom powder, pumpkin pie spice, spices used for masala chai tea, etc., for flavoring your coffee cake.
In this recipe, the cake was topped with caramelized apple and crumb topping with cinnamon glaze. Alternately, you can top the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar, a dollop of whipped cream, a scoop of your favorite ice cream, other caramelized seasonal fruit and berries, marmalades, etc.
Serve this cake with any warm/hot beverage of your choice. Typically they are served with coffee or chai tea.
If the oven temperature is hot, the crumb topping will burn faster. If you notice this happening in your oven, immediately cover the top of the cake with a tent of aluminum foil.
You can also shift the cake to the lower rack, which ensures more heat at the base of the baking pan rather than the top of the pan.
Warm the cake in a microwave oven in 10-second increments. It should typically take 30 seconds for a slice of cake or up to a minute for the entire cake.
Oven instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the pan containing the cake in aluminum foil, and heat for 10 to 12 mins.
If the crumb topping is soft and loose, it may sometimes sink to the bottom of the cake, especially if the batter has more liquid or a flowing consistency. To prevent the crumb topping from sinking, prepare the topping mixture beforehand, and then freeze for an hour before adding it over the cake batter.
Apple recipe ideas
While you are here, feel free to check out some of my favorite apple recipes to try this Fall (autumn) or throughout the year if you are an apple lover like me.
- Apple Fritters - popular on the blog
- Vegan Apple Dates Bread
- Apple Butter
- Apple Cheese Danish– popular on the blog
- Apple Tarts
- Persimmon Apple Pudding - must try.
- Apple Appe (Indian-style Apple Donuts)
- Eggless Apple Pancakes
- Rustic Apple Blackberry Pie
- Apple Sheera (Indian-style Apple Pudding)
Recipe card
Apple Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
Equipment
- 1 9-inch square baking pan.
Ingredients
For caramelizing apples
- 3 Apples
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- â…“ cup Brown sugar
- â…› teaspoon Salt a pinch
For Cake Batter
- 2 cup All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- â…” cup Sugar
- â…“ cup Brown sugar
- â…“ cup Vegetable oil
- ¾ cup Sour cream
- 2 Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For crumb topping or streusel topping
- ½ cup All purpose flour
- ½ cup Melted butter
- ½ cup Almonds chopped
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Brown sugar
For cinnamon sugar glaze
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon Milk
- ½ cup Confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
Instructions
Step I (Caramelize the apples)
- Peel and chop the apples into small chunks. In a non-stick pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium to medium-high heat.3 Apples, 1 tablespoon Butter
- Once the butter has melted, add chopped apples and saute them till they develop a light golden color.
- Now add brown sugar and a pinch of salt and continue sauteing for another 7 minutes or until apples are golden in color and apple juices evaporate. Set this aside.â…“ cup Brown sugar, â…› teaspoon Salt
Step II (Prepare Apple cake)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch by 9-inch baking pan and keep it ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, sugar, and brown sugar.2 cup All purpose flour, ½ teaspoon Baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder, ⅔ cup Sugar, ⅓ cup Brown sugar
- Add vegetable oil, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract, and using an electric beater, beat until it is smooth. Do not overmix.⅓ cup Vegetable oil, ¾ cup Sour cream, 2 Eggs, 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Pour this batter into the baking pan. Gently tap the baking pan against the work surface to remove any trapped air pockets.
- Sprinkle caramelized apples on top of this.
Step III (Prepare crumb topping or streusel topping)
- In a large bowl, stir all the ingredients mentioned in 'For crumb topping' using your fingers till they are well mixed.½ cup All purpose flour, ½ cup Melted butter, ½ cup Almonds chopped, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder, ½ cup Brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Add this topping over the caramelized apple.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step IV (Prepare Cinnamom Sugar Glaze)
- In a small bowl, add confectioner's sugar, cinnamon powder, and milk and whisk so that there are no lumps.1 to 1 ½ tablespoon Milk, ½ cup Confectioners sugar, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- Drizzle this on top of the cake.
- Apple Coffee Cake With Crumb Topping is now ready. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you do not have sour cream, then feel free to substitute it with hung/greek-yogurt, or even with heavy cream or whole milk.
- You can substitute almonds for any nuts available in your pantry and choose to increase/reduce the sweetness as per your taste.
Nutrition
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Denise
Your Apple Coffee Cake looks perfect! I can't wait to make this, my family is going to love it.
Tammy
Fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons too! I just love baking fall treats like this crumb cake 😀 It is so comforting to have a home baked treat in the morning with coffee...this sounds and looks like heaven! I wish I had a slice right now ^_^
Moop Brown
The texture of this cake looks amazing and the crumb topping really adds to the dish! Love this recipe for fall!
Elaine
The cake that is worth every minute making it. I tried it at my friend's house and I wanted to make one myself ever since. Can't wait!
Karyl Henry
I'm just getting into apple recipes. This coffee cake looks so good! I love that you add caramelized apples into the topping, what a great way to add even more flavor