Apple Coffee Cake

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Enjoy this moist and sweet Apple Coffee Cake with a brown sugar streusel and an apple cider glaze. The best fall breakfast or dessert!

We love using applesauce in baked goods; try this applesauce cake or applesauce muffins next!

A slice of apple coffee cake on a plate, topped with delicious frosting.

Apple Coffee Cake

Apple Coffee Cake has become my new excuse to enjoy cake for breakfast on as many Fall mornings as possible. Is anyone else with me?!

Packed with flavor, this cake is dense, moist, and rich, just as a good coffee cake should be. The streusel topping adds a crisp and sweet touch, and the glaze is the perfect finishing touch!

Prepping wet and dry ingredients, then mixing together until the batter is smooth.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients for Coffee Cake

  • Flour: Provides structure.
  • Cinnamon, apple pie spice, nutmeg: Add flavor.
  • Baking soda, baking powder: Helps the cake rise.
  • Salt: Enhances flavor.

Wet Ingredients for Coffee Cake

  • Oil: Adds moisture.
  • Brown sugar, maple syrup: Sweeten and add depth.
  • Heavy cream: Increases richness.
  • Vanilla extract: Adds aroma to your apple coffee cake.
  • Applesauce: Adds moisture and sweetness.

Streusel Topping

  • Flour, sugar, spices: Create a crumbly texture.
  • Butter: Binds the streusel and adds flavor.

Batter in a pan, with crumble topping being made and added on top, and the glaze being prepared.

How To Make Apple Coffee Cake

  1. Preheat: Oven to 350°F. Grease the pan.
  2. Dry Mix: Whisk together dry ingredients.
  3. Wet Mix: Combine wet ingredients.
  4. Combine: Mix wet into dry ingredients. Spread evenly in the pan.
  5. Streusel: Mix streusel ingredients together. Sprinkle over batter.
  6. Bake: 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
  7. Glaze: Mix together glaze ingredients. Drizzle over cooled apple coffee cake.

Pouring the delicious glaze over the freshly baked apple coffee cake recipe.

Tips For Success

  • Cool Melted Butter: Allow melted butter to reach room temperature before using in the streusel to avoid melting the sugar and causing greasiness.
  • Avoid Substitutions:
    • The cake’s dense texture is crucial; substitutions can alter this.
    • Do not replace heavy cream with milk or maple syrup with other sweeteners, as it may negatively impact the cake’s outcome.

QUICK TIP

Alternative to Apple Cider in Glaze: If you don’t want to buy apple cider, use apple juice, heavy cream, or milk as a substitute. Add the liquid gradually, as a small amount is enough. If the glaze becomes too thin, thicken it with more powdered sugar.

Slice of delectable dessert, freshly served with drizzled icing on top, enticing and ready for enjoyment.

STORAGE

Apple Coffee Cake Storage

  • Storage Tips: Store unglazed cake wrapped at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Keep the glaze in the fridge.
  • Freezing: Wrap individual pieces of the unglazed cake and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.

More Apple Treats

FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content.

Apple Coffee Cake

5 from 1 vote
Moist and sweet Apple Coffee Cake with a brown sugar streusel and an apple cider glaze. The best fall breakfast or dessert!
A slice of apple coffee cake on a plate, topped with delicious frosting.
Print Recipe

Apple Coffee Cake

A slice of apple coffee cake on a plate, topped with delicious frosting.
5 from 1 vote
Moist and sweet Apple Coffee Cake with a brown sugar streusel and an apple cider glaze. The best fall breakfast or dessert!
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword apple coffee cake
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 18 bars
Chelsea Lords
Calories 352kcal
Cost $5.71

Ingredients

Coffee Cake

  • 3 cups white, all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon EACH: fine sea salt and baking powder
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
  • 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (light brown works, dark makes for richer flavor)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/2 cups sweetened applesauce

Streusel

  • 1 and 1/4 cups white all-purpose flour, divided
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons apple cider
  • tiny pinch fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

Instructions

  • PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (or you can line with parchment or foil and then grease for easy cleanup).
  • DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, apple pie spice, nutmeg, baking soda, fine sea salt, and baking powder; set aside.
  • WET INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, add the oil, packed dark brown sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream. Add in the vanilla and applesauce. Whisk until smooth.
  • COMBINE: Pour wet ingredients into the dry. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix the batter. The batter is very thick. Spread and then smooth the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
  • STREUSEL: Melt the butter in the microwave and then let stand at room temperature until cooled (don't add hot butter to the streusel -- it will make it greasy). In a separate medium bowl, whisk together one cup of flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt. Add the cooled melted butter and mix until the streusel is evenly combined and forms small clumps. Gradually add in the remaining 1/4 cup flour until larger clumps form. Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the apple batter. Do not press the streusel into the cake. Use all of the streusel.
  • BAKE: Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs attached) about 35 to 40 minutes (My oven always takes 35 minutes). Cool completely in the pan before frosting.
  • GLAZE: Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Start with 1 tablespoon apple cider and add more as needed until a thick glaze forms. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Drizzle over the individual pieces and serve.

Video

Recipe Notes

To maximize the shelf life of this Apple Coffee Cake, only glaze the pieces you'll be eating right away. Then, store the bars and glaze separately at serving time. Cover cake with plastic wrap to prevent drying out and keep the glaze in an airtight container in the fridge. You will likely need to microwave the glaze for 10 seconds and stir it briskly after it's been stored in the fridge.
Covered coffee cake will last about 1-2 days at normal room temperature, but will stay good for about 1 week in the fridge (in airtight containers). Warm leftover pieces in the microwave and glaze warm.
Freeze leftover cake by wrapping each piece tightly with plastic freezer wrap and then placing individual pieces in a freezer bag. There is some loss of texture and flavor when frozen and thawed, especially if the cake has been glazed. Coffee cake can be frozen for 2-3 months; thaw the bars at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.3g | Protein: 3.3g | Fat: 15.1g | Cholesterol: 15.4mg | Sodium: 5.4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28.2g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.

More Recipes You'll Love

Applesauce Cake

50 mins

Applesauce Cake

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 hrs 10 mins

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

Bundt Cake

1 hrs 10 mins

Bundt Cake

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

1 hrs

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Click the Bookmark Icon to Add to Your Favories

FREE BONUS

FREE BONUS

EASY MEAL SECRETS:
How to Make Mealtime Hassle Free!

5 secrets to easy, fast and delicious dinners.

[gravityform id="2" title="false" description="false"]

Leave a Comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. I don’t own a metal 9 x13 baking pan, but I do have a glass baking dish. Do I need to make any adjustments to the oven temp or cooking time?

    1. I’ve only tested this recipe in a metal pan, so I can’t give you exact recommendations (sorry!), but I would think lowering the oven temperature by 25 degrees and checking it at the lower end up baking time (glass transfers more heat than metal)

Never Miss a Recipe

[gravityform id="3" title="false" description="false"]