Description
A moist, sturdy, and delicious apple coffee cake with a layer of spicy apples, topped with a streusel, and finished with a glaze.
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 1 1/2 Granny Smith apples
- 2 McIntosh apples
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 c. pure can sugar
- 1 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- dash of kosher salt
- dash of nutmeg
- dash of cloves
- dash of ginger
Cake
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 c. white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 c. pure cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 c. sour cream
Streusel
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- dash of kosher salt
Glaze
- 1 c. powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. whole milk
Instructions
- Make the apple filling. Peel, core, and dice apples. Add the remaining apple filling ingredients. Stir and set aside.
- Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch tube pan. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the sour cream. Beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add about half the batter into the prepared pan. Top with the apples in a single layer, avoiding placing any apples against the edge of the pan as they will stick snd burn to the side of the pan. (You may not need all the apples.) Top with the remaining batter and smooth with a spatula.
- Make the streusel. Place ingredients in a small bowl. Cut butter into the mixture until evenly moistened. Sprinkle streusel evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake until cake springs back when touched or a tooth pick comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before handling. Loosen the cake from the pan using an offset spatula or thin knife. Using two spatulas to lift the cake, transfer to cake platter.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Spoon glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Let cake sit until glaze is set, about 5 minutes, before serving. Cake can be kept at room temperature, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
• If you’re looking to add whole wheat flour into your baking, try replacing a quarter to a half, at most, of all-purpose flour with wheat flour.
• Leftover apples? Sometimes I eat them as is. They’re so good with the sugar coating. Or, I throw them in a batch of applesauce.
• If you get the urge to remove the cake from the pan before it’s cooled, be prepared for it to crack. Just saying.
This Cake was fanatic! It took us only a day and half to finish it all!
Since Apricots are now in season, I thought to substitute the apples with apricots. Do you think that 2 cups of chopped apricots would be enough?
Thank you!
Oh my goodness that sounds so good! I think 2 cups sounds about right. Let me know if you end up making this! I want to try too.
Looks amazing! I don’t have a bunt pan, can I cook this in a regular cake pan?
You totally can! You could also bake it in a loaf pan. It may make two, not sure. You’ll probably also need to adjust the baking time.
I’m making this right now! It’s in the oven as I type. One thing I noticed though was that by putting the strudel on top of the batter, it will be on the bottom of the cake once I flip it out of the bunt pan. Hopefully it won’t matter much with all the glaze.
Hey Sascha! I don’t invert the cake after it comes out of the pan. So the top with the streusel is still the top. It does take some careful lifting. Hope you loved it!
Hey- this looks absolutely divine. I am not sure of the types of apples mentioned here as in India we get different varieties by different names than this.
Would it ok to put in some red apples and some yellow/golden ones in this?
Also – how important is sour cream (have a lactose intolerant friend)? Can I replace it with an equal qty of oil/butter?
Look forward to your reply as I really need to try out this cake – it sounds simply wonderful- the perfect warmth-burst for winters.
cheers
You can definitely swap out different varieties of apples. The sour cream gives the cake a nice crumb adding to the moistness. Is there such thing as lactose-free yogurt? If so, that may be a good replacement. Otherwise, extra butter never seems to hurt anything 🙂 Good luck with the adjustments! Hope you love it.
I’ve been looking for a good coffee cake recipe. Thanks for sharing!
oh my goodness! you are killing me with all your apple-y goodness! Can you just make me one? =D
I want a slice of this right this moment!
We have one skinny slice left. Hurry over 😉
Sounds and looks delicious!
Love your husband’s co-workers reviews. Can’t wait for more apple recipes…
Bring on the apple extravaganza! I think it’s time for me to make a coffee cake. Yours sounds incredible. Wish I’d seen that napkin while I was at your house! Funny!
Gorgeous photos and a beautiful recipe. Also like your tips at the end – thanks for giving me some apple baking inspiration
Oh my! This has to be great, too many layers not to be!
Love this recipe and everything about fall/apples! Thanks for sharing!
I wish I had a slice of this cake right now! Love it!
I love stuff in the middle! This looks delicious and your photos are beautiful! Oh, and I love how you sneak whole-wheat flour into your baked goods!
apple coffee cake sounds perfect right now. beautiful photography too! welcome to our #applelove bloghop!
“There’s stuff in the middle” LOL!! Since this has apples and wheat flour, I see no reason to feel guilty swapping for my bowl of fruit. 😉
Perfect. I’m always looking for more delicious things to do with apples, and this looks gorgeous!
Now, just how important is the sea salt?? I think I have everything in my house except for this.
Sea salt isn’t a deal breaker. I just love it though! Table salt will work just fine. Happy baking 🙂
Stuff in the middle? SOLD! This is one beauty of a cake Melissa!
Okay, Martha, oops! I mean Melissa, I’m going to try this with all whole wheat pastry flour. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Bev
Love this “it may use all the mixing bowls in your house” – I am so guilty of this trait. This looks delicious!
Your cake is beautiful, darling!
Thanks Lauren!