One of my most favorite fall activities is apple picking. It makes me feel like a kid again even though I never went apple picking as a kid. Maybe I like it because I’ve finally figured out what the heck the word peck means. Pick a peck of pickled peppers.

Along with Peter Piper, I too have picked a peck of apples. I could probably make a gallon of applesauce with all these apples, but instead, I’ve chosen to spread them out over a couple recipes. Who am I kidding? There will still be applesauce involved. I hope you’re ready for the apple extravaganza over the next couple of posts.

First up—Apple Coffee Cake. Sure, this recipe may require all the mixing bowls in your house, but it’s worth the mess. It’s super moist (even when you sneak in some wheat flour). It tastes like fall. And it has a crumb topping. Need I say more? In case you’re not convinced, I have a couple testimonials to share. Last year, when I sent one of these off to work with Kev, his coworkers sent back a napkin of reviews. And I saved it. On the refrigerator. It goes a little something like this—”I think I love your wife.” “Bring her to us.” “She really likes us.” And, “Oh my gosh, there’s stuff in the middle!”

I’ll let you be the judge though!

Apple Coffee Cake

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• Yield: one 9-inch tube cake 1x

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Description

A moist, sturdy, and delicious apple coffee cake with a layer of spicy apples, topped with a streusel, and finished with a glaze.

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Scale 1x2x3x

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

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Instructions

1. Make the apple filling. Peel, core, and dice apples. Add the remaining apple filling ingredients. Stir and set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

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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.

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Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.