This apple coffee cake is my go-to fall baking recipe. Filled with fresh apple and cozy cinnamon, this beautiful show-stopper tastes even better than it looks. You can easily serve this apple coffee cake with a warm latte on a fall morning or even as dessert after a cozy evening with friends. Our coffee cake is made with butter and sour cream, has a ribbon of brown sugar, cinnamon, and apple butter running through the middle, and is topped with a golden brown sugar cinnamon streusel.
Our step by step instructions and photographs make this recipe easy to follow so that you can have this delicious apple cake into the oven in no time at all. If you are looking for other delicious fall baking recipes, be sure to check out our Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter or our Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Quick Look: Apple Coffee Cake Recipe
- Ready In: about 1 hour (but needs time to cool)
- Serves: 8 people
- Calories: about 600 kcal per serving
- Add to Your Shopping List: apple butter, apple cider, fresh apples, and sour cream
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, eggs, and dairy
- Baker's Note: This is a great recipe to make ahead recipe for fall house guests or Thanksgiving. Bake it a day ahead, then glaze it right before serving.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- tons of apple flavor from the fresh apples, apple butter and apple cider glaze
- easy to make and great served any time of the day - delicious for breakfast and also makes a cozy fall dessert
- a sweet tender cake filled with bits of fresh apple and a topped with crunchy streusel topping
- easy to make ahead for weekend brunch or Thanksgiving breakfast
Key Ingredients
- apples - I used honey crisp apples when I tested the recipe but any tart, firm apple will work for this coffee cake
- apple butter - you can use either a homemade apple butter or one that you pick up from the grocery store
- apple cider - to make the apple cider glaze that goes over the top of the cake
How to Make Apple Coffee Cake
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions.
In the bowl of your stand mixer or using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Stop the mixer, scape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla to the batter. Mix on low speed until well combined. The batter may look a little lumpy, that's okay.
Use a spatula and fold the dry ingredients into the batter.
Grate one cup of fresh apple directly into the cake batter. Fold the grated apple into the batter.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the top of the batter. Top this layer with the apple butter. Scoop the rest of the batter into the pan and spread until even.
Top the batter with the cinnamon streusel mixture.
Bake cake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200°.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out to cool completely.
Once the cake has cooled, drizzle the cake with the apple cider glaze and serve.
Hint: Use your box grater to grate the fresh apple directly into the coffee cake batter.
Expert Tips
Use a Kitchen Thermometer - I always use a kitchen thermometer to guarantee that my bundt cake is cooked through. I measure the internal temperature using a kitchen thermometer. Once the coffee cake reaches an internal temperature of 200°F, it has finished baking and will be cooked all the way through.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients - I always make sure that my butter and eggs are at room temperature before I start baking. This helps the batter come together smoothly and gives the cake a tender and even crumb.
Let the Cake Cool Before Glazing - I always let the coffee cake cool completely before adding the apple cider glaze. A warm cake will absorb the glaze. It will melt unevenly instead of setting into a nice glossy layer.
Storage
Cover your apple coffee cake with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also store the coffee cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do recommend storing the cake without the glaze. Add the glaze to the cake right before serving.
To freeze, wrap the cake (without the glaze) tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze right before serving. You can freeze the cake whole or in individual slices.
Apple Coffee Cake FAQs
Bundt pans need to be prepared before baking so that the cake that you worked so hard to make doesn't stick to the pan! I recommend a layer of melted butter and then a dusting of flour. Be sure to shake out any extra flour before adding your batter to the pan. I have also had very good luck with PAM Baking Spray with Flour.
I LOVE using PAM Baking Spray with Flour to prep all of my baking and bundt pans. I have never had a cake stick when I have used this spray. It's a combination of oil and flour that leave no residue behind the cake. Because of this, it works for all cakes, even the darker chocolate cakes!
If you don't have apple butter or can't find it at the store, applesauce is a fine substitute. You will get a slightly less concentrated apple flavor.
This usually happens when the butter is too warm. Keep the streusel mixture in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake the cake. For more tips and tricks on baking with streusel, check out our dedicated post for making streusel topping.
More Fall Baking Recipes
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Apple Coffee Cake Recipe with Streusel
Equipment
- stand mixer or electric mixer
- bundt pan
- box grater (for grating fresh apple)
- mixing bowls (small bowl for streusel, small bowl for glaze)
- rubber spatula
- fork (for cutting the streusel together)
- kitchen/instant-read thermometer (for checking the 200°F internal temp)
- whisk (for the apple cider glaze)
- cooling rack
Ingredients
For the Streusel
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Apple Coffee Cake Batter
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup (215g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (95g) brown sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract at room temperature
- 2 ¼ cup (295g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup of apple grated into batter
For the Apple Cinnamon Layer
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup apple butter
For the Apple Cider Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons apple cider
Instructions
For the Streusel
- Combine the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and flour in a small bowl. Use a fork to combine the butter with the dry ingredients. Mix until you have a crumbly butter and sugar mixture.
For the Apple Coffee Cake
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or using an electric mixer, cream the room temperature butter with the sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Stop the mixer, scape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla to the batter. Mix on low speed until well combined. The batter may look a little lumpy, that's okay.
- Use a spatula and fold the dry ingredients in to the coffee cake batter.
- Grate one cup of fresh apple directly into the batter. Fold in the the grated apple.
- Spray your bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray (Pam Baking Spray with Flour) or prepare your pan with melted butter and a dusting of all purpose flour.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon over the top of the batter. Top this layer with the apple butter.
- Scoop the remaining batter into your pan and gently smooth the batter.
- Top the batter with the cinnamon streusel mixture.
- Bake cake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200°.
For the Apple Cider Glaze
- Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the cinnamon and apple cider. Whisk until smooth and pour over cooled apple cinnamon coffee cake.
Notes
- Use a firm baking apple like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn - they will hold their shape and taste better than softer varieties.
- A kitchen thermometer is the most reliable way to check doneness - the cake is done at 200°F.
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the glaze.
- If you are not serving right away, store the cake without the glaze. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Add the glaze right before serving.
- This cake freezes well - wrap tightly without the glaze and freeze for up to 2-3 months.
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