Apple Coffee Cake Recipe

5 from 27 votes

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If you like cake for breakfast or dessert you’ll love this easy Apple Coffee Cake Recipe! Topped with streusel and cream cheese glaze! Be sure to check out my Classic Apple Cake recipe while you’re at it.

This Apple Coffee Cake was something I whipped up in a flash because we were invited over to dinner at a friends’ house. It’s a pretty simple cake, but looks much fancier than that, don’t you think? This is because of the glaze, the streusel, it’s on a cake plate, it’s round and not in its baking pan still!

Apple Cake

Apple Coffee Cake

I needed something to take and this is the dessert I came up with from what I had on hand. As I was photographing the finished product I was thinking to myself how easy this cake was to make, but how semi-upscale it looked! Basically, if you have a very plain recipe for something, try adding a glaze and/or a streusel. That will jazz it right up and make people want you to be their live-in chef.

For more apple cakes try these out: Applesauce Sheet Cake with Divinity Frosting and Nutritious and Delicious Apple Oat Cake.

Shall we make some cake?

To start making this Apple Coffee Cake you’ll need to gather up some dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and apples.

Dry Ingredients

  • All-Purpose Flour – this fills out the cake and makes it cake!
  • Baking Powder – makes the cake light and fluffy.
  • Salt – enhances the flavors.
  • Baking Soda – this helps the cake rise.
  • Granulated Sugar – to sweeten.
  • Cinnamon – a super good spice that compliments apples!
  • Nutmeg – nutmeg helps bring out and enhance the cinnamon taste as well as adding its own flavor to the mix.

Dry Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

  • Apple – use whatever apples you have on hand and cube them.
  • Canola Oil – this helps the texture of the cake stay consistent throughout.
  • Eggs – adds structure to the cake.
  • Low Fat Buttermilk – helps moisten the cake but also provides a slightly tangy flavor.
  • Low Fat Sour Cream – another moistening agent. If you don’t have buttermilk or sour cream on hand just replace with milk.
  • Vanilla Extract – this flavors the cake.

Wet Ingredients

How to Make Apple Coffee Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and pour all wet ingredients in. Slowly start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.

Cake Batter

Apples

  1. Find an apple in your fridge, peel it, core it and dice it up. I almost grated my apple because I despise huge chunks of fruit in my cakes, but then changed my mind at the last minute and cubed mine up into tiny little pieces…because I can. That’s why.
  2. Now pour in the apple cubes and stir it up. Voila! Cake batter.

Apples in Cake Batter

  1. Pour that bowl of goodness into the springform pan and smooth the top.

Apple Coffee Cake Batter

Streusel

Now onto the streusel. Warning: I made a huge amount of streusel. I mean HUGE. I recommend halving the recipe. If you are abnormal like me and feel the need to make a huge crust o’ streusel on your cake then be my guest. But, for you normal folk, start with half! Now, streusel is super simple to make and makes everything it comes in contact with taste better. I heart streusel. You’ll need:

  • Oats – crumbly delicious texture.
  • All-Purpose Flour – to balance out the moisture of the butter.
  • Sugar – to sweeten.
  • Butter – this helps keep all the dry ingredients together.
  • Cinnamon – to flavor the streusel.
  • Walnuts – a crunchy, nutty addition.

Streusel Ingredients

How to Make Streusel

  1. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients for streusel together until butter pieces are small chunks found throughout the mixture.
  2. Basically, you want to disperse the butter through the dry ingredients so that when it bakes, it becomes a crusty hot mess over the apple cake. Not a powdery hot mess. There is a huge difference between the two.

Streusel

  1. Sprinkle over top of the cake and bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and cool.

Streusel on top of Cake

Cream Cheese Glaze

This amazing cream cheese glaze takes this Apple Coffee Cake over the top!

  • Cream Cheese – softened! The main star of the glaze with all of its creamy, tangy goodness.
  • Butter – softened! Another fat to flavor the glaze. You can also use margarine.
  • Powdered Sugar – to sweeten.
  • Vanilla – to flavor.
  • Milk – to thin out the glaze! You can add as much or as litten as you’d like.

Apple Coffee Cake

  1. Before serving, whip cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and runny. Add the milk slowly until desired drizzling consistency is reached.
  2. Un-hinge springform pan and place cake on serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and serve.
Apple Coffee Cake

More Recipes like Apple Coffee Cake!

Printable recipe card below. Save this recipe because it’s a good one! Happy baking! 🙂

Apple Cake
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5 from 27 votes

Apple Coffee Cake Recipe

If you like cake for breakfast or dessert you’ll love this easy Apple Coffee Cake Recipe! Topped with streusel and cream cheese glaze!
servings 8 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

for the cake -

for the streusel -

for the glaze -

  • 3 oz. cream cheese softened
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter softened (or margarine)
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons milk or enough to make it a glazing consistency

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and pour all wet ingredients in. Slowly start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Toss in apple pieces and stir. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients for streusel together until butter pieces are small chunks found throughout the mixture. Sprinkle over top of the cake and bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and cool.
  • Before serving, whip cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and runny. Add the milk slowly until desired drizzling consistency is reached. Un-hinge the springform pan and place cake on a serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 545IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Apple Cake, Apple Coffee Cake, Coffee Cake

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Recipe Rating




95 Responses
    1. Carol Poehlmann

      I love you recipes and my husband loves them even more! We have been married for 55 plus years and I hope you are like us when you get there! If you ever duplicate a recipe for panera’s dark chocolate flourless cookies with walnuts I would be forever grateful and it is our favorite treat and would love to make it for my honey. Bless you!! Carol

  1. Poe

    5 stars
    I made this recipe last night and it was excellent! So moist and soft! I had so many peaches to use so I peeled and sliced those and put them on the top of the batter before the crumb layer. At first I thought that there was so little batter and was worried the cake would be super thin. I wanted to put a layer of sweetened cream cheese between the batter and the fruit but didn’t try this out since I worried I would waste it if the cake didn’t rise. Well, the cake literally tripled in size, meeting near the top of my springform pan. I used 1/2 cup white flour, 1/2 cup spelt flour & 1/4 cup almond flour. I also wanted to put poppy seeds in the batter but forgot so just put it on top of the fruit before the streusel layer. I also cut the sugar in half, because the peaches were pretty sweet, but I would probably add a bit more next time. Overall, I love this recipe and am saving it for reference.

  2. Colleen Powell

    I made your cake this week, my family loved it! I just finished eating a piece leftover from last night and its still moist and delicious! thanks for the recipe, its a keeper!

  3. Raquel

    Hi Lauren,

    I made this cake one time before and I LOVED it! I was just wondering if you think it would be OK to make it a day ahead? If so, would it need to be refrigerated? I would like to make it the day before Thanksgiving but only if it is still going to be as yummy the day after it is baked…

  4. ~Cindy

    First of all — This looks like MAJOR YUM! I can’t wait to try this one too! I do love your recipes and your blog 🙂

    Now for the question: Is there something that I can substitute for nuts and still give it that great struesel texture? My family doesn’t like nuts — at all — not even a hint (I would think ONE of my children would, but no). I happen to adore them (nuts and children!), but I’m thinking baking this cheesecake and eating it all by myself would not be a good thing for my waste — I mean — waist line. I would love to hear your suggestions.

    Thanks!

  5. Apples Everywhere!

    […]        Photo courtesy of My Life Runs on Food blog 9. Lauren’s Latest Apple Streusel Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze  […]

  6. Karen S

    5 stars
    Hi there, I made this cake today and my husband said that its the best cake he’s ever had. He loves coffee cake and the apples just keep it so moist.
    Thank you! This recipe is a keeper.

  7. Jocelyn

    This looks so amazing! I included it in my apple recipe round up here: http://www.grandbaby-cakes.com/2012/10/apples-everywhere.html

  8. Yogurt Coffee Cake | Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe | Two Peas & Their Pod

    […] Apple Streusel Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze from Lauren’s Latest […]

  9. Ina gawne

    5 stars
    Hi Lauren. I made your Apple Streusel Cake Gluten Free…Wow – I was so impressed with the flavors! Thank you for the inspiration, my family was very happy with this lovely dessert! Ina

  10. GLUTEN FREE APPLE STREUSEL CAKE WITH LEMON YOGURT CREAM « Gluten-Free Delightfully Delicious

    […] the inspiration for the Apple Streusel Cake came from Lauren’s Latest.  Once I read through the recipe, I knew it would convert to gluten free beautifully – and […]

  11. Jennifer

    5 stars
    I asked my best friend last week what she kind of birthday cake she wanted and she said “something like coffee cake, with apples in it”. I remembered this recipe and decided this would fit the bill. I made this over the weekend and it got rave reviews from everyone (especially the brithday girl!). I substituted pecans for walnuts (due to food allergies) and used the full streussel amount! The recipe makes a LOT of cream cheese icing, so we let everyone apply their own. Thanks for the recipe…

  12. Living The Sweet Life

    5 stars
    This recipe makes me smile … the cake is amazing – – the streusel takes it over the moon and then if that’s not good enough – – the glaze!! Fantastic recipe.. I’m sure your friends loved the cake 🙂

  13. Natalie

    Girl, don’t waste your time cloning cinnabon! Have you had one recently? I ate one last month, and I swear it tasted just like the Pillsbury ones from the tube. There are so many better cinnamon rolls out there! (i.e. PW’s. Have you had hers? Puts cinnabon to shame.)

    1. Lauren

      I have tried hers! They’re good, but I didn’t love the maple frosting. I guess I could make them again with cream cheese frosting or something. The cinnamon rolls I make are going to be comparable to the cinnabon but mine will be better because they won’t be full of preservatives.

  14. Sheila

    I love all things cinnamon and apple! This looks amazing. Oh and I also love all this streusel and glaze. I bet your new friends were impressed ; )

  15. natalie (the sweets life)

    this looks absolutely wonderful! i’ve made a similar cake that has cream cheese in the batter and i imagine it tastes similar–yum!

  16. Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray

    Oh…mah gosh. Can we be real-life friends and not other-side-of-the-country-blog-friends so you can bring this to my house?!

  17. Kathryn

    Look at that glaze! Look at that crumbly topping! Look at the cake! All so delicious! I bet you made friends for life with this cake!

  18. honeywhatscooking

    looks delicious! i love cinnabon, I’ve tried replicating it many times at home, but I’m working on a reduced fat recipe. I’ve failed twice so far. 🙂

  19. JP

    Sorry to sound so stupid, but are you saying that if I don’t want a huge amount of streusel I should half your recipe (in other words 1/4 cup walnuts, etc.) or did you half the recipe already? I guess I am asking because the amount in the recipe doesn’t seem like a huge amount to me.

    1. Lauren

      The streusel part of the recipe you should halve. It was a pretty thick layer over a 9-inch cake, but I really like it that way…it might be too much for some.

    1. Laura {happiness of rainy days}

      Laurel, we’re just over the river from Portland, too… I think we’d all make very good friends for someone who would bring such a delicious cake over… {not-so-subtle hint, Lauren!} 😉

  20. Suzanne

    5 stars
    Looks great. I guess you could use whatever fruit you had to hand as long as it wasn’t too juicy – pears, bananas, maybe even kiwi fruit or stone fruit. That would make it very convenient to make when you didn’t want to go shopping. Thanks for this.

  21. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga

    Lauren this looks so lovely and perfect. Cream cheese glaze and apples and streusel. Nice.

    Saw your last cookie pics all over Tastespotting, FG, etc..congrats. They are gorgeous!

  22. Rachael

    Looks great! Definitely need to try this one! Also, I enjoy reading your blog and the great photos that come with. Always puts a smile on my face! Thanks!

  23. Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau

    It is TOTALLY all about the glaze and streusel. I could go with just the streusel most times, but that cake does look very yummy!

  24. Julie @ Table for Two

    you had some lucky friends at that dinner party! the cake looks so delicious and i love anything apple with streusel!! 🙂

  25. Sara {Home is Where the Cookies Are}

    I am also holding out hope for that Cinnabon recipe!! I have faith in you! Congrats on the new friends in Portland. There are many more out there 😉 I was born and raised a Northwest girl, you’ll grow to love it. . . really! This cake looks amazing, btw.

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