I made this apple cinnamon coffee cake at 6:30 in the morning while wearing my husband’s oversized flannel and squinting at an aggressively bright kitchen light. I had promised breakfast for a school thing and completely forgot until I woke up. This apple cinnamon coffee cake recipe requires very little brain power, which matched the amount I had available before coffee.
I usually avoid any recipe that asks me to make a separate topping before sunrise, but this streusel only asks for cold butter and some determined mashing. I once forgot to peel the apples, and nobody cared. The peel softened enough to disappear into the cake, while the apple pieces kept every slice tender and sweet.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The crumb ratio is aggressive. This is basically half cake, half buttery brown sugar topping, which is the only correct way to live.
- It forgives lazy chopping. Microscopic, perfectly even apple cubes are never required for this easy apple coffee cake to turn out great.
- Breakfast disguised as dessert. Dessert disguised as breakfast works just as well, depending on how anyone wants to justify it.
- It makes the house smell amazing. This fall apple cinnamon cake beats any seasonal candle for faking a together life.
Tools You’ll Need
Nothing fancy, I promise.
- 9-inch springform pan – You really want this so you can just pop the sides off. Trying to flip a crumb cake out of a regular pan is a quick way to end up crying over a pile of crumbs.
- Pastry blender: I use this tool to cut cold butter into the streusel, though a fork also works.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer: I use a mixer because creaming butter and sugar by hand feels like an unnecessary morning workout.
- Rubber spatula: I use this to fold in apples and scrape every bit of thick batter into the pan.
Ingredients
For the crumb topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour – Spoon and level it so the topping is crumbly, not like dry sand.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar – Packs the moisture and that deep molasses flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon – Because it is not a crumb cake without it.
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter – Must be cold. If it is warm, you get a paste instead of crumbs.
For the apple cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour – Again, spoon and level.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder – Helps the cake rise.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda – Works with the buttermilk for extra lift.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt – Do not skip this, it balances the sugar.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – The star of the show.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg – Just a hint for warmth.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature. If you forgot, do the warm glass trick, do not microwave it to a puddle.
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar – For sweetness and structure.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar – Adds moisture and pairs beautifully with the apples.
- 2 large eggs – Room temperature so they do not curdle the butter.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract – The good stuff if you have it.
- 3/4 cup buttermilk – Room temperature. If you do not have it, you can make a quick substitute with regular milk and vinegar.
- 1 1/4 cups chopped apple – Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work best.
How To Make Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Set it, walk away, and pretend you did not just eat half the streusel topping raw.
- Make the crumb topping: Add the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the cubed cold butter and cut it into the mixture with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture starts to come together and is crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use. If you skip the fridge step, the butter melts before it bakes and your topping will vanish into the cake.
- Prep your pan and dry ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. I usually forget the pan spray until my hands are covered in batter, so do it now.
- Cream the butter and sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes). Four minutes feels like an eternity when you are staring at a mixer, but this is what makes the cake fluffy instead of a brick.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Mix in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, then mix in the vanilla extract, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. If it looks a little curdled here, do not panic, the flour will fix it.
- Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk: With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three parts alternating with the buttermilk (starting and ending with the flour). Make sure to mix each addition until just combined. Starting and ending with flour prevents the batter from separating, which is just edible science.
- Add the apples: Gently fold in the chopped apples until well incorporated into the cake batter. A rubber spatula is your best friend here, just do not overmix or the cake gets tough.
- Assemble and bake: Scoop the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth it out evenly. Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator and sprinkle it evenly over the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (mine is usually perfect at 50 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If it looks like it is browning too fast around minute 40, just tent a piece of foil over it to save the crumbs.
- Cool and serve: Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 20 to 30 minutes before releasing it from the springform pan. Allow to cool completely, then slice and enjoy! I rarely wait for it to cool completely because I have zero patience, and a slightly warm, messy slice is totally fine.
♥ The Misfit Tips!
- Never rush the creaming process. Mixing butter and sugar for only 30 seconds once produced dense, sad cakes instead of a fluffy crumb.
- Keep that butter cold. Using room-temperature butter for the crumb topping once melted into a flat crust instead of big, beautiful crumbs on this cinnamon apple streusel cake.
- Chop the apples small. Massive apple chunks sink to the bottom and leave the cake soggy.
Make it yours
- Caramel drizzle version. You drizzle warm caramel sauce over the cooled cake for a richer, dessert-leaning fall apple cinnamon cake.
- Pecan version. You fold chopped pecans into the crumb topping for extra crunch alongside the cinnamon.
Perfect Pairings
This apple crumb cake suits two specific pairings particularly well.
- A cold glass of milk works well for serving kids or just feeling nostalgic.
- A lazy Sunday brunch calls for exactly this kind of cake while everyone stays in sweatpants.
How to Store Apple Coffee Cake
❤
- Fridge. Up to three days in an airtight container, though the crumb topping softens.
- Freezer. Up to three months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
- Reheat. Ten to fifteen seconds in the microwave brings back a fresh-baked taste.
- Storage note. The crumb topping peaks in crunchiness on day one, then settles into a softer, still-delicious texture.
Apple Coffee Cake
This apple cinnamon coffee cake proves that a forgotten breakfast promise can still turn into a genuinely impressive bake with almost no advance planning. This apple cinnamon coffee cake recipe layers a buttery brown sugar streusel over a tender, spiced apple batter, delivering everything a proper apple crumb cake should taste like. Whether served at a lazy Sunday brunch or sliced as a fall apple cinnamon cake for a school breakfast emergency, this cinnamon apple streusel cake earns a permanent spot in the regular rotation.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the cubed cold butter and cut it into the mixture with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture starts to come together and is crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes). Mix in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, then mix in the vanilla extract, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three parts alternating with the buttermilk (starting and ending with the flour). Make sure to mix each addition until just combined.
- Gently fold in the chopped apples until well incorporated into the cake batter.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth it out evenly. Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator and sprinkle it evenly over the top.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (mine is usually perfect at 50 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If needed, cover loosely with foil around the 40-minute mark to prevent excess browning.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 20 to 30 minutes before releasing it from the springform pan. Allow to cool completely, then slice and enjoy!