This Easy and Moist Apple Coffee Cake is topped with crunchy streusel and is the perfect way to celebrate apple season! With a sweet apple flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, it’s sure to be a hit at your next breakfast or brunch gathering. Plus, it’s so easy to make that you’ll be able to whip it up in no time!

A coffee cake with glaze and sliced apples on a wood surface.

This apple coffee cake is full of sweet gala apples, moist cake, and crunchy streusel on top. This is one of those classic fall recipes that you just cant skip. Like my apple cobbler recipe, you’ll be making this on repeat!

I love baking with apples because they almost melt into cakes and smell incredible while baking in the oven. I started working on this recipe after I tested these coffee cake muffins and banana coffee cake.

A coffee cake is a cake that is traditionally served with coffee. It can be either yeast-based or quick bread and is often flavored with cinnamon, nuts, and fruit. I prefer not to use yeast in my coffee cakes because I dont like having to wait a long time to eat!

As a trained pastry chef I love to play around with textures and it was important to me that this cake stayed moist and tender with a crumb topping that is sweet and crunchy.

The gala apples add a lovely sweetness and tartness to the cake, while the cinnamon sugar crumb topping takes it over the top. The cake is moist and cuts well. Bake this dessert in a springform pan. Serve it by just lifting up the sides.

It’ll serve around 10-12 people depending on how big you cut the slices. I like to serve it with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or even vanilla ice cream, but it’s also great on its own!

If you have an abundance of apples, I have an abundance of apple desserts for you!

Ingredients

For the crumb topping:

Ingredients for streusel topping.

For Cake

Ingredients for apple coffee cake.

While you can technically use any type of apple in this cake, I prefer to use a firmer apple like Gala, Granny Smith, Honey crisp, or Braeburn. They keep their shape when baking and dont mush up.

How to make apple coffee cake

First make the crumb topping by adding the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then cut the butter (pinch together with your fingers) until the mixture is crumbly. Store in the fridge while you make the cake.

Creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl on a wooden surface.
Add the butter and mix for one minute before adding the sugar. Cream for two minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla extract and combine for an additional minute.
Coffee cake batter in a mixing bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together including the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Then, to the wet ingredients, add the dry mixture 1/3 at a time making sure to alternate with an even amount of buttermilk. Incorporate them into the batter without ove rmixing.
Sliced apples on a pink plate.
Slice the apples thin, using a mandoline can help.
Sliced apples dusted with flour on a pink plate.
Add sliced apples and remaining flour into a bowl and toss until the apples are dusted with flour to prevent them from falling. Fold in lightly to combine and evenly distribute.
Apples mixed into coffee cake batter in a mixing bowl.
Add apples to the batter.
Batter poured into a springform cake on a wooden surface.
Pour batter into a springform pan.
Coffee cake batter topped with streusel in a springform pan
Top the batter with streusel and bake.
Confectioners sugar and milk in bowls on a wooden surface.
When the cake is cooled, mix your glaze together by whisking the cream and sugar together until a thick mixture is formed. Drizzle on top of the cooled cake. Let harden before slicing and serving.

Expert recipe tips

  • When measuring out your dry ingredients, be precise. I recommend using a kitchen scale for accuracy. This will ensure your cake turns out correctly every time! If you don’t have a kitchen scale, make sure to spoon and level your ingredients when measuring.
  • Always start with room temperature ingredients (except the butter in the crumb topping) to ensure they all combine evenly without any lumps.
  • Don’t overmix! Mix until just combined making sure there are no lumps of flour in the batter. Overmixing will result in a tough coffee cake.
  • Make the recipe in a springform pan for easy release.
An apple coffee cake with 3 slices cut on a wooden surface.
A coffee cake with glaze and sliced apples on a wood surface.
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Easy and Moist Apple Crumb Cake

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 people
This Easy and Moist Apple Coffee Cake is topped with a crunchy streusel and is the perfect way to celebrate apple season! With a sweet apple flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, it's sure to be a hit at your next breakfast or brunch gathering. Plus, it's so easy to make that you'll be able to whip it up in no time!
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Ingredients

For crumb topping:

  • 1 cup all purpose flour, 120g
  • ½ cup brown sugar, 107g
  • ¼ cup sugar, 50g
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup butter, unsalted, cold, diced small.

For Cake

  • ½ cup butter softened, 113 g unsalted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, 200g
  • 1 egg, large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour, 240g + 1/2 tbsp
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon, or more to taste
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 2 medium gala apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin

For Optional Glaze:

  • ½ cup confectioners sugar, 56g
  • 1 tbsp cream

Instructions
 

  • Make the crumb topping. In a small bowl combine the 1 cup flour, 1/2 brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 -1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt.
  • Use a pastry cutter to cut in the ½ cup butter or pinch the butter into the mixture with your fingers gently until small clumps are formed no larger than the size of a pea.
  • Place in the fridge while you make the cake.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for one minute. Scrape down the sides and add the 1 cup sugar. Cream for 2 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  • Scrape the bowl again and add the egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
  • In a separate bowl combine 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp kosher salt ½ tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp baking soda. Mix lightly with a fork or whisk to combine.
  • Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the buttermilk starting and ending with the dry ingredients- ⅓ at a time- mixing in between each addition.
  • Take the remaining ½ tbsp flour and dust it over the sliced apples. Mix to combine and add to the batter, mixing lightly.
  • Spray a 10” springform pan with baking spray and pour in the batter.
  • Top with the crumb topping and bake for 50-55 minutes on until the cake is no longer jiggly.
  • When the cake is cooled, mix together the ½ cup confectioners sugar with 1 tbsp cream and drizzle all over the cake.

Notes

Gala apples were used for this recipe but you can substitute with others like braeburn or honeycrisp!

Storing instructions

Storing: This coffee cake is best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days or in the fridge for up to one week.
Freezing: If you’d like to freeze this cake for later, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 420kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 350mg, Potassium: 111mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 553IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 60mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Breakfast, Cake
Author: Sam Adler
Cuisine: American
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