A soft, moist, and flavorful apple crumb cake topped off with a crumbly cinnamon streusel. It makes a tasty breakfast treat or dessert, especially during fall!
Apple Coffee Cake
This apple crumb cake is the fall snacking cake of your dreams! It’s infused with apples, cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar for all the fall flavor. The apples add a nice touch of moisture, but I also fold in some sour cream for even more.
The result is a soft and tender crumb that contrasts beautifully with the crumbly streusel topping. Can you think of a more perfect way to use up all those apples from apple picking?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Versatile: can be served as a cozy fall dessert, snacking cake, or breakfast cake. Also, if sweet breakfast treats are your thing, try my pumpkin pancakes next!
- Warm, comforting flavor and moist, tender texture. Several readers have described it as “absolutely delicious!” and I couldn’t agree more.
- Takes just a few minutes to prepare with pantry staples. It’s a great last-minute treat!
- This recipe is easy! Uses melted butter for both the cake and the streusel, so there is no mixer or pastry cutter needed.
Ingredients
I carefully selected today’s ingredients to yield a perfectly dense and tender crumb. Luckily, you don’t need anything fancy–just a few simple staples will do! 🧂🧈🥚
- Apples. I typically need 1-2 apples for this recipe. Make sure to peel your apples before dicing, as the peels can become quite tough when baked. I talk more about the best type of apple to use in the FAQ section below.
- Cinnamon. Cinnamon is a must for this cake! It adds that warm, cozy flavor and pairs so well with the apples. A sprinkle of nutmeg would be tasty too, if you want even more spice.
- Butter. We are using melted butter in this recipe. Make sure your butter isn’t too warm–I like to let it cool to the touch before adding it.
- Sour cream. This adds flavor and moisture to the cake, similar to the buttermilk I add to my blueberry coffee cake.
- Brown sugar. I use light brown sugar in the cake and streusel. I suppose you could use dark brown sugar or a mix of the two, but the cake will be a bit richer and sweeter if you do.
SAM’S TIP: I bake this cake in a springform pan so it stays nice and thick (springforms are deeper than traditional cake pans) and serves easily. You could try using a different pan, but you need to be mindful to not overfill it and adjust your bake time accordingly (typically less time for a larger pan and more for a smaller pan).
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Apple Crumb Cake
First, make the batter. We start with melted butter so the entire recipe can easily be made by hand (no electric or stand mixer required). Combine the wet ingredients, then whisk together the dry ingredients, then gently fold them together.
Then add the apples. Apples should be chopped nice and small (unless you want larger, more discernible pieces) and should be gently folded in with care being taken to distribute the apples evenly but to not over-mix the batter.
SAM’S TIP: Just like when making pancakes or pumpkin bread, over-mixing can cause dense, rubbery results, so mix only as much as you must and use a spatula (not an electric mixer).
Make and add the streusel topping. I use my easy streusel technique in which I start with melted (but not too hot!) butter and gently claw this into the rest of the streusel ingredients with a fork. Then sprinkle this easily over the apple crumb cake batter, transfer to the oven, and bake.
This streusel topping is the crown jewel, it’s crumbly, perfectly spiced and so flavorful. You might recognize it from my pumpkin coffee cake, as well as from my favorite coffee cake recipe. Perfection, I tell you.
Make the vanilla glaze, then drizzle. The glaze comes together quickly and is essentially foolproof. If you accidentally make it to thin, add another spoonful of powdered sugar. Too thick? Add another splash of milk.
For best results, let the cake cool some before drizzling the glaze overtop or it will melt all over the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like a more tart, firm apple like Granny Smith. Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji would also work nicely though (if you have a surplus of these from apple picking, try my fried apples next!). I don’t recommend using softer apples like McIntosh in most of my apple recipes, except for my apple butter.
I recommend storing in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. If you need to store it longer, you can refrigerate or freeze (instructions below).
Absolutely! I recommend wrapping the cake well in plastic wrap before placing in an airtight container and freezing for a month or two.
You could, but I would actually recommend you try my apple crumble muffins instead, since that recipe is designed to rise nicely in a muffin tin and is fluffier (as muffins should be!).
I have several other coffee cake flavors you might enjoy, like my sour cream coffee cake and banana coffee cake.
Enjoy!
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Apple Crumb Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (165 g) diced, peeled apples (this was about 1 ½ apples for me)
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk (any kind)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease and flour a 9" (23cm) springform pan.
- Combine melted butter and sugars in a large bowl and stir until well-combined¾ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla extract, stir well2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stir in sour cream.½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Using a spatula, gradually add dry ingredients and wet and stir until just combined– do not over-mix!
- Fold in apple pieces and pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Set aside and prepare your streusel.1 ½ cups (165 g) diced, peeled apples
Streusel
- Prepare the crumble topping by whisking together flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt.1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour the melted butter into the mixture and, using a fork, stir until crumbles form. Evenly sprinkle streusel over batter.6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Transfer pan to oven and bake on 350F (175C) for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before adding vanilla glaze.
Vanilla Glaze
- If desired, make glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Start with 2 teaspoons of milk and add a third if it isn’t thin enough to drizzle.½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar, 2-3 teaspoons milk, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Drizzle over cooled cake. Allow glaze to harden, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
Storing
Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Cake may also be tightly wrapped and frozen for 1-2 months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe was originally published in October of 2017. I’ve updated the post with new photos and made some minor tweaks to the recipe (adjusting the bake time and adding a pinch of salt).
Cris
Can I make this recipe using a 9 inch square pan?
Sam
Hi Cris! You can, but your cake will be a bit thinner and the bake time will change a bit. 🙂
Tara
Hi! Should this be left out on the counter or should it be put in the fridge? Also, how long will this last for if not eaten all at once! Thank you!!
Sam
Hi Tara! You can leave it on the counter for several days as long as you keep it covered so it doesn’t dry out. 🙂
Amanda
What kind of apples do you recommend using?
Sam
Hi Amanda! Any apple will work here. I like a more tart apple like gala. 🙂
Christy
Can this be frozen and thawed? I would like to bring this to an office party but would like to make ahead and just thaw it a couple days before.
Sam
Hi Christy! That will be just fine. 🙂
Bruce James
Hi Sam, thanks very much for this recipe. I love it when a recipe is as good as it’s rating/s and this one definitely is. Made per the recipe and instructions and wouldn’t change a thing. Much appreciated. Bruce
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Bruce! 🙂
Alissa
If you are using an 8” springform pan instead of 9”, would you suggest keeping it in the oven for maybe an extra 5-10 min? Thanks!
Alissa
And what about using a 9×13” pan? Double recipe? How long to bake?
Sam
You shouldn’t need to make any adjustments to fit this into a 9 x 13 pan, but I am not sure on the bake time.
Sam
Hi Alissa! I haven’t tried it in an 8″ springform, but make sure to not fill the batter higher than 2/3 of the way full or it will overflow the pan. You will probably have some excess batter and it will probably need to bake for less time. 🙂
Michele Reeder
Couldn’t you make it in a bundt pan as well? Would you have to double recipe here?
Sam
Hi Michele! I believe you could get away with just increasing all ingredients by 50%. My only concern about baking it in a bundt pan is the topping not gettin crispy like it should. 🙂
Dr Devika
Hi, can i make it into a loaf cake?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Devika! Yes, you can. The bake time will just be different than what is listed so I recommend keeping an eye on it. Keep me posted on how it turns out. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Pris
I knew when I made your carrot cake cupcakes last week (which were amaaazing not even frosted) that I had to look to your blog again in order to find out what to do with a surplus of apples, haha.
This recipe did not disappoint! Nice, tender cake, little bits of apple, lovely flavour from the cinnamon and brown sugar. The streusel topping alone was sweet enough for us, so we chose to forego the glaze. Funny thing is, I told my husband that this is the first recipe I’ve ever made that calls for streusel topping where I did not kick myself for not doubling the amount of streusel!
I did choose to bake it in an 8×8 pan, so that meant 35/40 mins wasn’t enough and it needed an extra 7 or so minutes in the oven, which worked out just fine. I’d love to make these as muffins another time, too.
Sam
That is so awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed the crumb cake so much! I appreciate that you came to look for recipes on my site. 🙂 I actually have an apple crumble muffin that’s really tasty too. 🙂
Michelle
This is the most delicious cake and I have made it 3 times in the past 3 weeks. It is my favourite cake ever !! Thank you for sharing it with the world 🙂 My kids love it as the apple “dissolves” into the batter when baked as they don’t like to bite into fruit pieces in any baked goods. The first try came out perfect. My second and third “fell in” in the middle and was la little doughy although I baked it longer when the skewer did not come out clean at 35/40 minutes.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Michelle! I’m sorry it sunk in the middle. It may have needed a little bit longer to bake, or if you open your oven too much to test it while baking that could cause it to fall as well. 🙂
Felicia Rearick
Can I use these recipe to create apple crumb cupcakes? If so how long should I bake?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Felicia! Yes, you can! Without trying it myself I am not certain of the exact baking time so you will need to keep an eye on it. I would reccomend to start checking them around 20 mins. I also have an apple crumb muffin recipe that you also like to try. 🙂
Felicia Rearick
I am making care packages for various people and the muffins are on the list too 😁
Sugar Spun Run
What a thoughtful and sweet gesture, Felicia! Chocolate chip muffins and Banana muffins are a few of my most-loved recipes if you need any muffin ideas. 🙂
Monique
I want to use this for a quarter sheet. would I need to double recipe?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Monique! This makes about a 2″ thick cake in a 9″ springform pan. To have the same thickness or a tad bit thicker, I would double the recipe so that it fits well in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan! I hope that you enjoy the apple crumb cake. 🙂
Rick
Incredible recipe. Easy to make and the best apple crumb cake ever….👌😎❤
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Rick! I am so glad that you enjoyed the apple crumb cake! 🙂
MELISSA ORMOND
my3 year old a myself ate this cake for breakfast until it was gone and now im gonna make it again. soooooo good!!
Sam
😂 That sounds like an awesome breakfast to me! I am so glad everyone enjoyed the apple crumb cake. 🙂
Desiree hake
Thank you for the recipes I will try them
Sugar Spun Run
You are welcome, Desiree! I hope that you enjoy the apple crumb cake. 🙂