Apple Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe

There's nothing like waking up and knowing that you've got a sweet treat waiting for you downstairs, and even better yet, when it's a treat well-suited to pair with a cup of coffee. Naturally, coffee cake is a great candidate for the job, and this apple crumb cake recipe takes things even further by incorporating a subtle fall flair. This autumnal crumb cake comes topped off with a rich, spiced streusel topping and a drizzle of sweet vanilla glaze, truly making it ideal to sweeten up a chilly fall morning or to delight friends at a pre-leaf peeping brunch.

My absolute favorite thing about this recipe is how well the cake, which is perfectly moist and slightly tangy from the sour cream, pairs with tender apple chunks and a buttery crumb topping. I especially love the textural contrast that the crumb topping provides, adding a bit of sugary crunch to the soft cake. Brown sugar and cinnamon pair up to bring a distinct sweet-spiced, fall-inspired flavor, while the vanilla glaze on top is the icing on the cake. This is also an incredibly easy recipe to whip up, and one that you can make in advance so you can wake up to a home-baked treat for the crisp days to come.

This recipe breaks down to three components: the coffee cake itself, the crumb topping, and the vanilla glaze. Starting with the cake, you'll need all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt, cinnamon, softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, unsweetened applesauce, and peeled and diced apples.

Next, for the crumb topping, reach for more flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted unsalted butter. Finally, for the glaze, you'll just need powdered sugar, milk, and more vanilla. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set it aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and combined.

Beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, and applesauce until combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled, which is fine.

Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Don't overmix.

Gently fold the diced apples into the batter.

To make the crumb topping, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture forms large crumbs.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the entire surface. Gently press the crumbs into the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If the top begins browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil. Let the cake cool completely before glazing.

Whisk the powdered sugar, milk (starting with 1 tablespoon), and vanilla together until smooth. Gradually add more milk if necessary, a teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but still drizzleable.

Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the cooled cake. Let it sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

There are plenty of ways to switch up this apple crumb coffee cake recipe, and you can start with the apples themselves. Just about any type of apple will technically work here, but I specifically recommend either Honeycrisp or Granny Smith. I used Honeycrisp because they provide a nice balance of sweetness and tartness, while Granny Smith apples offer a more pronounced tart flavor that contrasts nicely with the sweet cake and crumb topping. You could also use a combination of sweet and tart apples for more depth of flavor. 

As for other substitutions, you could start by swapping out the sour cream with Greek yogurt, if that's all you have on hand (just make sure it's plain and ideally full-fat). If the cinnamon happens to be your favorite flavor aspect of this coffee cake, you can swap out the plain, unsweetened applesauce for a cinnamon-flavored variety. To add a little more spicy depth of flavor, consider adding a little nutmeg or cardamom to the batter. Finally, if you're looking for a little nutty crunch, mixing chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter will do the trick.

There are certain ingredients that make perfect sense in a coffee cake recipe, like flour, eggs, or sugar. Then there are those ingredients that seem a little more like unique inclusions, like sour cream or applesauce. Both of these ingredients play a key role in this coffee cake, both in terms of flavor and texture.

Sour cream is one ingredient that you should absolutely be adding to your cake recipes, and it plays a bigger role than you might initially think. It adds richness, moisture, and a slight tang, while its acidity helps tenderize the cake's crumb. Applesauce, meanwhile, isn't such an odd inclusion in an apple-themed coffee cake, and it does indeed help strengthen the apple flavor with every bite. Applesauce is also a great way to add extra moisture to the cake, along with an added fruity sweetness that isn't overpowering or cloying.

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