This Apple Crumb Coffee Cake has a soft and buttery vanilla cake that is filled to the brim with spiced apples and topped with a cinnamon crumb topping. A sweet brown sugar glaze is drizzled on top just before serving for the ultimate treat.
Is there anything more satisfying than a warm apple dessert with vanilla ice cream? This apple crumb cake recipe is one of my top favorite desserts. The cake layer is moist and flavorful, the apples get soft while keeping a slight crunch, and the crumb topping is sweet with a hint of cinnamon. It's like an apple pie meets a crumb cake and it is seriously delicious! The one thing that makes this dessert absolutely over the top (don't skip this step!) is the brown sugar glaze. It's the absolute perfect compliment to finish this apple crumb coffee cake off!
Why you'll love this recipe
- The brown sugar glaze is the perfect sweet finishing touch.
- This cake is filled to the brim with real apples!
- The buttery crumb topping is delicious!
Ingredients
For this recipe for apple crumb cake, you will need some very basic ingredients. As long as you have apples on hand, I bet you have all of the other components.
Cake
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar: Light brown sugar + Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used in this recipe.
- Eggs: 1 egg and 1 yolk - an extra yolk is added for extra richness!
- Vanilla extract
- Buttermilk: I usually make my own buttermilk by adding 1 teaspoon to ⅓ cup of milk for this recipe.
- Apples: Be sure to use a firm apple for this recipe. I like to use Granny Smith or HoneyCrisp. I usually will use a mixture of both for a tart and sweet combo.
Crumb Topping
- Sugar: Light brown sugar + Granulated sugar
- Spices: Cinnamon & pinch of salt
- All-purpose flour
- Butter: Unsalted butter
Brown Sugar Glaze
- Sugar: Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Water
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use your favorite type of apple. I like to use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.
- Don’t have apples? Sliced pears can be used in place of apples.
How to make apple crumb coffee cake
- For the cake: Whisk together all dry ingredients. Beat in butter until consistency resembles a coarse crumb. Add rest of cake ingredients and mix until everything is fully incorporated.
- For the crumb topping: Whisk together all dry ingredients and pour in melted butter. Mix until combined and large crumbs form. Set aside.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Scatter apple slices on top. Sprinkle crumb topping on top of apples.
- Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- For the brown sugar glaze: Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to cut your apples very thin. If they are cut too thick, they may not cook through in the cake.
- If you notice the topping is browning too fast before the cake is done, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
Storage
Room Temperature
Cooled cake will stay fresh stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezing
Wrap the entire cake without the glaze tightly in plastic wrap. Place in a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and allow to come to room temperature before serving. I recommend popping it in the oven to warm it up a bit before serving. Prepare brown sugar glaze and drizzle on cake just before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Gala are all great options. I love using a mixture of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp in all of my apple recipes!
To put it simply, crumb cake has more crumb topping than cake and coffee cake has more cake than crumb topping. This recipe is a cross between both!
Nope! Coffee cake does not have coffee in the recipe. It is meant to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee, which is what gives it it's name!
More apple recipes you'll love
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on Instagram!
Apple Crumb Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- 6 tbs unsalted butter cubed and room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup buttermilk*
- 1 ½ apples* peeled, cored & sliced thin
Crumb Topping
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
- ½ cup + 2 tbs unsalted butter melted
Brown Sugar Glaze
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tbs water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9" x 2" round pan and lightly dust with flour, set aside. Springform pans work best for this recipe!
Cake
- Combine all dry ingredients and whisk together for about one minute until fully combined. Add softened butter chunks and beat on medium-high until consistency resembles a coarse crumb and no large butter pieces remain. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and buttermilk. Beat on medium speed until everything is fully incorporated.
Crumb Topping
- Whisk together all dry ingredients and pour in melted butter. Mix until combined and large crumbs form. Set aside.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan and spread out into an even layer. (It will be a thin layer of batter. Scatter apple slices on top. Next, sprinkle crumb topping on top, breaking into large pea-sized pieces until no bare spaces remain.
- Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking cake at 40 minutes.
- Brown sugar glaze: While cake is cooling, make glaze combining brown sugar, vanilla and water. Mix until smooth and set aside.
- Cake is best served warm with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired! You can drizzle the brown sugar glaze on top of the whole cake or on each individual piece before serving.
Notes
- To make homemade buttermilk, add one teaspoon of white vinegar OR lemon juice to ⅓ cup of milk. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before adding to recipe.
- Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples are my favorite types of apples to use in this recipe.
- Cake will keep fresh for 2-3 days stored in an airtight container.
- Freezing Instructions: Wrap the entire cake without the glaze tightly in plastic wrap. Place in a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and allow to come to room temperature before serving. I recommend popping it in the oven to warm it up a bit before serving.
Josey says
Jessica I made the apple crumb coffee cake oh my it was scrumptious ! The whole thing was devoured in no time thank you for sharing your awesome recipes
Jessica says
Thank you, Josey! That's so great to hear! This is one of my most favorite recipes. 🙂
Nafi says
Thank you for the recipe.
I have made it but it is toooo sweet!
However I didn't serve with brown sugar glaze.
Liz Hughes says
This cake is amazing! Turned out perfectly! Xx
MJ says
is the instruction correct?
For Cake 6 tbs unsalted butter cut into chunks and softened ? and For Crumb topping 1/2 cup + 2 tbs unsalted butter melted
It seems swapped?
Jessica says
Nope! The recipe is correct. I see why you might think that though! Haha