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 cake 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. Seriously, perfect. 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!
How to make Apple Crumb Coffee Cake
For this recipe, 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 1/3 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
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!
You may also love these apple recipes
- Cranberry Apple Pie
- Apple Cinnamon Streusel Bread
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Caramel Apple Crisp
- Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Mini Apple Pies
- Apple Cider Muffins
If you make this recipe, I’d LOVE to know what you think below! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/or comment. Also, please don’t forget to share a photo of your delicious finished recipe on Instagram or Facebook and give me a tag so I can see!
Apple Crumb Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 6 tbs unsalted butter cut into chunks and softened
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup buttermilk*
- 1 1/2 apples peeled, cored & sliced thin, Granny Smith and Honey Crisp are my favorite
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbs unsalted butter melted
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp 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 won't look like a lot 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 and then go from there.
- 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 1/3 cup of milk. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before adding to recipe.
- Cake will keep fresh for 2-3 days if 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.
Oohhh this looks so delicious! I love crumb cakes, and love how you added the apples to this, I’ll have to remember this in the fall! Looks wonderful!
Thanks Maria, it really is awesome!
love all the crumb topping and i would so have it a la mode too!
Love the apples, crumb to cake ratio, and addition of ice cream and glaze! Bookmarked and pinned!
Silly me, how could I have got to 35 years old and blog about cooking equipment and not know that coffee cake doesn’t necessarily have coffee in it, I had to look it up in Wikipedia !
Thanks for a truly delicious recipe, the family absolutely devoured the coffee cake in no time at all. And thanks for the missing piece in my education. Amazing.
You’re not alone, I just learned this year also that coffee cake doesn’t have coffee in it! Ha ha ha! I’m so happy you and your family loved it Jenni!
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
Thank you, Josey! That’s so great to hear! This is one of my most favorite recipes. 🙂
I made this delicious cake this afternoon! Definitely a crowd pleaser and as an added bonus, my house now smells like cinnamon and apples!! Thanks for sharing.
Is this 1 1/2 apples??? or 1 1/2 pounds of apples? Pounds or Each? thanks! excited to make!
1 apple + 1/2 apple. Let me know how you like it, Debbie! Sorry for the late reply!
Thank you for the recipe.
I have made it but it is toooo sweet!
However I didn’t serve with brown sugar glaze.
This cake is amazing! Turned out perfectly! Xx
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?
Nope! The recipe is correct. I see why you might think that though! Haha