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Table of Contents
A traditional coffee cake is a simple single-layer cake with a crumbly streusel topping. Our delicious apple coffee cake is a lighter version using thin slices of Golden Delicious apple dusted with cinnamon and sugar in place of the streusel. The resulting cake is buttery, moist, and lightly sweetened so the fresh apple flavor really takes center stage.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
We initially ran across the idea for this apple coffee cake in Mary Margaret McBride’s Encyclopedia Of Cooking. The recipe that inspired us was titled “Open-Faced Apple Cake.” Our batter is quite different, but the concept of a topping of golden, buttery apple slices spiced with cinnamon and sugar is essentially the same.
Mary Margaret McBride was a radio personality in the 1950s and a trusted name in mid-twentieth-century American homes. The “encyclopedia” was initially published in 1959. It has more than 1500 pages and contains thousands of recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts, as well as cooking tips and meal planning advice. If you like vintage cookbooks, it’s a nice one to own.
Featured Ingredients
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
- SALT: When it comes to baking, our top choices are non-iodized table salt or kosher salt.
- MILK: Always use whole milk for baking. It adds better flavor and produces tender baked goods. We use reduced fat milk for drinking, pouring on cereal, etc., but when it comes baking, we don’t compromise.
- BUTTER: We always use unsalted (sweet) butter in our kitchen, even for savory dishes. It gives you better control over your flavors. Salt is added to butter in order to extend shelf life, but since butter freezes well there’s really no reason to add extra salt to your recipes in this way.
- GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLE: Golden Delicious apples are a firm, sweet apple variety that hold their shape when baked and resist browning, making them the perfect choice for topping this coffee cake.
How to Make Apple Coffee Cake
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
GET READY TO BAKE: Preheat the oven to 400°F and generously butter a 9-inch round cake pan.
MIX THE BATTER: Sift the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, mix the egg and milk, then stir it all into the dry ingredients until it’s just mixed. Pour the batter into the pan.
TOP WITH APPLES: Peel, core, and slice the apple thin. Arrange the slices in a spiral on top of the batter. Brush those apple slices with melted butter. Mix cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle it all over the apples.
BAKE AND ENJOY: Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the pan and a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip it onto a rack. Slice it up and serve it warm or at room temp!
Tips for Success
The key to a moist coffee cake with a soft crumb is even heating while baking. Here are a few tips to help you get the best results.
- CHECK YOUR OVEN TEMPERATURE: To ensure even baking, it’s important to check your oven temperature. An inexpensive oven thermometer will let you know if your oven is accurately heating to the baking temperature you want. If the oven is too hot, your baked goods might dry out or dome.
- AVOID DOMING: We’ve learned a few tricks to avoid doming (when the center of your cake rises higher than the edges). This can happen for a number of reasons, ranging from overmixing to excess leavening agents (i.e. baking powder or soda), but in our experience, it’s often because the cake is baked at too high a temperature, or as a result of uneven heat distribution. We’ve had good success so far with cake strips, which are fabric strips you soak in cold water and wrap around your cake pan to help ensure the edges of your cake don’t bake faster than the center, thus preventing doming and overly browned edges.
Frequently Asked Questions About Apple Coffee Cake
Once it has cooled, coffee cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. To maintain the most freshness, it should be stored in an airtight container.
You can reheat coffee cake in a 350°F oven by wrapping it loosely in foil and heating for about 10 to 15 minutes. Individual slices can be reheated in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds.
Yes, if properly stored, coffee cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Be sure the cake is completely cooled before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. You can thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator.
It’s up to personal preference, but room temperature or slightly warmed is best.
Discover More Easy Apple Recipes
Apples are so versatile and lend themselves well to easy dessert recipes, which are always a hit in our kitchen. Some of our other favorites include a buttery, crumb-topped apple brown betty, a raisin-studded spiced apple pudding cake, and an apple cream parfait.
Easy Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
For the topping:
- 1 large Golden Delicious apple
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and generously butter a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter, toss to coat with flour, then cut in with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Whisk the egg and milk together in a separate bowl, then combine with the dry ingredients until blended. Don’t over mix.
- Spread the dough in the prepared cake pan and set aside.
- Peel, core and cut the apple into thin slices, then arrange them in a spiral pattern on top of the dough, pushing gently to nestle them in as you work. Brush liberally with the melted butter.
- Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the heat the same for a glass dish
Hi Cathy,
If you are baking in glass, it might be a good idea to reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Glass bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal does and it also holds the heat longer. Reducing the oven temperature will help to keep the edges of the cake from drying out while it finishes baking in the center.
Made this tonight with my son, easy peas. We used thin fresh sliced pineapples instead of apples and it came out beautiful. Outside of cake was a little overdone but that could be bad pans or too hot oven. Other than that recipe was perfect and tasty!! thanks!
Yum! Tonight for sure!