Topped with a spiral of apple slices and cinnamon sugar, this simple coffee cake makes a beautiful presentation for brunch or dessert.

Partial view of a freshly baked apple coffee cake on a cooling rack with a Golden Delicious apple in the background.

A traditional coffee cake is a simple, one-layer cake with a crumbly streusel topping. Our apple coffee cake is a lighter version using slices of cinnamon and sugar-dusted, Golden Delicious apple in place of the streusel. The cake is buttery, moist, and lightly sweetened so the fresh apple flavor really takes center stage.

Apple Coffee Cake Ingredients

The printable recipe below has all the specifics regarding ingredients and quantities but we do have a couple of special recommendations.

  • 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.
  • 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 comprimise.
  • 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.

An uncut, round apple coffee cake topped with a spiral of thin apple wedges dusted with cinnamon and sugar.
Golden Delicious Coffee Cake Recipe

Easy Apple Coffee Cake

4.4 from 7 votes
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Topped with a spiral of apple slices and cinnamon sugar, this simple coffee cake makes a beautiful presentation for brunch or dessert.
Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
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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.
Author: Lynne Webb
Course: Baking & Desserts
Cuisine: American
Calories: 298kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 367mg, Potassium: 90mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g
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