Name: Apple Crumb Coffee Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 cups granulated sugar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 4 eggs; ¼ cup orange juice; 2 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 cups flour; 3 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 4 tart apples (peeled and cubed); 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ cup granulated sugar; ½ cup oats; ½ cup flour; ¼ cup butter (melted); ¼ cup brown sugar; 1 tart apple (peeled and cubed); ½ cup confectioner's sugar; 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4-5 tablespoon of milk

Apple crumb coffee cake is a delightful fall dessert that is moist, and flavorful and is topped with an apple, oatmeal, and brown sugar streusel.

Not only does this delicious apple coffee cake serve as a perfect dessert option throughout the cooler months but it's also an ideal choice for breakfast, brunch, or even an afternoon snack.

Apple Crumb Coffee Cake sliced and drizzled with vanilla icing.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

It has a nice balance of tart and sweetness.
It is a soft buttery cake
It's a delicious dessert option to be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
This apple crumb cake is easy to make
The crumb cake can be made ahead of time and even frozen.
This apple coffee cake is delicious served with a hot cup of coffee or a glass of orange juice.

Apple Crumb Cake unsliced in a baking dish and iced.

Best Apples for Baking

When making an apple crumble cake, it's best to use tart apples. Here are some good choices for tart apples.

Granny Smith apples and Jonagold apples are the best options when baking with apples but other great choices include are delicious Pink Lady, Cortland, and McIntosh apples.
HoneyCrisp apples are also a good choice. They are sweet apples with a bit of tartness but they do not hold their shape as well as Granny Smith or Jonagold apples.

The apples in this recipe are peeled and diced small to create a nice balance throughout this apple crumb cake recipe,

Apple crumb coffee cake on a white plate.

Ingredients in Apple Crumb Coffee Cake

Granulated sugar
Vegetable oil
Eggs, room temperature
Orange juice
Vanilla extract
All-Purpose Flour
Baking powder
Salt
Fresh apples, tart
Ground cinnamon
Oats
Butter, melted
Brown sugar
Confectioner's sugar
Milk

How to Make Apple Crumb Coffee Cake

Preheat the oven and prepare the baking dish- Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 baking dish or line it with parchment paper.

Peel and cut the apples- Wash, peel, and chop the apples into small pieces.

Combine the wet ingredients- In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, and oil. Then, mix in the vanilla extract and orange juice.

Combine the dry ingredients- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Mix the ingredients together- Using an electric mixer, slowly beat the dry mixture into the wet ingredients, careful not to overbeat.

Stir in the apples- Stir the peeled and chopped apples into the coffee cake batter. Reserve apples for the apple streusel topping.

Make the cinnamon filling- In a small bowl, mix together the remaining sugar and ground cinnamon.

Layer the batter- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.

Pour the remaining cake batter on top in an even layer.

Create the apple streusel- Combine the softened butter, cubed apple, brown sugar, flour, and oats. Combine until crumbly and sprinkle it top of the batter.

Bake- Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick to check for doneness.

Cool- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before glazing.

Uncut apple cumb cake in a white baking dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make apple crumb coffee cake moist?

To make a moist cake, use the correct apples for this recipe. Different apples contain different moisture content. Additionally, avoid overmixing the batter to prevent a dense dry cake. Lastly, keep an eye on the oven to prevent overbaking the cake.

What's the best way to store apple crumb coffee cake?

It's best to allow the apple coffee cake to cool completely before storing it. Storing a warm cake will cause condensation to build up and it will result in a soggy wet cake. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Store the crumb cake at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, wrap the coffee cake tightly in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Make sure to date and label it.

Are there any variations to apple crumb coffee cake?

Yes, there are quite a few variations of apple crumb coffee cake! You can increase the amount of cinnamon in this coffee cake by tossing the chopped apples into cinnamon to create cinnamon apples before layering it on top of the batter or sprinkling extra cinnamon on top of the apples.

Other variations include adding chopped pecans to the crumb topping, For extra sweetness, toss the nuts in light brown sugar before adding them to the crumb topping.

Apple Crumb Coffee Cake slice with a glass of milk.

📖 Recipe

Dana

Dana is the lead recipe developer and photographer for PopularRecipes.com. With her 10+ years of experience creating, testing, and photographing recipes, she has become an artist in developing wholesome, family-friendly meals that are a hit with both kids and parents.