Fall is in full swing and I’m fully into all of its appley, pumpkiny, cinnamony glory. Tonight I didn’t bother lighting sweet-smelling candles in the house like I normally do. The smell of this Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake baking was more than enough.
The smell of this cake with its buttery, brown sugar crumb topping is what all of my autumn dreams are made of. And that ripple of cinnamony apples running through it? Heaven!
Crumb Cake vs. Coffee Cake
The main difference between crumb cake and coffee cake is amount of streusel topping. Coffee cake recipes have less streusel topping, and crumb cake has a chunkier layer of streusel.
For example, a New York crumb cake recipe might call for the crumb layer to be as thick as the cake layer.
This coffee cake recipe focuses on the moist cake layer and the homemade apple filling. But don’t worry, the sweet crumb layer is still plenty thick!
What’s in this Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Here is what you’ll need to make this celebration of fall:
- All-purpose or gluten-free flour
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Apples. For baking, I recommend Gala, Fiji or Winesap apples. Avoid Granny Smith (too tart) and Macintosh (too mushy).
- Sour cream. This is my favorite secret weapon for cakes with the dreamiest texture. Add it to the other wet ingredients for a super moist, creamy result.
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
How to make the apple filling for this coffee cake
At this time of year it’s so delicious to add a ripple of cinnamony, syrupy apples to regular cake recipes.
We’ll cook the apples down on the stove top with sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon until they are nice and soft, like pie filling. And then we swirl the apples through the sweet cake batter.
The apple isn’t overpowering in this Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Instead, it’s just enough to make it perfect for the season. Perfect to go along with that hot cup of coffee.
The Streusel Crumb Topping
What makes this cake truly special is the crumb topping. After all, it wouldn’t be coffee cake without that thick layer of buttery crumb. I love how it sits perfectly on top of the cake, defying gravity and offering a totally different yet complementary texture.
And the way to get it to perfectly sit on top of the cake is to use melted butter. Using cold butter or even room temperature butter will cause the crumb topping to sink into the cake because the butter will be melting while the cake bakes.
If you make the crumb mixture using melted butter, the topping will sit nicely on top of the cake without sinking in.
The crumb topping is made with, more or less, the same ingredients as the cake:
Sprinkle the crumble topping over the cake batter right before you bake it.
How to serve Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
This recipe makes enough to fill a 9×13 baking dish, so you’ll have plenty to go around. It also travels well, so cut it into squares and take it to your next potluck or football game.
Or, do like I do and curl up with your own personal piece in front of the fire. It’s a cozy cake for the coziest season.
If you have any cake left over, wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap. Then, place them into a freezer bag or airtight container. This cake freezes so well, and it’s nice to be able to pop out a piece whenever you want a little treat.
When you make this Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Cake, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more apple recipes, try these:
- Apple Butter Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
- Cinnamon Apple Ice Cream Pie
- Mom’s Best Homemade Jewish Apple Cake
For more fall bakes, try these:
Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
The Cake
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 3/4 cups sugar divided
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 cups apples peeled, cored and diced into small pieces
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
The Crumb Topping
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Bring the apples, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened and apples are very soft, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Blend in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, blend the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until combined. Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Drop spoonfuls of the apple mixture onto the cake batter. Using a knife, swirl the apple mixture evenly into the cake batter.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mix all of the topping ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the cake layer. Bake 40 minutes.
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