Homestyle Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake (Print Version)

Moist coffee cake with apples, cinnamon, and crumb topping. Ideal for breakfast or a comforting sweet moment.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Cake

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ tsp baking powder
03 - ½ tsp baking soda
04 - ½ tsp salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup sour cream or full-fat plain yogurt
10 - 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced

→ For the Cinnamon Swirl

11 - ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
12 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon

→ For the Crumb Topping

13 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
14 - ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
15 - ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
16 - ½ tsp ground cinnamon
17 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract.
04 - Mix in half of the dry ingredients, followed by the sour cream, then the remaining dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
05 - Gently fold in the diced apples.
06 - In a small bowl, combine light brown sugar and cinnamon for the swirl.
07 - Spread half the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter. Top with the remaining batter, spreading gently to cover.
08 - In a bowl, blend flour, cold butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt using a fork or fingers until coarse crumbs form.
09 - Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the cake.
10 - Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11 - Cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Ready in just over an hour from start to finish
  • Uses simple pantry staples you likely already have
  • Perfect balance of tender cake with crunchy crumb topping
  • Works beautifully for breakfast or dessert
  • Stays moist for days if it lasts that long
02 -
  • High in flavor but incredibly simple to make
  • The cake freezes beautifully for up to 3 months
  • Perfect for using up apples that are slightly past their prime
  • Can be made a day ahead as the flavor actually improves overnight
03 -
  • The temperature of your ingredients matters tremendously. Room temperature eggs and butter incorporate more air when beaten, creating a lighter texture. I take eggs out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking, and set out the butter even earlier to properly soften.
  • When making the crumb topping, use butter straight from the refrigerator. Cold butter creates those beautiful pockets that melt during baking and form the perfect crumbly texture. If your hands tend to be warm, consider using a pastry cutter instead of your fingers to prevent melting the butter prematurely.
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