This Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake is soft, tender, and loaded with apples and cinnamon. The crumb topping gives the cake a buttery crunch along with a creamy, sweet glaze to top it off!
Make sure to try my classic Coffee Cake recipe too!
Well, it’s that time of year again to make sure your kitchen is fully stocked with apples and cinnamon. Of course baking with this winning combo makes your house smell delicious, but you also end up with a cake that you will absolutely LOVE!
I feel like this cake is the mash-up of two super popular recipes that I have already on my site, my Apple Fritter Cake and my Easy Cinnamon Roll Cake. Basically if you like those, you will LOVE this one.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Coffee Cake
Easy Ingredients. This is especially great to make during apple season when they are plentiful, but easily can and should be enjoyed all year long. The cake has multiple steps, but everything is easy to make and is a great beginner recipe!
Texture. The addition of sour cream into the cake makes it extra moist and tender, plus the juiciness the apples bring makes this soft and tender!
Flavor. The apples, the cinnamon, the crumb topping, and the icing! The fun part about this cake is there is not only a cinnamon crumb topping, you have a cinnamon sugar swirl in every bite.
Do You Have To Use Sour Cream In This Cake Recipe?
I know there are some of you who don’t like sour cream, but trust me in that you can’t taste it in this recipe at all. It simply adds a moistness and gives the cake a tender crumb. BUT if you don’t have sour cream, you can sub full-fat Greek Yogurt in its place.
Ingredients
I am going to list what you will need for this Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe, but there are 4 elements to the cake: the crumb topping, the swirl mixture, the cake, and the icing. All of the ingredients are simple, and there is a lot of overlap in the elements, so make sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to the recipe card that has all the measurements and instructions!
Butter. I use salted butter in this recipe. You will need both cold butter, and room temperature butter. The cold butter you will use to make the crumb topping and the room temperature butter will be used in the cake batter.
Sugars. You will use granulated sugar, light brown sugar AND powdered sugar. The granulated sugar will be used in the cinnamon swirl and the cake, while the brown sugar is used in the crumb topping. POwdered sugar is used in the icing on top!
Dry Ingredients: All purpose flour, kosher salt, baking soda and baking powder, and ground cinnamon.
Sour Cream. If you don’t have sour cream you can sub in Greek yogurt or even buttermilk in a pinch.
Eggs. I use large sized eggs in all my baking recipes.
Apples. I suggest Granny Smith apples in this recipe because they are tart and sweet, but also bake well and don’t get mushy! BUT you can use whatever type of apples you like.
How To Make Apple Coffee Cake
The cake batter comes together very easily. Dice up the apples and stir those in at the end, making sure that the apples are evenly distributed in the cake batter.
Half of the cake batter in a 9×13 with the cinnamon sugar mixture swirled in. The remaining cake batter and cinnamon sugar mixture swirled into the batter.
Spread half of the cake batter into a greased 9×13 baking pan and then top it with half of the cinnamon swirl mixture, which is light brown sugar and ground cinnamon mixed together. Run a butter knife through that to swirl it into the cake. Then repeat this step with the remaining cake batter and then the rest of the cinnamon swirl mixture.
Then you are going to top the whole cake with a delicious and buttery crumb topping. The layers of flavor in this cake are outstanding. You have the buttery cake batter loaded with apples, the brown sugar cinnamon swirl, and now the crumb topping!
Once it’s baked you will have a perfect looking coffee cake. You could stop there, but a sweet drizzle of icing just send this over the top. Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.
How To Store Apple Coffee Cake
You can store this cake airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it for up to 5 days for best freshness! I don’t prefer cold cake, so I recommend that if you refrigerate it, take it out of the fridge before serving, allowing it to come back up to room temperature.
To Freeze:
Freeze this airtight in the freezer for up to 2 months for best freshness. Allow it to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving.
This apple twist on coffee cake is moist, tender, and delicious!
Crumb Topping
1 cup cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all purpose flour
Cinnamon Swirl
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cake
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 – 2 1/2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples (2 medium-sized apples)
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and flour. Using your hands or a pastry cutter combine ingredients until they resemble coarse sand and hold together when squeezed. Set aside.
Cinnamon Swirl: In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Cake: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine butter and sugar, mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add in vanilla and eggs mixing until smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Add in sour cream, salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and continue mixing on medium speed for 30 seconds, until mixture is combined.
Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just incorporated and then stir in the apples.
Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the batter with half of the cinnamon swirl mixture. Using a butter knife, swirl the mixture into the batter.
Repeat with the remaining batter and remaining cinnamon sugar.
Sprinkle the crumb topping onto the cake evenly.
Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes.
Icing: Prepare the icing by whisking the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth. Drizzle over top of cake.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze airtight in the freezer for up to 2 months, thaw at room temperature.
