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If you like cake for breakfast or dessert you’ll love this easy Apple Coffee Cake Recipe! Topped with streusel and cream cheese glaze! Be sure to check out my Classic Apple Cake recipe while you’re at it.
This Apple Coffee Cake was something I whipped up in a flash because we were invited over to dinner at a friends’ house. It’s a pretty simple cake, but looks much fancier than that, don’t you think? This is because of the glaze, the streusel, it’s on a cake plate, it’s round and not in its baking pan still!

Apple Coffee Cake
I needed something to take and this is the dessert I came up with from what I had on hand. As I was photographing the finished product I was thinking to myself how easy this cake was to make, but how semi-upscale it looked! Basically, if you have a very plain recipe for something, try adding a glaze and/or a streusel. That will jazz it right up and make people want you to be their live-in chef.
For more apple cakes try these out: Applesauce Sheet Cake with Divinity Frosting and Nutritious and Delicious Apple Oat Cake.
Shall we make some cake?
To start making this Apple Coffee Cake you’ll need to gather up some dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and apples.
Dry Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour – this fills out the cake and makes it cake!
- Baking Powder – makes the cake light and fluffy.
- Salt – enhances the flavors.
- Baking Soda – this helps the cake rise.
- Granulated Sugar – to sweeten.
- Cinnamon – a super good spice that compliments apples!
- Nutmeg – nutmeg helps bring out and enhance the cinnamon taste as well as adding its own flavor to the mix.
Wet Ingredients
- Apple – use whatever apples you have on hand and cube them.
- Canola Oil – this helps the texture of the cake stay consistent throughout.
- Eggs – adds structure to the cake.
- Low Fat Buttermilk – helps moisten the cake but also provides a slightly tangy flavor.
- Low Fat Sour Cream – another moistening agent. If you don’t have buttermilk or sour cream on hand just replace with milk.
- Vanilla Extract – this flavors the cake.
How to Make Apple Coffee Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and pour all wet ingredients in. Slowly start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined.
Apples
- Find an apple in your fridge, peel it, core it and dice it up. I almost grated my apple because I despise huge chunks of fruit in my cakes, but then changed my mind at the last minute and cubed mine up into tiny little pieces…because I can. That’s why.
- Now pour in the apple cubes and stir it up. Voila! Cake batter.
- Pour that bowl of goodness into the springform pan and smooth the top.
Streusel
Now onto the streusel. Warning: I made a huge amount of streusel. I mean HUGE. I recommend halving the recipe. If you are abnormal like me and feel the need to make a huge crust o’ streusel on your cake then be my guest. But, for you normal folk, start with half! Now, streusel is super simple to make and makes everything it comes in contact with taste better. I heart streusel. You’ll need:
- Oats – crumbly delicious texture.
- All-Purpose Flour – to balance out the moisture of the butter.
- Sugar – to sweeten.
- Butter – this helps keep all the dry ingredients together.
- Cinnamon – to flavor the streusel.
- Walnuts – a crunchy, nutty addition.
How to Make Streusel
- In a small bowl, stir all ingredients for streusel together until butter pieces are small chunks found throughout the mixture.
- Basically, you want to disperse the butter through the dry ingredients so that when it bakes, it becomes a crusty hot mess over the apple cake. Not a powdery hot mess. There is a huge difference between the two.
- Sprinkle over top of the cake and bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and cool.
Cream Cheese Glaze
This amazing cream cheese glaze takes this Apple Coffee Cake over the top!
- Cream Cheese – softened! The main star of the glaze with all of its creamy, tangy goodness.
- Butter – softened! Another fat to flavor the glaze. You can also use margarine.
- Powdered Sugar – to sweeten.
- Vanilla – to flavor.
- Milk – to thin out the glaze! You can add as much or as litten as you’d like.
- Before serving, whip cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and runny. Add the milk slowly until desired drizzling consistency is reached.
- Un-hinge springform pan and place cake on serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and serve.

More Recipes like Apple Coffee Cake!
Printable recipe card below. Save this recipe because it’s a good one! Happy baking! 🙂

Apple Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
for the cake -
- 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup apple peeled and diced (1/4 inch pieces)
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup low fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the streusel -
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup walnuts
for the glaze -
- 3 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter softened (or margarine)
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons milk or enough to make it a glazing consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and pour all wet ingredients in. Slowly start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Toss in apple pieces and stir. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients for streusel together until butter pieces are small chunks found throughout the mixture. Sprinkle over top of the cake and bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and cool.
- Before serving, whip cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth and runny. Add the milk slowly until desired drizzling consistency is reached. Un-hinge the springform pan and place cake on a serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and serve.














You said apple coffee cake but I did not see the coffee ingredient. Am I wrong?
Erlinda, there is no coffee in any coffee cake. That is just what they are called because many people drink coffee with these cakes and make a it breakfast food.
I’ve made this several times since you posted it. A wonderful, moist coffee cake to serve at breakfast with cheesy scrambled eggs on the side. This is definitely a keeper!
This looks to be the apple coffee cake I have been searching for. I read some of your recipes that call for low-fat dairy ingredients. Is that your preference for a healthier treat? I ask because my on-hand dairy such as sour cream or milk is full fat and wonder if that will have a noticeable effect on the outcome. I’m so looking forward to trying this recipe! And am really excited to have found your recipe site/blog. Thanks! 🙂 ~ Chey
Do you have to use a springform pan, what can I substitute?
Hey Lauren!! This Apple coffee cake was totally a new thing for me when I first read it. But, when I prepared it and eat it, I became a fan!! Keep sharing more such recipes.
Delicious coffeecake. I adjusted glaze by 1/4 teas vanilla, 1/4 teas almond, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 c confectioners, 2 table maple syrup, 3 table Italian sweet cream, it tastes delicious… Thank you for coffeecake recipe, I used pecans and I added raspberry jam I center.
Really very good. Will make again. Made as per recipe.
This looks so yummy!!!!
This looks soooooo good!
Love coffee cake and cant wait to try this apple one!
It’s the perfect combo of both items I enjoy.!
Leaving a comment for the drawing!
Cant wait to try this! Perfect for the fall season. I love pumpkin but am a little tired of it at the moment so apples are perfect. Oh and who doesnt love cream cheese icing?! Yummm! Congratulations on 10 years of blogging. 👏🏼🎉 I love your recipes, travel posts and so enjoy your beautiful family. Thanks for sharing with the world! 😊❤
This looks utterly delicious! I went looking for an apple recipe because it is FINALLY feeling like fall in Virginia, and our local orchards have some great pickings (pun intended). Yum, and thank you!
This looks perfect to try with girlfriends over for coffee and brunch!!!
I love this cake! Thank you for your amazing recipes.
Apple desserts are my favorite and coffee cake is my husband’s so this is absolutely perfect!!
I want to make this for my middle son. He loved an apple cake that I lost the recipe for.
This one will be finally done this weekend. Been holding on to it waiting for the best time to do. A visit with my sister this week, will be that time I’ve been waiting to make this divine apple coffee cake. Can’t wait!!!!
This was amazing!! And…one can never have to much strudel 😃!!
This looks like an amazing breakfast for the week of Thanksgiving. I’ll have to make sure we have hot cider to go with it.
I’m all about apple right now! Can’t wait to make this. Yum!
This looks great can’t wait to it trybit!
This looks amazing. I’m going to add this to my list of recipes to make.
Cake for breakfast…absolutely! This looks perfect for an upcoming office breakfast and a great way to feature local apples. Can’t wait to try it.
One can never have too many apple cake recipes. Buttermilk AND sour cream?? 😁 This one looks divine! Can’t wait to try it. Bring on the rainy days!
Looks so good! Going to have to try this with the apples we picked.
This looks delicious!
I have been searching for a way to use up some apples and this looks amazing, Thank You!
This recipe is perfect for fall! Love my some apple and coffee cake.
Looks delish! We always have a peice of pie or cake after coming home from church on Sunday mornings… I’ll have to try this one next time!
Coffee cake is much favorite, but I’ve never added apples to it! Totally making this recipe!!
Ami reading this wrong or does it say coffee apple cake with no coffee mentioned anywhere in the ingredients or method?
or am I loosing my mind???
Coffee Cake doesn’t usually have coffee IN it. It’s just meant to be eaten WITH coffee.
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