This is the best Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe that you can easily make from scratch! The sour cream cake base is soft, buttery, and crumbly, and topped with delicious caramelized cinnamon apple slices.
One of my favorite apple desserts is this scrumptious Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake. It’s made with a delicious sour cream cake base and topped with cinnamon apple slices. The best part of this recipe is that it’s super easy to make and you will have a lovely treat for your family.
If you love apples as much as I do, you will also like my Apple Pie with Puff Pastry, Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls, Homemade Apple Pie Recipe, made with Foolproof Pie Dough, Apple and Blueberry Crumble, Apple Sponge Cake, and Old Fashioned Apple Crisp. I love to serve it with a scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Caramel Sauce.
Why you will love it
It’s easy to love this delicious Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake. It has a mouthwatering buttery and crumbly base and topped with aromatic sliced cinnamon apples. Whether you make it for breakfast, dessert, or a house party, it will be a great treat that everyone will love!
How to make it
Start with preheating the oven to 350°F. Then grease an 8×8-inch baking pan with softened butter or non-stick spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl mix together cored and sliced apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside. While you are working on the cake batter, the apples will release juices to bind together sugar and cinnamon for a perfect coating (Photos 1-4).
In separate smaller bowl whisk all dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) and set aside (Photos 5-6).
In another mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or a spatula, beat together softened butter and granulated sugar for a few minutes until creamy and smooth consistency. This step will help to make the cake base light and airy (Photos 7-9).
Add eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract and mix again (Photos 10-13).
Add dry ingredients to the mixture. Using a spatula, fold the ingredients together until well combined (Photos 14-15).
Pour the batter in the greased baking pan and top it with sliced apples, covered with sugar and cinnamon, in three rows (Photos 16-17).
Bake at 350°F for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool off before serving. Enjoy!
Tips for best results
- When you cream butter and sugar, make sure you beat until they become light and airy. That will ensure the softness of your dessert.
- Slice the apples and mix with lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon before you start working on the batter. This way they will have enough time to release juices to bind together sugar and cinnamon for a perfect coating.
Options and Substitutions
- If you don’t have an 8×8-inch baking pan, you can use a round 9-inch baking pan and top the apples clockwise.
- If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute it with plain Greek yogurt. The result will be quite similar, although sour cream makes the texture softer.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, I like to use red apples, like Honeycrisp, Gala, or Fuji, because the color makes this dessert more festive in appearance. However, you really can use any apples you have on hand.
No. You don’t need to peel the apples. The skin gives a beautiful color to the dessert and helps the apples keep shape while baking.
If you have any leftovers left, you can refrigerate the rest of the cake. Here are two ways to do it:
Cover the baking pan (with the cake in it) with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Transfer the cake slices to an air-tight container and put in the fridge.
This way you can enjoy the leftovers for the next 3-4 days.
And don’t forget to check my Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake, Italian Tiramisu Recipe, Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler, and Classic Creme Brulee Recipe.
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 2 red apples cored, sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1.4 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease an 8×8-inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together 2 cored and sliced apples, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 1 tbsp cinnamon. Set aside.
- In separate smaller bowl whisk all dry ingredients (1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp salt) and set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or a spatula, cream together ½ cup softened butter and ⅔ cup granulated sugar until smooth consistency.
- Add 2 eggs, ¼ cup sour cream,¼ cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix again.
- Add dry ingredients to the mixture. Using a spatula, fold the ingredients together until well combined.
- Pour the batter in the baking pan and top it with sliced apples, covered with sugar and cinnamon, in three rows. Bake at 350°F for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool off before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- When you cream butter and sugar, make sure you beat until they become light and airy. That will ensure the softness of your dessert.
- Slice the apples and mix with lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon before you start working on the batter. This way they will have enough time to release juices to bind together sugar and cinnamon for a perfect coating.
- If you don’t have an 8×8-inch baking pan, you can use a round 9-inch baking pan and top the apples clockwise, like in my Peach Blueberry Coffee Cake.
- If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute it with plain Greek yogurt. The result will be quite similar, although sour cream makes the texture softer.
- Cover the baking pan (with the cake in it) with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Transfer the cake slices to an air-tight container and put in the fridge.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in July of 2020.
Serve with a “dessert lemon sauce”!
It turned out terrific! I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I also put my apples on top. Some of them sunk into the batter. Tastes good, except it’s not sweet enough for me. I wasn’t sure if I needed to add more sugar to it before I baked it….
This is a Tea Cake. Also good with brown sugar instead of white. Serve with sweet lemon sauce, or even a custard, it’s sweet enough.
My husband and I love this recipe. We have an Asian pear tree the is a great producer, so i used them instead of apples. The pears don’t stay on top of the cake though, they tend to sink. Still tastes great!
Should the apples not be peeled? If not, won’t it be awkward to bite into them?
This delicious apple coffee cake can make any day special. Definitely the recipe to keep handy for any day of the week. It looks delicious!
Totally pinning this! Can’t wait to give this a try here in the next few weeks. I’m drooling just looking at those photos! YUM!!
This apple cake looks gorgeous. I would love to try your version soon. Great recipe.
This apple cinnamon coffee cake is the perfect breakfast or afternoon treat. I love the whole slices of apples on top, they make for a beautiful presentation.
I’m a sucker for coffee cakes and this one is a beauty! I wouldn’t mind having this each morning with my coffee. Save me a slice please ^_^
This coffee cake is as delicious as it gets! I just loved how tender the cake was, and those caramelized apples put it over the top.
We are in love with this apple cake! So easy, and loved the apple decoration on the top of the cake… made it feel so fancy. Love this recipe!
I baked this cake over the weekend and I’m having a piece with my coffee now! Delicious!!
I am so in love with this cake! I love buttery sour cream cakes and nothing beats fresh cinnamon apples! I’m keeping this in my back pocket for fall. Oh, and a little ice cream on top wouldn’t hurt either. lol
This is a STUNNING cake! I can’t wait for the new crop Honeycrisps to be out just so I can give this recipe a try.
This coffee cake looks so pretty and so good! I love how you left the apple unpeeled. It makes the cake look beautifully rustic and comforting.