This apple coffee cake is full of warm spices, fresh apples, and topped with a buttery crisp sugar cookie crumble topping. With each bite you get a perfect balance of softness and crunch that pairs perfectly with the sweet cinnamon glaze. Served slightly warm with a cup of coffee in the early morning hours or as a late-night snack, this Apple Crumble Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Glaze is a warm comforting dessert everyone will love.
With just a few ingredients this fall apple cake is easy to make.
Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix: With this rich yellow cake mix, making a delicious and soft apple cake is so much easier.
Full-Fat Sour Cream: Using full-fat sour cream enhances the moisture in the cake and ensures a sweet tender crumb.
Sugar Cookie Mix: Pairing a sugar cookie mix with a touch of cinnamon for the crumb topping gives a subtle crunch to the soft cake.
Cold Unsalted Butter: Cold butter is a must in this crumb topping! Using cold butter will help keep the crumb pieces whole and buttery.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, McIntosh apples, powdered sugar, and milk.
Here’s a quick look at how to make our apple crumble cake. See the recipe below for more details.
Mixing the cake ingredients just until blended is key. We suggest leaving a few streaks of the dry ingredients still visible before adding the chopped apples to avoid overmixing. Once you add the apples, you’ll be able to gently stir them in and fully mix the batter.
Using a fork or a pastry cutter, incorporate the cold cubed butter into the remaining ingredients. You want to work the butter in quickly, so it doesn’t become warm. The mixture should have crumb pieces no bigger than a dime.
Mix all the glaze ingredients together for a quick and easy glaze that can be adjusted to your liking. For a thinner glaze, add the 2 tablespoons of milk, if you want it thicker, only use 1 tablespoon.
Apple Crumble Cake with Cinnamon Glaze is best served the day it’s made, but if you have leftovers here are a few storage tips.
Room Temperature
Store cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator
Cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer
To make ahead and freeze, do not glaze the cake. Prepare cake as directed and let it cool completely. Leave cake in the baking dish if it has a lid. Then, wrap the entire dish in foil. Alternately, slice and wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap then place in an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable plastic bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating
• From the Refrigerator: Microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. If the cake is unglazed, drizzle the glaze on after microwaving.
• From the Freezer: If the cake is frozen whole in the baking dish, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, heat in 325°F oven for 15 minutes. If reheating a single frozen slice, microwave for 45 to 60 seconds or until warm. If the cake was frozen without the glaze, drizzle on the glaze after reheating.
Here are a few simple ways to add your own spin to this apple cake.
Apples
The type of apple you use affects the level of tartness and crunch in this cake. Here’s a breakdown of different apples you can use and what they will bring to your dessert.
• Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp: Juicy, sweet, and tart. Stay crisp and firm when baked.
• McIntosh and Golden Delicious: Sweet and mellow, soften quickly especially when baked.
Mix-ins
Adding walnuts or pecans can add a subtle crunch that pairs well with the warm spices and apple flavor.
Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, stir all cake ingredients, except the chopped apples, with a rubber spatula or whisk until batter has only a few dry streaks remaining. Gently fold in the chopped apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
In a medium bowl, mix cookie mix, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender or fork, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle crumb topping mixture over the cake batter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs. Cool 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm cake.
To enhance the apple flavor of the glaze, melt 1/2 cup of apple butter in the microwave and cool slightly. Add to the rest of the glaze ingredients to create a cinnamon apple glaze.
