This Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake is exactly what you need to kick off the season. It’s an aromatic, not too sweet, seriously cozy cake. Whether you’re having it with your morning coffee or sneaking a slice in the afternoon, this cake screams “fall is here!”
Here in the Northern states the first whiff of fall comes pretty reliably sometime in mid to late August. It might not stick around, and the temps might go back up, but you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Once I’ve felt that first cool breeze I’m all in. Pull on a sweatshirt, switch out iced coffee for a latte, call up the cinnamon apple coffee cake recipe on my iPhone and let’s do this!
related: Authentic Irish Apple Cake
what you’ll need for cinnamon apple coffee cake
- apples
- there are no rules, use whatever variety you love to eat.
- plain Greek yogurt
- I like whole milk yogurts for baking, and I used vanilla because that’s what I had on hand.
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- all purpose flour
- baking powder and salt
- cinnamon
- powdered sugar
fall baking with apples
I could get all cheffy on you and give a list of the best apples to use in this apple coffee cake recipe, but that wouldn’t be honest. I grabbed some Jazz apples (a cross between Royal Gala and Braeburn.) But just about any apple you love will work in this cake. Oh, and don’t bother peeling them, there’s no need. And don’t take the time to core them either ~ just lop off their cheeks and slice them up.
The only fussy thing I do here is squeeze some lemon juice over my slices so they don’t brown, but even that is optional. The apples will get golden in the oven anyway.
cinnamon whipped cream
I love whipped cream, it’s such a versatile way to garnish just about any cake. Here I’m able to echo the spice in the cake by adding a dash of cinnamon to the heavy cream as I whip it. I’ve done this with nutmeg, ginger, allspice…It’s such a little thing but really does make a difference. File this one away for later, too, it would be perfect on Thanksgiving pies!
what to expect from this cinnamon apple coffee cake
As with a lot of my cakes here in the Great Island kitchen this cake is more of a day cake than a rich dessert. It’s a true coffee cake in the sense that it goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. Similar apple day cakes:
dietary options and variations
GLUTEN FREE: use a good quality 1:1 gf baking mix and you’re good to go for a gluten free apple coffee cake.
DAIRY FREE: use a plant based butter like Miyoko’s Creamery European-Style Cultured Vegan Butter, or you can use vegetable oil. Sub a plant based yogurt like almond or soy for the dairy yogurt.
WHOLE GRAINS: sub some or all of the all purpose flour with whole grain flour: white whole wheat is a great starting point, it can be used in place of all purpose flour and will provide more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Experiment with regular whole wheat, oat, buckwheat or rye flours in combination with all purpose flour. For this cinnamon apple cake a convenient way to start would be to sub 1/2 cup of the total amount of flour with your whole grain.
ADD NUTS: walnuts or pecans would be great in this cake. Toast them first: 2 minutes on a microwave safe plate. Chop and fold the nuts into the batter.
CHANGE UP THE SPICE: apple pie spice, cardamom, chai spices, all would be delicious!
USE PEARS: look for ripe but firm pears for this cake.
CARAMEL DRIZZLE: instead of confectioners sugar, drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the apple coffee cake once it’s baked and slightly cooled. Or do this over each slice, just before serving.
MAPLE GLAZE: drizzle a maple glaze (made from powdered sugar and maple syrup) over the cooled cake. You could also substitute maple sugar for the regular sugar.
Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9" springform pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2-3 medium apples, sliced, but not peeled
- powdered sugar for dusting
cinnamon whipped cream, optional
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or more to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Butter a 9" springform pan.
- In a stand mixer or with electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. This is going to create a nice light cake.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, letting each become fully incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon and again scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the baking powder and salt, and mix briefly to combine.
- Add the flour alternating with the Greek yogurt. Blend just until everything is well mixed, don't overdo it.
- Give the mixture a final stir by hand to make sure everything is evenly incorporated, and turn the batter into your prepared pan. Spread out flat with an offset spatula.
- Arrange your apple slices on top of the cake, pushing them into the batter very slightly. I arranged them in a spiral pattern and fit them fairly snugly.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the cake is puffed and starting to turn golden on top. I use a toothpick to check for doneness in the center. Remember that ovens cook differently, so your baking time could vary.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the sides of the springform pan. Continue to cool on a baking rack, and dust with powdered sugar when ready to serve. The cake can be served warm or at room temperature, with or without the cinnamon whipped cream.
to make cinnamon whipped cream
- Whip the cream, sugar, and cinnamon until soft peaks form. Keep refrigerated until needed.
Oh my GOODNESS!! This is the BEST coffee cake recipe I ever used! Not quite fresh apple time so I used peaches, tossed them in sugar and cinnamon and let them sit before layering them on top. Mixed up an icing sugar drizzle for top. I can’t wait to try this with apples! I made homemade cherry pie filling this year, it will be SO good with that too! Thankyou for another awesome recipe 🙂
Making this today…sounds great! I will let you know.