Apple Fritter Coffee Cake

5 from 21 votes

Think classic coffee cake but made with a soft apple cake, a layer of sautéed apples, a brown sugar streusel, and a drizzle of maple glaze - this Apple Fritter Coffee Cake is perfect for fall.

Prep Time45

Cook Time45

Cooling30

Total Time2

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple, coffee cake, Streusel

Servings:

Calories: 501kcal

Equipment

9" x 9" square metal pan

Ingredients

Apple Filling

3 honey crisp apples large
40 grams granulated sugar
1/2 lemon juiced
1 pinch fine sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Brown Sugar Streusel

100 grams salted butter soft
100 grams dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
160 grams all purpose flour

Apple Cake

160 grams salted butter soft
100 grams granulated sugar
60 grams dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs standard large, room temperature
250 grams all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
350 grams honey crisp apple weight is once grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Maple Glaze

100 grams powdered sugar
40 grams salted butter melted
50 grams maple syrup more as needed
1/2 tablespoon flaky sea salt

Instructions

Apple Filling

Rinse the apples and cut into 1″ chunks.
Add the apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a medium pot.
Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the apples start to break down. You want about half the apples to start to fall apart and the other half to still be in chunks just soft.
Once cooked, remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Streusel

In a medium bowl add in the soft butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Use a fork to stir together until smooth.
Pour in the flour and use the fork to rub the flour into the butter mixture until fully combined.

Cake Batter

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center.
In a medium bowl add in the butter, both sugars, salt, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add in one egg at a time, mixing in between each egg until smooth.
Add in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until just combined.
Grate the apple right on top of the cake batter. Then squeeze on a tablespoon of lemon juice. Use a flat rubber spatula to fold the apple and lemon into the cake batter - don't stir because it'll get tough. Just fold until combined.
If not using a non-stick pan, spray the metal pan with your baking spray and line with a rectangle of parchment that is 15" x 8" from one side to another.

Assemble & Bake

Pour the cake batter into the lined pan and use a rubber spatula to smooth it into a flat, even layer.
Carefully spoon the cooked and cooled apples on top of the cake layer. Do your best not to mix it with the cake batter.
Crumble the streusel over the cooked apple layer.
Place the cake into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for 15-20 more minutes.
The cake will be done when the streusel will be slightly more golden brown in some spots and the cake should only have a very slight or no wobble.
Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes while you make the glaze.

Glaze

In a medium bowl add in the powdered sugar, melted butter, and maple syrup.
Whisk to combine until smooth. Add more maple syrup as needed to create a thin syrupy texture.
While the cake is still warm, pour the glaze on top and use the back of a spoon to spread it over the streusel.
Immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Leave the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack. Ideally you want the glaze to set until the glaze is hard and crackly. Think glazed donut.
Run a knife along the edge between the cake and the pan. Then either lift the cake out with the parchment or slice the cake while it's still in the pan.

Notes

Tips for making an Apple Coffee Cake

Any type of apple will work for this coffee cake but I recommend using honey crisp or pink lady apples because they have a bit of tartness to balance out all of the sweetness of the cake.
Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature - this will help get a smooth and fluffy cake batter.
I recommend using this 9"x9" square pan from USA pan because it's non-stick, and the sides are nice and tall. If you want to be able to lift the whole cake out, I recommend adding in a rectangle of brown parchment paper that reaches from one side to the other to use as a sort of sling.
This cake can be difficult to tell when it is finished baking, but you'll know it's done when the streusel is golden brown and there isn't MUCH of a wobble left on the cake. It's ok if it still wobbles a little bit though.
Let the cake cool for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving. You want the maple glaze to get the sort of crisp crunch that it gets as it cools.

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