This applesauce coffee cake is just heavenly and comes out perfectly every time! Just mix, bake, and enjoy.
How to Make Applesauce Coffee Cake
- Make the filling: Add the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon together and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Make the dry mix: Mix the flour with baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
- Mix the batter: Beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy. Reduce the mixer speed used to cream the butter to low before adding the sour cream and applesauce. Beat until smooth. Add the eggs and beat to combine. Slowly add the upgraded flour and mix until the powder is all gone.
- Make the topping: Add all the ingredients for the streusel topping together and mix with a fork. The topping is ready when large, coarse crumbs form.
- Assemble: Pour half of the applesauce batter into the prepared pan. Add the filling over the batter, then top with the rest of the batter. Sprinkle a thick layer of streusel crumbs on top of the batter.
- Bake: Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without any wet batter stuck to it. If the topping starts to get too dark, cover the pan with foil. Allow the applesauce coffee cake to cool completely before serving.
Freezing and Thawing Instructions
To Freeze: Cool the coffee cake to room temperature and cut it into portions. Wrap each slice of cake tightly and put it in the freezer. You can keep the cake frozen for up to three months.
To Thaw: Take out a slice of cake and leave it still wrapped to thaw on the kitchen counter. It will fully defrost within one to two hours. To speed things up, microwave it in 30-second intervals until fully defrosted. If you don’t mind the wait, put a few slices in the refrigerator to defrost overnight.
Recipe Variations
Pumpkin spice applesauce coffee cake: Add half a cup of pumpkin puree to the applesauce mixture and include one teaspoon of pumpkin spice mixed with the dry ingredients.
Apple cider applesauce coffee cake: To enhance the apple flavor, replace the sour cream with apple cider. Reduce the liquid by two tablespoons to maintain the batter consistency.
Chocolate chip applesauce coffee cake: Stir half a cup of mini chocolate chips of your choice into the batter. The chocolate pairs nicely with the bitterness of the coffee.
Applesauce Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
For the coffee cake filling:
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For the streusel topping:
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan. Set aside.
- To make the filling, add the brown sugar, all-purpose flour and cinnamon to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
- To make the cake, in a bowl combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until creamy.
- Reduce speed to low and add the sour cream and applesauce.
- Beat until smooth.
- Add the eggs and beat to combine.
- Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Pour half of the batter in the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the filling over the batter.
- Top with the rest of the batter.
- To make the topping, in a bowl combine all the ingredients with a fork until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle on top of the batter.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- If the topping starts to get too dark, cover with foil.
- Allow to cool completely before serving.
- To freeze the cake, wrap each slice in plastic wrap.
- Freeze until solid.
- To thaw, leave the cake wrapped and let it sit out on the counter for one to two hours to fully thaw.
Notes
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- Applesauce selection: Use unsweetened applesauce to avoid making the cake too sweet, especially since the streusel and topping add additional sweetness. For a twist, add spiced applesauce, like cinnamon-flavored or chai-flavored applesauce, to customize the coffee cake.
- Baking and cooling: Bake the cake until a toothpick pushed into the middle of the coffee cake comes out clean or covered in a few moist crumbs. Let the cake sit for about ten minutes before turning it out gently without dislodging the toppings to cool completely on a wire rack. This helps the cake’s structure set properly and prevents it from falling apart.
- Storage tip: Applesauce coffee cake can be stored at room temperature for up to four days, in the refrigerator for up to five days, or frozen for up to three months. When storing, make sure it’s wrapped tightly to maintain its moisture and texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
