Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

There’s something perfectly comforting about a warm slice of apple cinnamon coffee cake, with its soft, spiced layers of tender cake, juicy apples, and buttery streusel. This easy coffee cake recipe is one of my favorite things to bake on a crisp fall morning, and it fills your kitchen with the most inviting aroma of warm spices and baked apples.

I love how it’s simple enough for a cozy breakfast or brunch, but it’s also just indulgent enough to serve as dessert. The combination of moist cake, sweet-tart apples, and crunchy walnuts gives this apple coffee cake the perfect mix of textures.

If you love fruity, streusel-topped treats, try my Elderberry Coffee Cake or Blueberry Sweet Corn Muffins next. They both have that same nostalgic, homey feel.

Recipe highlights

• Classic flavor combo. Apple, cinnamon, walnuts, and brown sugar are timeless together — warm, cozy, and perfect for fall.
• Soft and moist cake. Sour cream and apples keep the cake tender and rich without being heavy.
• Beautiful textured layers. Bites of juicy spiced apples and toasty walnuts are tucked in between soft cake layers, all topped with crispy cinnamon streusel.
• Easy one-bowl bake. The cake batter couldn’t be easier to make – just melt the butter and whisk everything together gently.
• Optional glaze. An optional drizzle of simple cinnamon-vanilla icing adds a finishing touch, for that classic coffee cake look.

How to make apple cinnamon coffee cake

For full recipe instructions and ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card toward the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview to make this recipe:

1. Prep the ingredients. Peel, core, and chop your apples. Toss them with cinnamon, brown sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, and a little flour. Toast & chop the walnuts if using.
2. Mix the streusel. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until crumbly.
3. Make the batter. Whisk together melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth. Whisk the dry ingredients separately, then fold them into the wet ingredients until just combined.
4. Assemble the layers. Spread half the batter into a greased baking pan, add your spiced apple mixture and walnuts, then spread the remaining batter on top. Sprinkle evenly with streusel.
5. Bake. Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
6. Cool and glaze. Once cooled slightly, drizzle with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

Pro baking tips for perfect coffee cake

Choose the right apples. Apples that are both sweet and tart, like Honeycrisp and Granny Smith, give the best flavor.

Toast the nuts. If using walnuts, toasting them for a few minutes on the stove gives them a better crunch and deeper flavor.

Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until the flour disappears for the most tender crumb.

Check early. Every oven is different, so start checking for doneness at about 40 minutes. A digital thermometer is the best way to test doneness – the internal temperature of a coffee cake should be about 200° – 210° F.

Let the cake cool before glazing. If you glaze too soon, the warm cake will cause the glaze to melt and disappear. For a beautiful rustic look, let the glaze drip down the sides.

If you want to be able to remove the whole cake from the pan easily, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving a few inches to hang over two of the sides to act as “handles”.

Types of apples to use

You can use almost any apple here, but for the best texture, avoid overly soft varieties like Red Delicious. I also recommend going with apples that have some tartness to them. My favorites:

• Honeycrisp – crisp, juicy, and perfectly balanced.
• Granny Smith – tart and holds shape beautifully.
• Pink Lady or Braeburn – slightly tart and aromatic.
• Jonathan and Jonagold – sweet-tart, crisp, firm.

If you have a good local farmers market, you might have access to some really lovely apple varieties. Check out this apple flavor chart for more ideas on what to use.

Variations and substitutions

Skip the nuts. Feel free to leave out the walnuts or replace them with pecans.

Fold in the apples. Instead of making a solid layer of apples in the middle, you could choose to fold the apples in throughout the cake batter. 

Spice it up. Add a teaspoon of cardamom or ground ginger into the streusel or the chopped apples for a spicier version.

Make it muffins. Divide the batter into lined muffin tins for individual coffee cake bites. Simply fold the apples into the batter at the end of mixing, scoop batter into muffin tins (fill nearly to the top!), and top with the streusel. Bake for 18-22 minutes.

If you love baking with apples, try my Apple Butter Cake with Bourbon Caramel or Apple Hawthorn Hand Pies. I also highly recommend this Quince Spice Cake if you’re wondering how to use this funky, underrated fall fruit.

Storage and serving

This apple coffee cake can be stored at room temperature. Store tightly wrapped or in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Serve it warm, cold, or room temperature – it’s delicious no matter what! The best way to reheat it is to wrap slices loosely in foil and put them in a 350° F oven for about 10 minutes.

Dress it up: Reheat slices of coffee cake slightly and serve with a dollop of crème fraîche whipped cream and/or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.

More streusel-topped treats

Elderberry Coffee Cake

Wild Huckleberry Cake with Lemon Streusel

Almond Streusel Cake with Balsamic Strawberries

Blueberry Sweet Corn Muffins