This easy Applesauce Coffee Cake is perfectly moist, flavorful, and includes a cinnamon streusel that just can’t be beat! Perfect to enjoy with your morning coffee, with brunch, or an anytime treat!
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Jump to:
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Why You’ll Love this Applesauce Coffee Cake
- Ingredients Needed for this Simple Applesauce Coffee Cake
- How to make Applesauce Coffee Cake
- Tips for making the best Applesauce Cake
- How to serve
- Storage Tips
- FAQ’s for making Applesauce Coffee Cake
- More Coffee Cake Recipes to try
- Applesauce Coffee Cake Recipe
Apple Coffee Cake
Do you love a good coffee cake? There is nothing better than starting my day with a cup of warm coffee and slice of homemade coffee cake! Plus, cake for breakfast, who can complain about that, right?
This coffee cake recipe uses simple ingredients that you may already have on hand and is a great way to use up any homemade applesauce you may have from apple picking! Plus, since it uses both applesauce AND sour cream, this cake is perfectly moist each and every time it is made! For a quick bread version, check out my Cinnamon Applesauce Bread!
Why You’ll Love this Applesauce Coffee Cake
- Quick and Easy– this cake comes together using ingredients you may already have in your pantry and refrigerator.
- The ultimate Fall treat– cinnamon streusel, applesauce, and nuts combine into a flavor combination that just can’t be beat.
- Perfect for any occasion or time of day– whether you enjoy for breakfast, brunch, a snack, or evening treat, it is the perfect coffee cake.
- Leftovers are just as delicious– if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you can simply reheat in the microwave and it tastes just as fresh as when it came out of the oven.
Ingredients Needed for this Simple Applesauce Coffee Cake
For exact recipe ingredient amounts and step by step directions, see printable recipe card below.
- Flour– you’ll want to use all purpose flour in this recipe
- Sugars– both white granulated sugar and brown sugar
- Cinnamon– ground
- Pecans– chopped, walnuts works too, but my favorite are pecans
- Butter– use unsalted as you will add salt to the recipe later
- Applesauce– I use unsweetened as there is sugar in this recipe, use whatever you have on hand though
- Sour Cream– this adds to the moisture and helps enhance the cake texture
- Eggs– large, room temperature is best as it is easier to combine into the batter
- Vanilla– use pure vanilla extract in place of imitation
- Baking Powder/Baking Soda/Salt– this gives the cake its rise, ensure your ingredients are fresh. Try to change them out every 6 months.
Optional Add In’s
- Add 1 cup raisins into the cake batter.
- 1 cup diced apples into the batter is a tasty addition.
- Use additional Fall spices such as Nutmeg, Cloves, Pumpkin Pie Spice, etc.
- Change up the nuts. If you don’t have pecans, feel free to use walnuts.
How to make Applesauce Coffee Cake
Streusel Topping
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Add in the butter and cut it in using two forks or a pastry blender under coarse crumbs are formed. Stir in the pecans. Set bowl aside.
Coffee Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a medium bowl, cream together the butter using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the eggs.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients mixture and applesauce mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Pour half the coffee cake batter into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the streusel mixture on top of the cake batter.
- Pour remaining batter on top followed by remaining streusel.
- Place baking pan into preheated oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of cake.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving!
Tips for making the best Applesauce Cake
- To save on time, you can use a food processor to make the streusel. Pulse it together rather than having to use the pastry blender or two forks to create coarse crumbs. Either way works great.
- Bring ingredients to room temperature. This helps the ingredients to combine together much easier.
- When making this cake for the first time, use unsweetened applesauce. I have used both sweetened and unsweetened and because of the sugars already added, I preferred the unsweetened. Cinnamon applesauce works great too.
- You can use whole wheat flour in this cake if desired. Even ½ all purpose and ½ whole wheat works great.
How to serve
This cake is moist, buttery, and goes perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. We love serving this as a morning treat and pairing it with my Biscuits and Gravy Breakfast Casserole! You can also serve this as a dessert in the evenings when friends or family come over. If you are serving as a dessert, you can drizzle some warm caramel on top of each piece, or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream!
Storage Tips
- Being that this cake is so moist, once covered, you can store at room temperature for up to 4 days!
- You can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days, just be sure to warm your piece up in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
- To freeze, allow the cake to fully cool and place the entire cake or sliced pieces into a freezer safe container up to 3 months. Allow to thaw before serving and microwave until warmed through.
- When warming your slice up, add a smear of butter to the top so it melts into the slice. It makes a great addition when served!
FAQ’s for making Applesauce Coffee Cake
I am not a fan of sour cream, can you taste it in this cake?
Nope, you cannot taste the sour cream in this cake. It simply adds to the moistness of the cake.
Is this coffee cake considered healthy because of the applesauce?
No, due to the sugars and other ingredients, I wouldn’t call this cake healthy, however, it uses less sugar than a traditional coffee cake due to the applesauce adding sweetness. Everything can be enjoyed in moderation.
What does applesauce do to a cake?
Unsweetened applesauce plays the same role as butter or oil in your bake. Applesauce acts much like the fat and keeps the texture from getting rubbery or dry. In fact, it adds quite a bit of moisture and keeps the texture fluffy.
If I am allergic to nuts, can I omit from this cake?
Absolutely! The nuts can easily be omitted and this cake will be just as delicious.
Why is it called coffee cake, but no coffee is in the cake?
Coffee cake is called that because it’s an easy-to-make cake that, like donuts, and other morning baked goods, tastes good with coffee.
More Coffee Cake Recipes to try
Quick Coffee Cake– delicious, flavor packed cake that is ready for the oven in under 10 minutes! Perfect for breakfast, snacks, sweet treats, or having guests over!
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake– light and fluffy, with just the right amount and cinnamon sugar throughout! Topped with a sweet icing, this is a great breakfast or sweet treat!
Strawberry Crumb Coffee Cake– moist, packed with juicy strawberries, and an irresistible buttery crumb topping that everyone will love. Whether you savor it as a classic breakfast treat or a delightful summer dessert option, this coffee cake with fresh strawberries guarantees to be a favorite with everyone!
Easy Cinnamon Coffee Cake– combines the flavors of homemade cinnamon rolls with a moist and flavorful cake. Using simple ingredients, this coffee cake comes together using minimal effort.
Banana Coffee Cake– a delectable and moist coffee cake infused with luscious banana essence and topped with an unbeatable cinnamon streusel crumb topping.
Morning Cake– a great way to start the day! Not too sweet and pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee, who says you can’t enjoy cake for breakfast?!!
Bisquick Coffee Cake– looking for a quick cake option? This Bisquick cake is a shortcut coffee cake that is a vintage recipe everyone enjoys!
This old-fashioned Applesauce Coffee Cake is a classic anytime cake that never fails to satisfy. Its moist and tender crumb, paired with the comforting flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg, make it the perfect treat for any time of day. Whether enjoyed as a breakfast indulgence or an afternoon delight, this timeless recipe brings back memories of simpler times and fills our homes with warmth and nostalgia. So why not gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and let the heavenly aroma of applesauce coffee cake fill your kitchen?
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Applesauce Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Streusel
- ¾ cup flour *all purpose
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 cup pecans *chopped
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter *cut into cubes, cold
Coffee Cake
- 1 cup applesauce *unsweetened
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter *softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 ¼ cup flour *all purpose
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
To make streusel:
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Add in the cold butter and cut it in using a pastry blender or two forks until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the pecans. Set bowl aside.
To make coffee cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, sour cream, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer or stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the eggs stirring until just combined.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients mixture and applesauce mixture stirring until just combined.
- Pour ½ batter into prepared pan followed by ⅓ of the streusel mixture.
- Pour remaining batter on top followed by remaining streusel.
- Place baking pan into preheated oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until cake feels firm in the center and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of cake.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving!
Brittany says
I made this yesterday- it was VERY MOIST. I added an extra 2 tablespoons of butter in the streusel after I mixed the first 2 as it looked dry. It was a thick batter which made it difficult to spread the second layer on but going in one direction helps. I also sprinkled some cinnamon/sugar on top after baking. It had a good flavor, very moist almost seem underbaked even though it was not. I will make it again though!
Kristin says
It definitely is moist, but shouldn’t be too moist. Glad you enjoyed! It is definitely a favorite in my house, especially during apple season when we have fresh apples to make homemade applesauce!!
Mary says
I just put this in the oven and I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It smells delicious. Even though I followed the recipe to the letter, my batter was so thick, not only could I not pour it, I had a very hard time even spreading it, especially on top of that very dry struesel. Peeking in the oven, it also looks very dry on top. I will update in a bit, but did want to find out if the batter is supposed to be that thick.
Mary says
Here’s my update: the cake part was pretty good, but the struesel was very dry. It really needs twice the butter.
Kristin says
Sorry to hear the streusel was dry! I haven’t found that when I make it, but twice the butter should work too!
LuAnn says
can a person add apple pie spice to this cake? if so, how much exactly? TIA
Kristin says
Absolutely! I would start with about 1-2 tsp and adjust from there once you try it! Since it has other spices, you don’t want it to be too overwhelming, but it is a great addition for sure! Enjoy!