Description
This Apple Coffee Cake With Apple Cider Glaze is a moist, tender, and flavorful treat perfect for breakfast or dessert. It features sweet and crisp apples folded into a soft spiced cake, topped with a light, tangy apple cider glaze that adds the perfect finishing touch. Easy to make with simple ingredients, this versatile cake brings seasonal warmth and comfort to any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour blend)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and diced fresh apples (such as Fuji or Honeycrisp)
For the Apple Cider Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3–4 tbsp fresh apple cider
- Optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Your Apples: Peel and dice your chosen apples into small, even pieces to ensure they cook uniformly and distribute throughout the cake for bursts of fruity flavor.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to create the perfect spiced base for the cake batter.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the softened unsalted butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. This step is crucial for a tender crumb.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time, followed by pure vanilla extract, making sure everything blends smoothly for a silky batter.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then gently fold in the diced apples, being careful to maintain the batter’s lightness.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into a greased or lined cake pan, smooth the top, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the Apple Cider Glaze: While the cake cools, whisk together powdered sugar and fresh apple cider until smooth, adjusting consistency with more cider if needed for the perfect drizzle. Optionally, add vanilla extract for extra flavor.
- Glaze and Serve: Drizzle the glaze generously over the cooled cake and let it set before slicing to enjoy the perfect finishing touch of sweetness and tang.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients to help incorporate air into the batter, resulting in a lighter, fluffier cake.
- Don’t overmix when folding the dry and wet ingredients to preserve the cake’s tender texture.
- Choose fresh or high-quality apple cider for the best flavor in the glaze.
- Start checking the cake for doneness at 35 minutes to avoid overbaking and drying out the crumb.
- Cool the cake completely before applying the glaze to prevent it from melting and becoming runny.
- For variations: add chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch, substitute with gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version, or add spices like nutmeg or cloves to deepen flavor.
- Store leftovers tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze unglazed cake for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10th of cake)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
Keywords: apple coffee cake, apple cider glaze, moist cake, spiced cake, breakfast dessert, gluten-free coffee cake
