Description
Cream Cheese Apple Coffee Cake brings together rich cream cheese and sweet apples in a delightful morning treat. Cinnamon-spiced layers create a perfect balance of tangy and sweet, promising a comforting slice that will make breakfast feel like a special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups chopped apples
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces (226 grams) softened cream cheese
Cake Batter Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113 grams) butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Streusel Topping Ingredients:
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold butter
Cream Cheese Layer Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) softened cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and thoroughly grease an 8×8 inch (20×20 centimeters) square baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Create the cake base by creaming together softened unsalted butter, granulated white sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Incorporate a large egg, vegetable oil, and pure vanilla extract into the butter mixture, blending until smooth and well-integrated.
- In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt to ensure even distribution of dry ingredients.
- Gently fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined to prevent overmixing. Carefully fold in freshly chopped apples, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan, spreading it uniformly with a spatula to create an even surface.
- Prepare the cream cheese layer by whipping room-temperature cream cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla extract until silky and smooth.
- Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter, creating a consistent layer that covers the entire surface.
- Craft the streusel topping by combining white sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.
- Cut cold unsalted butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs.
- Generously sprinkle the streusel topping over the cream cheese layer, ensuring complete and even coverage.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the streusel turns golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow the coffee cake to cool completely in the pan for at least 1 hour before slicing.
- Store any remaining cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Prep ahead by softening butter and cream cheese at room temperature for smooth, easy mixing.
- Choose crisp, sweet-tart apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith for the best flavor and texture in this coffee cake.
- Use cold butter for the streusel topping to create those perfect, crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture clusters.
- Avoid overmixing the cake batter to keep the texture light and tender, stopping just when ingredients are combined.
- Cool the cake completely before slicing to allow cream cheese layer to set and prevent crumbling.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, bringing to room temperature before serving for optimal taste and texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg