Apple Coffee Cake: Easy and From Scratch

An easy and from scratch apple coffee cake that is a perfect brunch or afternoon snack. Use apple pie filling or your home canned apples.

I love a good coffee cake. Some have a beautiful crumble on top, some focus on being delicious and leaving you want more. And all of them go exceptionally well with a good cup of coffee. Who needs coffee creamer when you have a fantastic coffee cake? I know my preference…

This coffee cake doesn’t have a beautiful crumble top. I have always thought a good crumble, while beautiful and tasty, makes for a bit of a mess. When I created this apple coffee cake, I wanted something that was a little more solid, still sweet, but also added in a bit of a fruit. It’s perfect for a cool crisp fall day or a cozy and frigid winter afternoon.

The Filling

I made this apple coffee cake with some home canned apple slices. Honestly, I think this is best because you can control the sugar content and flavor profile of home canned apples better than say a pie filling. However, I completely understand that not everyone has access to home canned goods or maybe you have limited supply.

So, there are other options. You could substitute an apple pie filling for the home canned apples. Or you could prepare fresh apples before hand. If you choose to make this apple coffee cake with fresh apples, just know that the total time in the oven is about an hour and fifteen minutes give or take. If you like a softer apple, you may not prefer the result of fresh uncooked apple being substituted in the recipe. However, if you prefer a firmer apple, and many do, this may be a better option.

If using fresh apples, I highly recommend cutting them into smaller pieces than just slices. I also recommend that you create a light syrup to mix with the fresh apples and other “filling” ingredients. You may notice that the cake gets done quicker, so watch carefully.

Batter Ingredients

This batter recipe combines a set of simple ingredients you likely already have the majority of in your home. The basics of many cakes are here – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, oil, water. But what I’ve found so many coffee cakes have is some form of pudding mix. This recipe does not.

Here’s the thing about pudding mix. For the longest time, I always kept pudding mix on hand in my house. And I’m not going to lie, I still do keep some around for when I really am in a pinch. But I really just got tired of putting something in my baked goods that I had the base ingredients for at home. Pudding mixture is basically a combination of dehydrated milk, cornstarch, sugar, and flavoring along with some preservatives.

If I already had most of the main ingredients for pudding mix in my home already, why was I trapping myself into recipes that called for a box of those ingredients that was overpriced? That’s why I don’t have pudding mix in this recipe. And in my opinion, it does just fine without it.

How to Make Easy and From Scratch Apple Coffee Cake

Making this apple coffee cake is pretty easy. There’s only a few main steps. Make your batter, your filling, layer in a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake until done. That’s really all there is to it.

To make your batter, you can definitely mix it together by hand in bowl. But I really like to whip my cake batters. I don’t have an answer to why, it’s just something that I always do. So personally, I use my Kitchen Aid Artisan stand mixer. It’s not necessary, but so helpful. A hand mixer will also work fine.

So, that’s it! Are you an afternoon coffee drinker? What kind of coffee snack is your favorite? Do you love having a good coffee cake snack to go along with it? Let me know in the comments!

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