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Apple Crisp Coffee Cake

Apple crisp coffee cake with a moist spiced cake layer and cinnamon-diced apples, topped with a buttery oat crumble. Baked until the crumble turns golden and the center sets clean, with caramelized edges around the apple pockets.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cake
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.75 cup sour cream
  • 2 cup apples, peeled and diced
For apple crisp topping
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 0.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F, then grease a 9x13 baking dish. Keep the dish ready so you can spread the batter immediately.
Make the apple crisp topping
  1. Combine rolled oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Rub/cut in the cold butter until the mixture is clumpy with visible oat bits.
  2. Refrigerate the topping. Chill it just until the cake batter is ready so it stays crumbly and browns on top.
Make the cake batter
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Make sure the dry spices and leaveners are evenly distributed.
  2. Beat softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, then beat in sour cream until smooth.
  3. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks remain. Fold in diced apples so you see apple pieces throughout the batter.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer. Scatter the oat crumble generously over the top so it fully covers the surface.
  2. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the crumble is golden. You should see caramelized brown edges around the apple pockets.
Serve
  1. Let the coffee cake cool briefly, then dust with powdered sugar if desired. Slice and serve while still warm for the best crumb contrast.

Notes

Pro tip: chill the oat topping so the butter stays cold, which helps it bake into clumps instead of melting flat. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; rewarm individual slices in the microwave for 15-25 seconds. Freezing is yes—freeze cooled slices up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use low-fat sour cream and reduce granulated sugar by 2 tbsp without changing the baking time much.