Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/3 cup sourdough discard
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup apple cider
Streusel
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, grated
- 2 cups chopped baking apples such as granny smith or pink lady
Glaze
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider or bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until combined. Add the sour cream, sourdough discard, and vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly mix in the apple cider until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Next, make the streusel. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the grated butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to mix the butter into the flour until a crumble forms. TIP: Put your butter in the freezer for a few minutes before grating. This helps it to not get as melty while you grate it.
- Peel and chop 2-4 apples. I prefer chopping 3 apples and then thinly slicing one for the top of the cake. You can mix the apples into the batter or add them in layers.
- Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle chopped apples over the batter (if not mixed in), and sprinkle half the crumble over the apples. Spoon the remaining batter over in an even layer. Top the coffee cake with a layer of sliced apples and the rest of the streusel.
- Bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. My oven cooks hot so I usually pull it out right around 45 minutes but for some ovens, it may take up to an hour. Let cool 30 minutes and before removing it from the springform pan.
Salted Maple Glaze
- Heat butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar, apple cider, and salt. Drizzle the glaze over the cake while it is still hot and let set 10 minutes. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. Keep cake stored, and covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- I always recommend making sure your wet ingredients like eggs, butter, and sour cream are at room temperature. This helps the cake batter come together smoothly.
- Tart apples such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady work best to balance the sweetness of the cake, but feel free to use what you have, including Golden Delicious or Fuji. For this recipe I typically use Granny Smith! I like to chop half the apples into chunks to add moisture and texture variety. I also create slices for the top of the cake as these look more decorative.
- I’ve made a few renditions of this cake but one of my favorites was to sub out half the apple cider with a good quality bourbon! The alcohol bakes out of the cake and leaves a deliciously complimentary flavor to the salty glaze and tangy apples.
- I like to use a spring-form pan for this recipe. It bakes incredibly evenly and comes free from the pan with no fuss. If you want a slightly more decorative look, try a bundt pan but make you grease it VERY well to avoid sticking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes