Caramel Apple Coffee Cake is a tender cinnamon apple cake with a streusel topping and caramel drizzle. An easy coffee cake recipe with fall flavor in every bite!
I have a favorite coffee cake recipe for every season and occasion. From Lemon Crumb Coffee Cake Recipe in the spring to Pumpkin Coffee Cake in the autumn.
Why This Coffee Cake is Best
Today’s coffee cake is another fall favorite: Caramel Apple Coffee Cake!
- Moist coffee cake – This apple breakfast cake stays moist even days after baking.
- Fall flavors – Tart apple, cinnamon spice and sweet caramel are a to-die-for flavor combo!
- Easy to make – It’s ready in about an hour with just a few minutes of prep time.
- Crisp streusel topping – The slightly crunchy crumble pairs wonderfully with the smooth, creamy caramel drizzled on top.
Is there anything better than the smell of baking apples and cinnamon on a crisp fall day? While apple pie is one of my favorite desserts, this coffee cake is a close runner up. Especially since you can enjoy it for breakfast!
Ingredient Notes
- Apples – Peeled, cored and sliced. I like to use firm, tart apples in coffee cake. Granny smith, golden delicious and pink lady varieties are all delicious options.
- Spices- We use a combination of cinnamon AND nutmeg to give the streusel a robust aroma and that classic fall flavor.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is our preference because it allows you to control the saltiness of the finished cake. If you only have unsalted butter, leave out the added kosher salt in the recipe.
- Kosher salt – We use this coarse salt in all our baked goods and cooking. Here’s why it’s best.
- Caramel sauce – You can use any bottle of ice cream sundae topping. It’s combined with powdered sugar and a splash of milk to create the caramel apple glaze drizzled over the baked coffee cake.
Tips and Tricks
- Grease and flour your baking dish first to prevent your cake from sticking. Baking spray works too!
- Arrange the apples evenly over the batter. It’s okay if the slices touch or slightly overlap.
- Pour the caramel glaze over the cake while it’s still warm from the oven.
- Let cool completely before serving. The glaze settles onto the cake for a pretty appearance and perfect consistency!
- Serve caramel apple coffee cake with hot coffee, tee, apple cider or a brown sugar latte!
Recipe FAQs
We make this caramel coffee cake in a 9 x 13 baking dish. You can use other shapes and sizes like a bundt pan or square dish but will need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
Store the cooled coffee cake tightly covered in the refrigerator. It’s delicious chilled or served room temperature!
We haven’t tested the recipe with homemade caramel sauce. If you do try it with homemade sauce, make sure to sauce is completely cooled before blending it with the other glaze ingredients.
More Apple Treats
- Apple Shortbread bars: delicious shortbread cookie bar topped with a wonderful cinnamon apple topping and cinnamon glaze!
- Apple Pie Poke Cake: one of my favorite sweet apple recipes on the blog!
- Caramel Apple Sugar Cookie Pizza: this is such an easy weekday dessert idea that feeds a crowd!
- Applesauce Cake
- Apple Crisp
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Caramel Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup milk
- 3 cup sliced peeled apples
For the streusel:
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup caramel ice cream topping
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the cake:
- Grease and flour (or use baking spray) a 13×9 baking dish and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt on low until blended. Beat in softened butter until crumbly.
- Add in eggs, vanilla and milk and beat for several minutes until fluffy and fully combined. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Top batter with sliced apples.
For the streusel:
- Combine sugar with cinnamon and salt.
- Mix in melted butter, flour and nutmeg with a large fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over apple layer. Bake cake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 45-50 minutes.
For the glaze:
- Whisk the sugar, caramel and milk together until smooth.
- When cake is removed from oven, pour glaze over warm cake. Allow cake to cool before serving.
- Store cake covered in refrigerator for up to 5 days. ENJOY.
Notes
- Grease and flour your baking dish first to prevent your cake from sticking. Baking spray works too!
- Arrange the apples evenly over the batter. It’s okay if the slices touch or slightly overlap.
- Pour the caramel glaze over the cake while it’s still warm from the oven.
- Let cool completely before serving. The glaze settles onto the cake for a pretty appearance and perfect consistency!
- Serve caramel apple coffee cake with hot coffee, tee, apple cideror a brown sugar latte!
Nutrition
Apple coffee cake with cinnamon streusel topping and a caramel glaze is the perfect easy breakfast cake to enjoy with your coffee!
Love this coffee cake! Yum! Love how moist and delicious and easy this is!
Would this cake freeze well?
Sure does!
Hi, Are these apples sold in New Hampshire, and if not can you use regular apples. Thank you
Hi Aimee – I used a tube pan and it worked out fine! I should have put a layer of apples in the middle (3 cups was a lot for the top). Thanks for the recipe!
This looks amazing! Do you think it would work in a bundt pan?
Hmmm, I’m not sure! If you try it let me know!
Oh, Aimee, this looks delicious with that glaze on top, but those apple slices are the real icing on the cake!
Love the story of the family shenanigans. Don’t know if I’d have the patience to go through all that. All the power to you, girl. Good thing it’s only once a year, hunh? haha
OMG, this yummy caramel apple coffee cake would go perfectly with a glass of milk or coffee! Too funny about your families April fools pranks!
Remind me never to come visit on April Fool’s!!! Oh my gosh that’s too funny. Love this recipe!
I’d like to not visit myself on April Fools too! 😉
I was exhausted just watching all the pranks in your house…your family is ruthless!!! And yes, you need to step it up next year and get them good 😉 And caramel apple in coffee cake…holy cow! I need this!! Love those CP apples so much!!
Why was this not in front of me during my coffee this morning?! Looks great!
Sorry girl. You better get baking!
Oh my gosh you guys go all out for jokes. I don’t think we did a single thing that day, but we had a pet pass away so that kinda of put a damper on things huh? Those were cute ideas, but the door. Wow I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that one. Hehe. This cake looks delicious and perfect with my nightly coffee. I need this now! 😉 Pinned!
Oh I’m so sorry for your loss Cyndi!
What fun pranks! We don’t do them at our house, but maybe we will once our daughter gets older. Love the coffee cake too – glad that one isn’t a joke! 😉
This looks so amazing! love the pre-sliced apples.. what a time saver! And that streusel 🙂
Caramel Apples + Coffee Cake??? You are brilliant! I can’t wait to try this! I had so much fun watching what your family did for April Fool’s! I did the Brown E’s last year, that’s such a great one for how easy it is. We did the ice machine the year before that, but I can’t recall what we put in, it was not as much fun as yours, that’s for sure! The doors? Your daughter is the boss of April 1st! 🙂
Wow your family is pretty awesome! Those are some creative pranks 🙂 That apple cake looks amazing too!
Heck yeah, I want my cake cold! Especially THIS cake. I’m obsessed with all crumb cakes, and adding caramel and apples just makes me want to bake this now.
Wow, you guys really did April Fools’ up right. I feel lame now…
No need to feel lame. It’s exhausting to constantly be looking over your shoulder, haha
I can never find cake flour at the grocery store. Where do you get it at?
It was fun watching all of the pranks you guys did! I am drooling over this cake! Looks amazing!
I wish candy would come out of my ice maker!!! HAHA ! Thanks for including my doughnuts!! xxooo
It sounds like your family had loads of fun on the first! I am loving this coffee cake. I need a slice with my morning coffee!
I was cracking up all day long at the pranks you were posting! I almost felt bad for you, but I’m glad you pranked the kids too 🙂
This coffee cake looks like a combo of apple pie and cake…for breakfast! What’s not to love?
My pranks were at least fun, and involved candy! Theirs were just downright mean, haha. I may have to step up my game next year 🙂