Applesauce Coffee Cake
Applesauce Coffee Cake is the perfect coffee cake. It’s moist, delicious, and loaded with apple flavor. The streusel topping puts this cake over the top, and it’s so easy to make. Perfect as a dessert or an afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of tea or coffee, this easy coffee cake is a winner!
With lots of apple flavor and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, this Applesauce Coffee Cake is a keeper. It’s an easy cake to make, and it bakes up in a 9-inch square pan, so it cooks quickly and evenly.
Applesauce Coffee Cake
Plus, it makes just the right amount of cake. You can easily double the recipe if you need more, but I love that I can cut the pieces as big or small as I like. I love a small square of this with a cup of tea in the afternoon, and for dessert, all I need to do is add a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream to turn this into a fabulous dessert.
Read more: Applesauce Coffee Cake
You don’t even need a stand mixer or electric mixer for this cake. The batter is so easy to mix and comes together in minutes. Ready for a delicious cake? Try this Applesauce Coffee Cake!
Why I love this recipe
- It’s the perfect coffee cake. It’s not too sweet, it’s moist, and that streusel topping has all my favorite spices in it.
- I can make this cake in minutes, and it only takes about 40 minutes to bake.
- The leftovers freeze like a dream! You can freeze the rest of the cake or cut it into portions and then freeze it. Just thaw and eat – easy!
Gather these ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Applesauce
- Greek yogurt
- Eggs – You’ll need 2 eggs at room temperature.
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Butter
- Pecans – Chopped. Toast them first for extra flavor.
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
How to make Applesauce Coffee Cake
Make the streusel
- Add the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon of cardamon, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and melted butter to a medium-sized bowl and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
To make the cake
- Preheat your oven to 350-F and spray a 9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the applesauce, ¾ cup of white sugar, Greek yogurt, eggs, 5 tablespoons of melted butter, and vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl. Mix well to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¾ teaspoon of nutmeg and mix with a wooden spoon or large spatula until combined.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle half the streusel topping on top.
- Pour the remaining cake batter on top of the crumb layer, and finish by sprinkling the remaining streusel topping over the top of the cake.
- Combine ½ cup of sugar with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle this over the top of the streusel topping.
- Bake the cake in the preheated 350-F oven for 35-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs stuck to it.
- Cool on a cooling rack before serving. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips & substitutions
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix the cake batter until just combined and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Swap the pecans for walnuts if you prefer, or leave them out altogether if you don’t care for nuts.
- Don’t overcook the cake! A cooked coffee cake should have a few crumbs still clinging to the toothpick when you insert it into the middle of the cake.
Serving suggestions
Serve this cake with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. I love it after hearty family-style meals of Pot Roast Pasta or Burger Tacos. It’s also great with a cup of coffee, and I’ve even had this cake for breakfast. I have also put small slices of it on fall dessert boards.
Storage
Store your leftover cake in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days. For longer storage, wrap it tightly and freeze it.
Check out these awesome coffee cake recipes while you’re here
Get the Recipe:
Applesauce Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Coffee Cake
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1-¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- Cinnamon Sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
Make the Streusel:
- In a medium bowl add all of the streusel topping ingredients together and mix until combined. Set aside.
Prepare the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9 inch square pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, Greek yogurt, eggs, melted butter, vanilla and almond extract. Mix until well combined.
- Next add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix by hand until incorporated.
- Pour half of the batter into the square pan and sprinkle ½ of the streusel mixture on top. Scrape the rest of the cake batter on top of the streusel, and then the remaining streusel over the top.
- Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small dish and sprinkle over the cake batter.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs stuck to the toothpick. Remove from the oven and set on the cooling rack to cool before serving.
- Serve warm!
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I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Why I love this recipe, too!
I used walnuts.
And guess what? I FORGOT TO ADD THE EGGS,!
It turned out so moist and delicious that maybe it doesn’t even need them.
I served it to my friends and they all raved.
Thanks for sharing.
Do you use sweetened or unsweetened applesuace? This looks SOOOO good!
Either, depending on how sweet you want it :) Enjoy!