As I mentioned in Monday’s post on Apple-Date Oatmeal Bars, Apples are a big deal for me in the Fall. They just bring back so many great memories of apple picking and apple pie, that they completely epitomize the season in my mind. That’s is until you get closer to mid-October in which case pumpkin season is officially upon us!!! But that’s a different post entirely- this one is about apples. I grew up with a wonderful apple orchard right near our house. Every Fall they would have apple picking, wagon rides, local maple syrup and candies, and of course, the very famous Hicks’ apple cider doughnuts. I really miss it. I haven’t been apple picking since my Husband and I were dating. Granted, that was only about 4 years ago… but still! It’s a hardship when you used to go apple picking almost every Fall.
So now that you know why I love baking with apples in the Fall so much, here is another one of my favorite apple recipes- Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze. Boy, is that a mouthful! As you can see, there are lots of components to this recipe and each and every one makes it all the more spectacular. Not to mention that any of you that regularly follow my blog know what kind of a sucker I am for a good coffee cake. I mean, all you have to do is check out my Cakes page and you will find that there is quite a selection to choose from. I think its the crumble topping. It really turns my crank. Way more than any buttercream frosting every could. I imagine it’s the texture, it is just so perfect against the moist crumb of a good cake and for the most part they tend to be less cloyingly sweet than a traditional frosted cake.
I wish I could have taken a picture of this cake fresh so that you could have seen the brown sugar glaze better, but time was of the essence when I was baking it and I just couldn’t manage to do so. I took this picture the next day so the glaze had already soaked into the crumble and hardened. What that means for this photo is that you can’t see it. Sorry : / You’ll just have to trust me that it is in fact there and that it does take this cake to a whole new level of coffee accompaniments.
I’ve made this cake about three times now and I think I’ve used different apples each time. It’s not like with a pie or applesauce where it truly matters what type you choose. I think you could bake with whatever you had on hand and you would be fine. Personally I am partial to MacIntosh apples, but I can’t get them here… so what you see in this cake are Golden Delicious apples- a favorite of one of my baking idols, Dorie Greenspan.
Oh and did I mention that this is a highly reviewed, 5-star rated recipe from Emeril? Yes, yes it is. That’s a testament to how wonderful it really is.
- Cake:
- 1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples
- Crumble Topping:
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- Brown Sugar Glaze:
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.
- In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.
- To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
- To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.
adapted from Emeril Legasse
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a huge fan of coffee cakes, especially in the fall. Yours sounds delish with that brown sugar glaze!!
Thanks so much Ashley!
I made this yesterday and this morning there was only 1/4 of it left…let’s just say the boys devoured it!!! Yum!