Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake with Maple Pecan Streusel

One of my favorite things about quick breads is how versatile they are. Take this Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake, for example. I’ve already eaten it for dessert, breakfast, and and an afternoon snack. I mean, can you blame me? The maple pecan streusel alone is enough to make me drool.

And the fact that this bread is studded with apples means there’s practically a serving of fruit in each slice.

…Right?

Walking home from the grocery store today, it started to feel like it’s truly fall. The leaves were crunching under my feet, the weather was sitting at a crisp 60 degrees, and people were passing by in sweaters and boots.

Breathing in the fresh air, I felt a sudden boost of energy. I get this feeling often when outside in the fall. The kind where you want to stay outside all day and take it in while you can. Once back home, I opened the kitchen window and got to baking. The sun streamed through the opening as I cut the apples I had gotten from apple picking the weekend before.

It was the most fall thing ever.

I’m planning on spending as much time outside as I can in the next few weeks. After that, it’s going to be all about being cozied up in slippers and scarves for the next 4+ months. And if you want to keep the fall going, I strongly suggest you make this addicting bread!

What are the best apples for cake?

When making this sour cream apple coffee cake, really any apples will do (especially if you’ve gotten them straight from an orchard—yum!). But if you want to get really nit-picky when making this recipe, you want to look for apples that are slightly tart and that hold their shape well. Basically, you don’t want to pick apples that are super sweet because the coffee cake itself is already sweetened. And apples that break down easily in the oven might make your batter too watery and your homemade coffee cake will need extra time in the oven.

For this coffee cake recipe, I recommend using Jonagold, Granny Smith, Melrose, or Braeburn apples. These all are decently tart and do well in the oven. But again, use whatever you have on hand! ‘Tis the season for apple picking, after all.

• Author: Sarah Fennel
• Yield: 1 loaf

Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake with Maple Pecan Streusel

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• Author: Sarah Fennel
• Yield: 1 loaf

Units: USM

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 large or 2 medium apples, cut into 1cm cubes

For the brown sugar swirl (optional)

• 1/3 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

For the maple icing

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1–2 teaspoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper on the bottom, then grease the sides with butter. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, canola oil, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt, whisking to combine. Slowly alternate folding in the flour mixture and the sour cream into the wet ingredients until everything is nearly combined, then fold in apple pieces.
4. To make the streusel, place the pecans, brown sugar, spices, and flour in a food processor and pulse until the pecans look well chopped. Pulse in the maple syrup and butter until just combined.
5. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, then top with the pecan streusel, being sure to crumble the mixture into the size of peas and smaller. Bake for 1 hour, then allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.
6. To make the maple icing, combine powdered sugar, maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of heavy cream. Whisk to combine. If the mixture is too pasty, add another teaspoon of cream. Drizzle the icing over the slightly cooled loaf, then serve!

More apple desserts from Broma Bakery:

Annoyingly Addicting Bourbon Apple Fritters

Salted Maple Caramel Apple Pie

Apple Crisp Muffins

Cranberry Bourbon Apple Crisp with Salted Caramel Sauce

Apple Cider Churros with a Salted Caramel Dipping Sauce