Apple Coffee Cake (Classic Apple Dapple)

This apple dapple cake is crumbly, crunchy, and loaded with sweet/tart bites of apple and an insane caramel sauce that sinks deep into the cake, creating a moist and buttery center. Do I have your attention yet? I sure hope so! The next thing you should know: this cake is easy!

The name coffee cake in this case, just means that the cake is great served with coffee, but doesn’t actually have any coffee in the batter. It’s a wonderful after-breakfast or brunch treat.

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It comes together quickly and your oven does the rest. it really is as simple as combing the wet ingredients, combining the dry ingredients, mixing them together, add nuts, add apples, fold and voila! You have a cake! This is perfect for company and makes a wonderful apple coffee cake. It tastes like a wildly delicious breakfast muffin, but made ultra decadent with the caramel sauce. Mmm yum!

This recipe is based on the apple dapple recipe shared by one of my readers, Emma. I looked over the simple ingredients and knew I had to try it when she said “It is a hit among my family and friends.” Emma, it was the same for me! Thank you so much for sharing your version of this Southern classic Apple Dapple Cake!

P.S. Apple dapple cake is traditionally baked in a bundt pan. Sure bundt pans look nice, but I find them so annoying to flip and deal with so I used a springform pan. #keepingitreal

Ingredients for Apple Coffee Cake (Apple Dapple):

3 large eggs, room temp
1 cup oil (extra light olive oil or vegetable oil)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
3 cups (1 lb or 2 large) granny smith apples

*Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly

Ingredients for Caramel Sauce:

1 cup light brown sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Prep for Apple Coffee Cake:

*Toast and chop walnuts (you want them to cool to room temp before adding to the batter).

*Preheat Oven to 350˚F and grease base and sides of a 9″ springform pan with oil or butter.

*Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/2″ thick pieces

How to Make Apple Coffee Cake (Apple Dapple):

1. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together: 3 eggs, 1 cup oil, 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp vanilla extract on medium speed 1 minute until blended.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.

3. With the mixer on, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well incorporated. Mix in 1 cup chopped nuts then mix in 3 cups sliced apples (if needed, use a stiff spatula to blend them in well).

4. Transfer to greased springform pan and bake in the center of the oven at 350˚F for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Start making the sauce 10 minutes before the cake is out of the oven (see instructions below).

5. Once the cake is done, poke it all over with a meat fork or large skewer. While still hot and in the baking pan, pour glaze evenly over the surface of the cake. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup chopped nuts over the top and give the cake a few minutes to absorb the syrup. Transfer cake to a cake platter (I love these ones from Fiesta) and serve.

How to Make the Easy Caramel Sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 1 cup brown sugar, 6 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt. Bring to a low boil and continue to cook stirring gently for 4 minutes. It should be loose and will lightly coat a spoon, since you want most of it to absorb into the cake.

Apple Coffee Cake (Classic Apple Dapple Cake)

4.88 from 78 votes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Apple coffee cake (classic apple dapple cake) is loaded with apple and walnuts. The caramel sauce creates a moist, buttery center. Easy apple coffee cake!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

Servings: 9 " Cake

For the Apple Dapple Cake:

• 3 large eggs, room temp
• 1 cup oil, extra light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly*
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 cups walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
• 1 lb granny smith apples, 2 large apples (cut into 3 cups)

Ingredients for Caramel Sauce:

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup milk, any kind
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt

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Instructions

Prep for Apple Coffee Cake:

• Toast and chop walnuts (you want them to cool to room temp before adding to the batter).
• Preheat Oven to 350˚F and grease base and sides of a 9" springform pan with oil or butter.
• Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/2" thick pieces

How to Make Apple Coffee Cake (Apple Dapple):

• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together: 3 eggs, 1 cup oil, 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp vanilla on medium speed 1 min until blended.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt.
• With mixer on, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well incorporated. Mix in 1 cup chopped nuts then mix in 3 cups sliced apples (if needed, use a stiff spatula to blend them in well).
• Transfer to greased springform pan and bake in center of oven at 350˚F for 50-55 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Start making the sauce 10 min before the cake is out of the oven (see below).
• Once the cake is done, poke it all over with a meat fork or large skewer. While still hot and in the baking pan, pour glaze evenly over cake. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup nuts over the top and give the cake a few minutes to absorb the syrup. Transfer cake to a platter and serve.

How to Make the Easy Caramel Sauce:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 1 cup brown sugar, 6 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt. Bring to a low boil and continue to cook stirring gently for 4 minutes. It should be loose and will lightly coat a spoon, since you want most of it to absorb into the cake.

Notes

*To measure flour correctly, spoon flour into dry ingredients measuring cup and level off the top. If you push your measuring cup into your flour bin to fill it, you will get substantially more flour.

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple Coffee Cake, Apple Dapple

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $

This cake was not easy to photograph – it’s not very photogenic so I had to make it two days in a row because I loathed the first set of pictures. I hope these photos do it justice because it really is a very delicious apple coffee cake (A.K.T.S.A – a made up acronym meaning “also known to Southerners as”) Apple Dapple Cake!

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