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)
Ingredients
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
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
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
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!
I don’t have granny smith. If I use other apples a little sweeter, should I reduce the sugar in the cake?
Hi Tanya, other apples will work just fine 🙂
I’m wanting to make this cake right now for my husband’s birthday. However, I checked for my brown sugar and all I have is the pourable light brown pure cane sugar. Will that be okay?
Hi Tressa, I honestly have not tried it with pure cane sugar rather than brown sugar so I’m unable to advise. They are definitely made to have different textures and effects on baking. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha,
I want to make this cake but I’m wondering if I can somehow add Rum to it and if so, where can I incorporate it?
Thanks in advance!
Hu Jules, I haven’t tried it with rum so I’m not sure how that would meld with the other ingredients. I wish I had a better answer but I just haven’t experimented with that. If you try it out, let me know how you like it 🙂
Hi Natasha, I just made this and the dough is so dry. Are you sure we have to use 3 cups of flour?
Hi Kristina, I haven’t had that happen, did you make sure 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. Here’s a link with more on that.
I just can’t get a springform to like me, can I make this in 8×3 round or even in 13×9?
Hi Sam! It needs to be a taller pan (about 3″ walls) which is why I recommend a springform. A bundt pan would work as well – it’s just more difficult to remove it from a bundt pan.
A tube pan is usually what we Southerners use for the Apple Dapple cake. If you use a bundt cake pan, when you turn the cake out, it will be upside down.
Thank you for sharing that with me!
trying to make this cake at the moment. still in process but it smells amazing already. question regarding baking soda. i noticed you didn’t specify if it needs to be mixed with lemon juice or something else to “activate” it. is that presumed in your recipe or should the baking soda be added dry (which is what i’ve done but it doesn’t look like the cake is rising). thank you!
Hi Katie, pre activating it is not necessary in this recipe but it is important to whisk it into the dry ingredients so it rises uniformly. Also, make sure your baking soda is not expired and is still active.
This cake turned out yummy, perfect with the caramel sauce👌🏻
I’m glad you like it, adding caramel sauce sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing Tatyana! 🙂
Been waiting for an opportunity to make this – made it first thing this morning for lunch guests, and it turned out wonderful! So moist, and very tasty, everyone had seconds!
I’m happy to hear the recipe is such a success! Thanks for sharing your great review Charlane!
Dear Natasha’s kitchen,
This Apple Coffee Cake I made from your website turned out great, even when I used 6 small eggs instead of 3 large eggs. I am thankful for many things including your website because my family members has a chance to use your recipes to make what we tried before that we like and to make what we want to try. God bless your family and Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi Tanya, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. It sure blesses me. Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving and God bless your family also!
I find it funny how everyone is asking about the missing coffee ingredient. Coffee cakes don’t actually have ‘coffee” in it.
I just made this cake and realized that there is no coffee in this “Apple coffee cake” 🤔😜
Hi Irina, it is meant to be enjoyed with your morning coffee (or tea!) but does not actually have coffee in it :).
Hi Natasha
Seems like a great recipe. But i couldnt find the coffee in the ingredients. So why is it called a coffee cake?
Thanks
Hi Sady, it is meant to be enjoyed with coffee cake 🙂
Just baked today , cake is yum , The only thing i thought 3 cups of flour was too much, i could see the batter getting waaay too thick but as in the recipe there was a star on top i thought i better follow it and i shouldnt have as it turned out to be too dry and i had to use more of the caramel sauce to make it moist .
Hi Dina, Ay ya yay!! I added the asterisk but forgot to give instructions on what “measured correctly” means! So sorry I missed that. I added that just under the list of ingredients to read: “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 (I have weighed and tested this theory”
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for your wonderful recipe, I’ve made a number of your cakes and they are all delicious!
I have a question: what can I use instead of walnuts/nuts in this cake? Want to give it to my baby to try, but he hasn’t had nuts yet.
Thanks!
Oxana, you can just omit them.
Hi Natasha, i wanted to make this cake but i only have an 11 inch springform pan. Would i need to adjust the baking time? Thank you:)
Hi Alla, I haven’t tested it in an 11″ springform but yes it probably would bake faster in a larger pan since it won’t rise quite as tall.
This recipe is very easy to make. The taste reminds me of my favorite childhood lollipop “Caramel sour green apple”. Highly recommend!
YUM! I remember those! Thanks for sharing your review Lidia 🙂
I tried this recipe, my family just absolutely loved it !! thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome Galina! I’m happy to hear your family enjoys the recipe as much as mine does! 🙂
made it in a bunt cake pan. was so nice and delish. I didn’t have brown sugar so i didn’t make the sauce. i used dulce de leche and heated it up. was soo good. just a perfect balance of sour apples and sweet caramel.
That sounds good too! Thanks for sharing Tatyana!
Natasha, thank you so much for the lovely recipe. It was so easy and so yummy cake. I wanna make the chocolate cake for my son birthday but I only have frozen raspberry in hand. Can I use it for the syrup? Thanks in advance.
Hi Kim, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Which chocolate cake are you referring to? If it is the chocolate prague cake, that should work fine 🙂
Natasha,
I tried making this cake, but in a traditional bundt form (don’t have a spring form pan). It came out pretty dry and super crumbly inside.. (I did add the sauce on top).. what did I do wrong?
Thanks! Live your recipes btw!!
GB 🙂
Hi Galina, it might have been over-baked due to the bundt pan – since heat circulates in the center of the cake and not just on the outsides. That is the only thing that comes to mind as to why it would be dry and crumbly. Normally, it comes out very soft and a little moist from the apples.
So delicious! I omitted the nuts but it was still amazing. It was a big hit with the whole family. Thank you!
Gina, thank you for sharing such a nice review on the cake 😁. I’m glad everyone loved the recipe.