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 have made this cake about 5 times now and it just seems ro get better every time! After the first time I have been doubling the recipe for the caramel glaze. It is so delicious. I warm it and serve it as an extra drizzle on the top of each slice. We can’t get enough! My husband loves your recipes so much that we have a joke between us and we call you his girlfriend. Keep up the delicious recipes!!!
That’s great, Terry! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe!
What a delicious cake! I love the flavors, perfect for fall.
I baked it in a bundt pan and added 1/2 tsp nutmeg to the batter (and a sprinkle of cinnamon to the glaze). The batter was very thick, but it baked beautifully, so trust the recipe, Natasha makes fabulous cakes!
That’s great to hear, Nora! Thank you.
This is a goodie, I did mine in a bunt pan, and it turned out beautifully, Thanks again Natasha for another amazing recipe.
That’s great, Becky! Thank you for sharing.
I made this cake yesterday and the cake mix was extremely thick. I double checked and I used 3 cups of Arthur’s unbleached flour. I don’t pack the flour, I scoop and level off with a knife. It came out a bit dense, I baked for 50 min. 🤔 It wasn’t moist at all, what I do wrong? I’ve made several of your meals and they come out wonderful and tasty. This one not so much. I might just throw away as it’s not worth the calories. 🤷♀️
Hi Vlynn, I’m sorry to hear that. The first thing that comes to mind is to check if your baking soda is still active.
Hi Natasha,
I really like your recipes and my family and friends absolutely love them.
We obsessed on your banana bread and apple pie.
I tried your cinnamon rolls once and blue berry muffins, they are amazing.
My question, could we prepare the caramel sauce with white sugar ‘Normal sugar’?
Thanks
Hi Noora! I’m so glad you enjoy my recipes. Thank you.
I think white sugar would be fine.
I love your recipes so much, always loved by everyone, you explain everything so well and it all makes sense… and you are very funny!
Thanks for appreciating what we do, Sarah! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Do you have a recipe for classic coffee cake that’s moist? If so, please share. The one I use tastes good, but is a little dryer than I would like.
Hi! I do not have this recipe, but thank you for the suggestion. I will make note of it and see if this is something we can do in the future.
This cake is incredibly soft and moist, I used a stand mixer and finished off by folding the nuts and apple into the batter by hand. I weighed the ingredients using the metric conversion because I am in Australia, it turned out perfectly. Will be adding this to my baking playlist!
I’m so happy to hear that, Danelle! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Why is my apple dapple batter is so thick & it started to burn just after 30 min in the oven & I had my oven on 325 cause my oven get so hot on 350 Dear Lord help me I really thought I would have a delicious cake but all I had was a pan full Of coal
Hi Phyllis, that is very unusual. Does your oven usually run hot? I highly recommend an in-oven thermometer. You can gauge this with an in-oven thermometer to hang in the center of your oven to track the accuracy of the oven. I hope that helps. Also, make sure to bake on regular bake mode and NOT convection.
Natasha, I would be so grateful for metric quantities in this recipe. Tried it but I think I was a bit wrong with the amount of flour. Thanks in advance!
Hi Yulia, I added metric measurements to this recipe and also when measuring without scales, make sure to spoon the flour into a measuring cup then scrape off the top for a level measure. I hope that helps!
Do you have to eat it hot or room temp is ok? How do you store it?
At room temperature is okay. Once it is at room temperature, cover it loosely and store it in a cool, dry place. If making farther ahead of time, refrigerate the cake.
Hi Natasha,is it OK to use Avocado oil for this Recipe?
Thank you.
Hi Svetlana, I haven’t tested this with avocado oil but I don’t see why not. That should work fine.
Do I have to add apples in this recipe or can I leave them out and if I leave them out does it change the consistency? Thank you!
Hi Alyssia, Apple is one of the main ingredients in this recipe! I have tried a substitute for this specific recipe to advise.
The name is called Apple Coffee Cake, but where in the recipe do we put coffee? Or is it called coffee cake because we drink it with coffee?
Hi Dina, it is meant to be enjoyed with your morning coffee (or tea!) but does not actually have coffee in it!
Would be useful to have this tip in the notes just to clarify. We finally decided you might have forgotten to mention the coffee bit and added coffee in our batter.
We were looking for something with coffee and were disappointed to see no coffee in it although the name says apple coffee cake.
I guess such problems are inevitable as you become internationally famous and folks like me from other countries wouldn’t automatically know that the ‘coffee’ reference just means that it should be had with your morning coffee.
Hi Mini, that is a great suggestion and I added that note at the top of the post. Thank you!
Hi Natasha, love your recipes. I have tried many and all of them are just perfect. 😊 😊
For this recipe do you have the measurements in grams/ ml ? I couldn’t find it on the Website.
Hi Nimisha, glad you’re enjoying them. This weight chart can be useful
Hi
I don’t have a springform pan, but I do have a bundt pan… can you please let me know if that changes the oven temp and baking time? Thank you!
Hi Tanya! 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 would just be more difficult to remove it from a bundt pan.
I haven’t tested it in a Bundt pans so I’m not sure how it changes the baking time.
This cake is INCREDIBLE!!! I normally dont like walnuts, they’re quite bitter, but the cake it’s so sweet it compensates for it well. and the walnut + apple combination = wow. also love how much fruit there is in this cake! although I added 350g instead of 450g.
the only downside is that it completely falls apart when still warm. maybe tomorrow, after a day in the fridge it’ll no longer be a problem. but thats totally my fault, I had to use a gluten free flour, and I used a self raising one for this recipe (so omitted salt and baking soda). maybe I should have added some binder Im not sure, need to read up on that. but anyway, love this cake and will definitely make it many more times in the future even if it keeps falling apart because of GF flour 😀
forgot to add the rating 🙂
Hi Schola, thank you for sharing that with us. I haven’t really tried this using GF flour to advise if that’s really the cause of it but please update us on how it goes the next day. We’re also very curious to know!
Wonderful cake, made it for a friend’s birthday 🎂
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Amazingly delicious!
Thank you!
Absolutely fantastic recipe! Moist nutty, apple coffee cake. I had to finally slap my hand and stop!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
It turned out moist, flavorful and absolutely decadent. Baking it in a springform pan allows for a beautiful display on an old board or fancy stand. I absolutely will make again.
Thank you for that great review, LuAnn! I’m happy you enjoeyd this!