Apple Ginger Coffee Cake
Chock full of fruit and spice, this Apple Ginger Coffee Cake will dazzle your friends and family.
Apples, two layers of streusel, and a double dose of ginger make for a scrumptious, memorable breakfast treat! Plus, leftovers of this Apple Coffee Cake Recipe are wonderful for dessert!
The Hit of the Party: Why You Must Make
My sister, Maddy, flew in from Denver to have an art show at my house. She left her paintings behind and set up a display of her repurposed jewelry, plates, coasters, note cards, and bags. I, of course, cooked up a storm.
- This Apple Coffeecake drew the most recipe requests of all the brunch treats I served, a sign of a winning recipe.
- With chunks of apples, crystallized ginger and two (yes, TWO) layers of streusel, it will be a winner at your house, too.
- Though it’s called a “coffee cake,” it’s tasty enough to serve as a dessert with scoops of vanilla ice cream or dollops of sweetened whipped cream.
Tips for Making this Apple Coffee Cake Recipe
- Moist, and chock full of apples, ginger, and spices, this shouts Autumn Has Arrived! It’s perfect for Thanksgiving morning or any fall weekend company.
- Don’t go overboard with the apples. One medium apple is perfect. Any more and the cake will be too wet; still tasty, but not as perfect as it could be. Ask your produce manager what baking apples are in season. Granny Smith is always a good option, and they’re available all year long. But you might have access to some nice locally grown baking apples in the fall.
- This fall breakfast treat is perfect with just a dusting of powdered sugar, but this coffee cake could also be served for dessert with a drizzle of caramel sauce. Mmmm…that is making me hungry. It might be time to bake another apple cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the Food Lover’s Companion, “A coffee cake is a rich, sweet, cake-like bread that’s usually eaten for breakfast or brunch.”
Most use baking soda or baking powder, but some are made with yeast.
Some are frosted, others are glazed, and some have just a drizzle of frosting. Many coffee cakes are sweet enough that they don’t need frosting.
Many have fruit, fruit and nuts, and others may have a cream cheese filling. Depending on the ingredients, they can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
A Few More Recipes from the Brunch/Party Menu:
Smoked Salmon with Endive and Creme Fraiche
It’s ALL about the plating! Using endive leaves to hold the accompaniments, and rolling the smoked salmon into roses to serve with bagels creates an elegant brunch offering.
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Always a winner, these moist, flavorful pumpkin bars are topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting and a fun pumpkin garnish!
Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
Adding toffee, in my opinion, takes cookies to the next level! These brown butter toffee cookies are addictive!
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies with Crystallized Ginger
One of my absolute favorite holiday cookies, these gems are chock-full of scrumptious ingredients, and the texture is also out of this world!!!
You May Also Like
- Apple Streusel Bars Recipe
- Leaf-Topped Apple Pie
- Apple Pie Pizza
- Apple Crostata Recipe
- You might also enjoy this Italian Apple Tart, AKA Apple Crostata.
- Plus, check out all my Best Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
Apple Ginger Coffee Cake Recipe
A fabulous apple streusel coffee cake chock full of autumn spices. Adapted from Fine Cooking.
Ingredients
For the streusel:
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅓ cup finely chopped walnuts
For the cake:
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- 1 medium Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-cup bundt pan and set aside.
- For the streusel, mix together the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, flour, and butter with your fingers to make large crumbs. Mix in the walnuts and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To make the cake, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the crystallized ginger and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the sugars, continuing to beat until very light. Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well before adding the next. Alternately stir in the flour and the buttermilk, until the batter is just mixed. Do not over-mix. Gently stir in the chopped apple.
- Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with a third of the streusel. Pour in the remaining batter and top with the remaining streusel.
- Bake until the top of the cake is firm (a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean), about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake onto a serving platter, dust with powdered sugar, and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
PRO-Tip: Make sure your baking powder is fresh. Check the expiration date before starting the recipe. You can also test it by putting a spoonful in a cup of very hot water. If it bubbles vigorously, it's still fresh. If it doesn't, replace before starting the recipe.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 481Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 489mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 2gSugar: 44gProtein: 10g
43 Comments on “Apple Ginger Coffee Cake”
Has anyone made this dairy free? if so, what was used instead of buttermilk?
I have not, but it looks like you can make a dairy free buttermilk by adding vinegar to soy milk, coconut milk, etc. Check out this link: https://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/how-to-make-milk-free-buttermilk (https://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/how-to-make-milk-free-buttermilk)
Found this recipe when looking for baking with crystalized ginger, immediatley bought ingredients to make it this weekend. Looks like my kind of cake …watch this space
I almost never comment on recipes, but I just have to say that my house smells amazing! I can’t wait to eat this!
The butter/flour ratio for the streusel is “off” on this cake. Not enough dry ingredients. So, it is basically like a flavored butter that melts into the cake during baking. Other sites have this recipe but beware, it will not have ANY streusel on top when you bake it because with only 3 tbls of flour it will just melt into the cake. This cake SOUNDS good but is a fail unless you change to a standard streusel recipe.
Good to know. But since the streusel is layered between the cake batter, there is not a streusel topping for this recipe. It would be nearly impossible to have streusel on top of a Bundt cake and have it release properly from the pan. I think it was meant to be more of a ribbon of sweetness, instead of the typical texture—like you said, flavored butter! Thanks for dropping by.
Time to get out my fancy do-dah bundt pan and make this. It’s already Fall in the mountains. I’m usually not a ginger lover but this just might be the right touch for this cake. This is a good one, Liz. Thanks.
Lovely cake but no coffee mentioned in the recipe!
Hi, Philppa, yes, there’s no coffee in this cake. In the states, “coffee cake” refers to a cake you eat with your coffee. More of a breakfast/brunch dish. Hope this helps 🙂
Liz, this bundt is perfection! I love bundt cakes that don’t need anything fancy. . love that you just did the powdered sugar dusting. . this is beautiful and love the apples and ginger combo!
I bet your kitchen smelled great!
This coffee cake has my name written all over it – apple and ginger go so well together 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The funny thing about crystallized ginger is that I find it too strong to eat on its own like my mother-in-law does but I love it baked into cakes or cookies. Like caramel, it’s a fall and/or Christmasy flavor for me and goes so beautifully with apples. I am pinning your divine cake on my Recipes to Try board, Liz, as well as Delicious Desserts.
Woo hoo! 2 layers of streusel =) Sounds like your at home gallery was a big success. Hope your sister sold a lot of art. She is so very talented…Do believe talent runs deep in your family!
You just reminded me that i have a bag of crystallized gingerin my pantry. Time to bake!
I want to have an art show at your house! What an amazing spread you put on and I can see why that apple cake was such a winner. It looks amazing!
Apples, ginger and streusel?! This is the perfect autumn cake! It looks gorgeous, Liz, and I know that Tony would go crazy for this.
What a lovely autumnal cake, I love all the fall flavours here there is something so comforting and warming about them.
My favorite flavors for the season.
Gorgeous, Liz.
Happy Friday! xxx
btw, the Smoked Salmon with Endive and Creme Fraiche is pure decadence.
Love the flavours Liz, looks amazing! It will be geat at the coffee time !
What great art show food. I love the presentation of you salmon tray. This coffee cake has all the flavors I love. I just love throwing crystallized ginger into baked goods. Can’t wait for the other recipes.
The bundt cake has all my favourite ingredients! Would be nice to have a slice with my afternoon tea. Thanks for sharing, Liz.
Gorgeous coffee cake, I love that you can see the big chunks of apple running through!