Brown Butter Apple Coffee Cake
User Reviews
5
Brown Butter Apple Coffee Cake
Description
The Brown Butter Apple Coffee Cake features a batter enriched with browned butter and applesauce, accented by a mix of spices including cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. The addition of roughly chopped honeycrisp apples gives bursts of fresh fruit sweetness and a tender texture. A crumbly streusel topping made from flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter adds a textured contrast with its soft clumps of sweetness.
The method involves browning butter for a nutty aroma and depth, then combining wet and dry ingredients separately before bringing them together with the apples. The streusel is chilled before topping the batter to hold its shape during baking. After baking, a glaze of powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk is drizzled to brighten the cake’s flavors and add sweetness.
The cake delivers a balance of moist and tender crumb with a cinnamon-spiced crunch from the streusel and fresh apple texture. This makes it adaptable to morning or dessert use, pairing well with coffee or tea. The maple syrup and warm spices make it seasonal but generous year-round.
For dietary adjustments, vegan butter can substitute regular butter though browning the vegan butter isn't recommended. Gluten-free flour can replace all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. The cake can be customized by adding butterscotch or peanut butter chips into the batter to change the flavor profile. Make-ahead and freezing instructions are available for convenience.
Ingredients
- For the topping & streusel:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup butter salted, melted
- Wet Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup butter salted (unsalted is fine too
- 1 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 2 egg
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour or substitute gluten free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Mix-ins:
- 1 apple medium honeycrisp, peeled, cored and roughly chopped into ¼ inch pieces (about 1 cup chopped apple
- FOR THE GLAZE:
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch cinnamon
- 1-2 tablespoons milk of choice, to thin glaze to your liking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- First make your streusel: in a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add in the melted butter and stir together with a fork until it begins to form into crumbles and resembles clumps of wet sand. You may need to use your hands/fingers to form into nice thick ‘crumbs’. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make your brown butter: add ⅓ cup butter to a large saucepan or skillet and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to melt, crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you stir constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan, this usually happens right when it foams. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients until well combined: applesauce, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract and cooled brown butter.
- In a separate medium bowl: whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chopped apples.
- Pour HALF of the batter into the prepared pan; sprinkle with HALF of the streusel mixture. Then top with half of the remaining batter and top with remaining streusel mixture.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a tester comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes before glazing.
- To make the glaze: In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and milk. Start with a little bit of milk to thin the glaze, knowing you can always add more to thin if necessary. Drizzle the glaze back and forth over the cake. It does make a good amount of glaze, so you can always cut it in half or omit it from the recipe (but I highly recommend the drizzle!). Cut into 12 slices. Store covered at room temp for 1-2 days, then transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Use vegan butter melted (not browned) to make this recipe dairy free.
- Substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour in a 1:1 ratio for a gluten-free version.
- Try adding half a cup of butterscotch or peanut butter chips for extra flavor.
- This cake can be prepared ahead and frozen for later serving.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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