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Apple Coffee Cake With Apple Cider Glaze

Apple coffee cake with apple cider glaze featuring a thick brown sugar cinnamon streusel and a moist apple-packed crumb. Baked at 350°F, then finished with a shiny, ribbon-thick apple cider glaze.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For streusel
  • 0.75 cup flour
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 6 tbsp cold butter
For cake
  • 2 cup flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup butter
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.75 cup sour cream
  • 2 cup diced apple
For apple cider glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp apple cider, reduced
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, then grease a 9x13 pan, making sure the corners are well coated (visual cue: no dry spots on the pan surface).
  2. Reduce the apple cider until it thickens slightly, then set it aside to cool a bit before glazing (visual cue: cider looks syrupy and coats the whisk lightly).
Make streusel
  1. Cut the cold butter into the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until crumbly (visual cue: small clumps form and no large butter chunks remain).
Make cake batter
  1. Beat the butter and sugar until smooth, then add the eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla and sour cream (visual cue: batter turns glossy and cohesive).
  2. Fold in the dry ingredients and the diced apple just until no dry streaks remain (visual cue: apple pieces are evenly dispersed through the batter).
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread the batter into the greased 9x13 pan in an even layer, then scatter the streusel over the top (visual cue: streusel forms a thick, speckled layer).
  2. Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, until the center springs back lightly and a tester comes out mostly clean (visual cue: streusel is deep golden brown).
Glaze and finish
  1. Cool the cake for about 10 minutes, then whisk the powdered sugar, reduced apple cider, and cinnamon until smooth (visual cue: glaze is thick enough to fall in ribbons).
  2. Drizzle the glaze over the warm cake in thick ribbons, letting it settle into the streusel (visual cue: shiny glaze pools slightly in patches).

Notes

Pro tip: for the thick crumb, keep the butter cold for the streusel and bake until the center just sets—overbaking can dry out the cake. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze unfrosted cake slices up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and glaze after thawing. For a lighter swap, use low-fat sour cream (texture stays tender, though crumb may be slightly softer).