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Serves a Crowd

Applesauce Coffee Cake

by:
September 17, 2011
5
2 Ratings
  • Makes 1 cake
Author Notes

I have been making this recipe for many years, its from a Martha Stewart Living Magazine not sure how old but at least 5 years ago. This cake is made with homemade apple cider applesauce, has a crumble topping that melts into the cake and fresh apple slices placed on the top of it. Its very moist and absolutely delicious. I made it in a bundt pan instead of a tube pan and made a few minor changes but the recipe was pretty perfect as written. I decided to share this recipe with apple and pear season upon us. Make it with apples alone or pears or both its great anyway you make it. —sdebrango

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Ingredients
  • Apple Cider Applesauce
  • 1 pound juicy apples (Macintosh work very well) peeled. cored and cut into quarters
  • 1/4 cup apple cider
  • 1 tablespoon Sugar (white, turbinado or brown any will work)
  • pinch of salt
  • The Crumble Topping and Cake
  • THE CRUMBLE TOPPING
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup toasted pecans chopped (If you have a nut allergy the nuts can be omitted)
  • THE CAKE
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves (OPTIONAL, I omitted I do not like cloves)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider applesauce
  • 2 small juicy apples (Macintosh work very well) peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup toasted pecans chopped OPTIONAL
Directions
  1. Apple Cider Applesauce
  2. Clean, peel, core and quarter the apples. Add to a medium saucepan. Add the cider, sugar and salt and boil until apples are soft. Remove from heat and mash (I used a potato masher) keep some small chunks of apples. Set aside to cool.
  1. The Crumble Topping and Cake
  2. Make your crumble topping. In small bowl combine the butter, sugar, oats,flour, cinnamon, salt and pecans mix with fork or by hand to combine. Set aside.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat your tube pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil. (I recommend using a non stick pan) Sift flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Cream butter and white and brown sugar in your electric mixer until smooth about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time make sure egg is incorporated before you add another one. With mixer on low add the applesauce and then the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Add the optional chopped pecans and fold in.
  4. Pour batter into oiled pan. Place apple slices on top of cake tucking some into the batter,sprinkle on the crumble topping. Bake for 60-70 minutes check by inserting cake tester (I used a bamboo skewer) near the middle of the cake and it should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cake cool in pan on wire rack.
  5. Remove from pan and if you do not serve immediately wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to serve. NOTE: if you make in a bundt pan like I do it could take some coaxing to get it out of the pan when cooled.It could be easier to remove from a tube pan because it does not have all the grooves that a bundt pan does.
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I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember, am self taught learning as I go. I come from a large Italian family and food was at the center of almost every gathering. My grandfather made his own wine and I remember the barrels of wine in the cellar of my grandfathers home, I watched my mother and aunts making homemade pasta and remember how wonderful it was to sit down to a truly amazing dinner. Cooking for me is a way to express myself its my creative outlet. I enjoy making all types of food but especially enjoy baking, I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I share my home with my two dogs Izzy and Nando. I like to collect cookbooks and scour magazines and newspapers for recipes. I hope one day to organize them.

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17 Reviews

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mbrodoff December 10, 2020
Good reliable recipe but note that the photos show the crumble on the top of the Bundt cake (i.e. the crumble and sliced apples are pit in first in the bottom of the Bundt pan before the batter) while the recipe has the opposite order (batter in the pan first then apples and crumble. I made it according to the recipe before noticing the discrepancy. Not sure which is best but I think the photo method (crumble on top) may be the most attractive presentation.
sdebrango December 10, 2020
Hi and thank you! I made it exactly according to directions and the crumble and apples tend to sink a bit but totally agree that presentation with crumble on top is most attractive !! I love this recipe the cake is so moist and delicious.
Kateq November 12, 2018
I just re-discovered this--the cake is wonderful, but the applesauce! It's sublime.
judy February 3, 2017
looks amazing. I've been drooling over a applesauce spice cake for awhile now. But looking for recipes. I was inspired the the most delicious apple butter I found. So I will use that. Also will use 1/2 whole wheat flour. This goes in a tube pan, but I don't have one. I can never get them to cook all the way thru. I'll make this on a small sheet pan. Should be delish. I like the addition of fresh apples to the applesauce. I'll let you know how it comes out!
judy February 3, 2017
Hi Suzanne:
Well, I did make it. I made a few changes. Yes, I would agree making your own applesauce takes it up to another level. But I had this organic spiced unsweetened apple butter. So anyway. It came out great. I love having a good base recipe to start with--but I rarely follow them. I did half whole wheat flour, added a tbsp vanilla and doubled the spice--even with the spicy apple butter--my family likes it spice. I also added anise as we like that profile--and no cloves and nuts to the batter as well as the topping. Finally, for the crumble, I put it together following your directions. But it was too pasty, so I added an additional 1/4 oats. No pecans, but some wonderful black walnuts I toasted in the oven. Then, instead of putting apple slices on top and then the crumble I chopped the apples into about 1/4 dice, leaving the skins on. (I never remove the skins when cooking apples). I mixed these into the crumble with additional spices. Poured the batter into the cake, covered with the apple/crumble mix and then covered the top--all in a 9x13 pan. It baked up beautifully, smells amazing, and cooked through. There is a nice bit of crunch around the edge of the pan. I used a Crips apple as that is what I had this week. A little bit dense, but still light--more like a snack cake texture. The apple pieces are a little bit dried, a little chewy and some just lightly toasted. This was a GREAT jumping off recipe. Thank you so much. I've just tasted the corner. Plan to serve with a bit of whipped cream!
Kateq June 22, 2013
This is SUCH a good cake. Thanks!
drbabs November 16, 2011
Love.
boulangere November 16, 2011
This is utterly beautiful. Will I ruin it if I leave out the nuts? That damn nut allergy. I can practically taste it straight from your ingredients.
boulangere November 16, 2011
Oh, thank you, great to know. I thought I was going to have everyone for Thanksgiving, but in fact I'm having no one, but rather everyone for Christmas. Long story, happy ending.
boulangere November 16, 2011
I've got lots of room . . . .
boulangere November 16, 2011
Sending you an email. My daughter is going to be in NY in January for a dance workshop and audition for a company in (yikes) Florence, to where she is working diligently to return.
boulangere November 17, 2011
With open arms.......!
calendargirl November 2, 2011
What a glorious cake!
AntoniaJames November 2, 2011
Yummm! Definitely on the make-soon list -- most likely I'll have this just made, warm out of the oven, when my son comes home for his Thanksgiving break in three weeks. He will love it!! As will we all, of course. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. ;o)
AntoniaJames November 2, 2011
It's simply gorgeous! I probably won't be able to wait until my son comes home. It looks so moist and tasty. I love how you add rolled oats, too. And the pecans are Mr. T's favorite nut, hands down. I've been meaning to make a Bundt cake for a while. Great, great recipe! ;o)
mrslarkin September 19, 2011
gorgeous!
TheWimpyVegetarian September 18, 2011
You're killing me here, sdebrango, with these great sounding desserts that I'm just not sure I can resist much longer! I love applesauce cakes and I know some little grandchildren who would really love to have some of this!! Saved!!!