Gingerbread Apple Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is a perfect holiday mash up, boasting gingerbread flavor, fresh apples and a crisp buttery topping.
Despite much confusion, coffee cake doesn't actually have coffee, but rather is a dessert that is meant to be enjoyed with coffee. Similar to how “tea cake” is a dessert that is meant to be served with tea. Coffee Cake should be flavorful, have a tender crumb, and should be served warm with hot coffee.
Equipment and Ingredients
This coffee cake is baked in a 9x13 pan and can be made using a stand or handheld mixer. Using a pastry cutter is handy when making the crumb topping, but not required, as a fork can be used.
In regard to ingredients, this recipe requires mainly pantry staples like butter, sugar, eggs, flour, fall spices and apples. This recipe calls for whole kefir instead of sour cream, which makes the cake extra fluffy and luscious. It also calls for molasses, which gives a lovely gingerbread flavor.
Tips to Make Gingerbread Apple Coffee Cake
1.) When making the crumble, keep working the butter, sugar and flour until no dry bits remain. This will take several minutes.
2.) Cut the apple chunks small. I like to cut them into small squares. Granny Smith apples are preferred.
3.) Use a light hand when mixing the batter. Less is more with coffee cake as we want the crumb nice and soft. The batter doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth when adding the apples, a few lumps are okay.
4.) The coffee cake should be pulled from the oven when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm!!
Gingerbread Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 5 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 3/4 cup Lifeway Whole Milk Kefir
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup granny smith apple, cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x13 pan, or line with parchment paper for easy lifting and cutting. Set aside.
- To make the crumb topping, using a medium bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar. Cut in the butter, until it *fully* comes together and the mixture is wet and shaggy. Not dry bits should remain. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- To make the coffee cake, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix on medium speed until incorporated, about 15 seconds. In a medium bowl, add together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Whisk together the kefir and molasses. Into the mixer on low speed, alternate the flour and kefir three times--flour, kefir, flour, kefir and finish with remaining flour. Mix until just incorporated.
- Add the chopped apple to the batter and fold by hand, careful to not over mix. Pour into the prepared pan and top with the crumble. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is a light golden color and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes and serve immediately.
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