If you only make one cake this fall season, let it be this cinnamon apple crumb cake. It tastes like a heavenly combination of vegan coffee cake and apple crumble.
It is packed with real apple flavor and uses this delicious spiced apple butter in both the filling and the cake batter.
Note: You can make the homemade apple butter up to a couple of weeks in advance and store it in a sealed jar in the fridge!
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this apple coffee cake:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Apple Butter: Homemade is best using this apple butter recipe which uses warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. If you must use storebought, make sure it's super thick as if too runny it may not hold up inside the cake.
- Apple Cider: This is unfiltered pressed juice, but you can also use apple juice or even carbonated English cider (I've tried them all!). Please do not use apple cider vinegar though!
- Fresh Apples: Go for sweet apples like Honey Crisp, Gala, or Fuji rather than Granny Smith apples which are too sour.
- Vegan Unsalted Butter: You need block-style butter sticks, not spreadable margarine from a tub.
- Vegan Yogurt: I use dairy-free Greek yogurt, but you can also use vegan sour cream, skyr, or thick coconut yogurt. This makes for an incredibly moist cake.
- Ground Cinnamon: For the crumb topping which adds a lovely cinnamon apple flavor.
- Powdered Sugar: Also labeled as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar, is used for the apple glaze.
🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing how to make this apple crumb cake recipe. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1: Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and vegan butter to a medium bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a crumb consistency. Set aside in the fridge.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl with a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the yogurt, 80g (⅓ cup) of apple butter, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Step 3: Alternate between adding the apple cider and dry ingredients (all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt) to the wet ingredients in 3 increments, folding to combine each time.
Step 4: Add half of the cake batter to the baking pan.
Step 5: Carefully add 300g (1 cup) of apple butter on top and use an offset spatula to smooth it out in an even layer, being gentle not to press it down into the batter.
Step 6: Top with the remaining batter and smooth it out. Scatter the cubed apple pieces on top of the batter.
Step 7: Sprinkle the crumble topping on top of the apples and bake in a preheated oven.
Step 8: Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the glaze. Mix the icing ingredients and drizzle on top of the cake.
💭 Recipe Tips
Line the base and sides of your pan with parchment paper, and use a springform pan to make it easier to remove the cake once baked.
Use a kitchen scales. This goes for all baking recipes when I say a digital scale is more accurate than using cups. With baking, even a couple of grams difference can throw off a recipe!
Do not overmix the batter. Stop mixing once there are no visible streaks of flour as overmixing can cause a gummy texture.
For beautiful clean slices make sure the cake cools to room temperature before cutting into it.
💬 FAQs
Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag, or on a plate tightly covered with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also keep it in the fridge for up to a week. I recommend taking it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before serving to help it soften back up.
Yes, slice the cake into servings and place them in an airtight container. Freeze for up to a month and defrost it for a couple of hours before serving.
Yes, you can bake it in an 8 or 9-inch square pan like a more traditional coffee cake.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with a cup of coffee or tea, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of vegan whipped cream. Yum!
🍎 More Vegan Apple Recipes
📖 Recipe
Description
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 120 g (1 medium apple) apples, cubed
- 80 g (⅔ cup) all-purpose flour
- 30 g (2 ½ tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 30 g (2 ½ tablespoons) soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 50 g (3 ½ tablespoons) vegan butter
Cake
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 380 g (≈ 1 ⅓ cups) homemade apple butter, room temperature *see note 1
- 120 g (4.25 oz) vegan butter, room temperature *see note 2
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt, room temperature *see note 3
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 240 ml (1 cup) apple cider or apple juice, not apple cider vinegar! *see note 4
Icing (optional)
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep ahead of time: Make the apple butter ahead of time and divide out 80g / ⅓ cup for the batter and 300g / 1 cup (for the filling).
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 160°C/320°F or conventional 180°C/356°F.Line the base and sides of a 9 or 10-inch (23-25cm) with parchment paper.
- Make the crumb topping: Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter to a medium bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a crumb consistency. Set aside in the fridge.
- Mix dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt into a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Combine the wet ingredients: Add the yogurt, 80g (⅓ cup) of apple butter, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Make the batter: Alternate between adding the apple cider and dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 increments, folding to combine each time. Do not overmix the batter.
- Assemble: Add half of the cake batter to the baking pan. Carefully add 300g (1 cup) of apple butter on top and use an offset spatula to smooth it in an even layer, being gentle not to press it down into the batter.Top with the remaining cake batter, smoothing out the top.
- Topping: Sprinkle the cubed apple pieces on top, followed by an even layer of crumb topping.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a skewer or toothpick into the center, it should come out almost clean with a few crumbs. If there is still wet batter (not apple filling) on the skewer, continue to bake for another 5 minutes if and as needed.
- Cool: Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then carefully remove the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool further. Wait for the cakes to cool completely before adding the glaze.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, apple cider, and vanilla extract until smooth. Cover and set aside until ready to use. Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle the glaze all over the top.
Notes
- Apple Butter: This can be made up to a couple of weeks ahead of time following this apple butter recipe.
- Vegan Butter: Block-style butter such as Violife or Naturli, not spreadable margarine.
- Greek-Style Yogurt: Sub with vegan sour cream, vegan skyr, or very thick coconut yogurt.
- Apple Cider: This is unfiltered apple juice, not the alcoholic beverage. However, I have also tested it with carbonated alcoholic apple cider which worked well.
Nutrition
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