Moist and delicious coffee cake with a crumb topping using applesauce! This recipe produces a wonderful, homemade flavor ideal for a quick breakfast treat.
If you want to serve a coffee cake with amazing flavor, this recipe can’t be beat. There are easier recipes out there, but I’ve yet to find a better tasting coffee cake.
I am a huge fan of sweet breakfast treats to pair with my morning coffee, and this is one of my all-time favorites.
It’s perfect for serving to guests or as a special breakfast snack for the family.
Use unflavored applesauce for your coffee cake. We will be adding our own spices so flavored versions will get in the way of all our great flavor combinations. Regular or natural applesauce both work great.
Applesauce Coffee Cake Tip
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I’ve made coffee cake recipes with shorter ingredient lists before, but the flavor is so incredible that I’ve put this one in my regular rotation.
Every one in my family adores it, and it always gets great reviews when served to friends. My husband has brought it to share at work, and still get’s requests for it to this day!
Prep time is right around fifteen minutes and bake time is about a half an hour. For equipment, you will need two 9×9 baking dishes (or bake in two batches), a saucepan, and two mixing bowls.
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Ingredients
This is a classic coffee cake recipe, and uses the same ingredients my grandmother used to make it many years ago.
Coffee Cake Ingredients
- Applesauce
- Bran Cereal
- Granulated Sugar
- Water (boiling)
- Eggs
- Butter
- Buttermilk
- All-Purpose Flour
- Bran
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Topping Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Ground Cinnamon
Applesauce: As noted above, regular or natural applesauce can be used. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should only use unflavored applesauce. We will be combining our own spices, so flavored applesauce will just muddle up our final flavor.
Buttermilk: This is both a binder and flavor enhancer for our coffee cake. When I get asked for substitute options, I recommend sticking with buttermilk, but in a pinch you can make your own by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to regular milk.
Bran Cereal: Any brand will work. The key is to moisten your bran cereal with boiling water before mixing it into the rest of your ingredients.
Flour: All-purpose flour is my preferred type, but cake flour, wheat flour, and even your favorite gluten free flour can be used in a pinch. Keep in mind that gluten free alternatives produce a flatter coffee cake.
Another great recipe: Cinnamon crumb top coffee cake
Simple Step by Step Instructions
Don’t let the long ingredient list fool you, this recipe isn’t that complicated to make. And the few extra steps are well worth it when you taste the results.
Step 1: Bring water to a boil in your saucepan. In a heat proof mixing bowl, add bran cereal and boiling water.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 3: In second mixing bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar.
Step 4: In your butter mixture, mix in eggs.
Step 5: Mix in your bran mixture, buttermilk, and applesauce until well combined.
Step 6: Mix in your flour, bran, salt, and baking soda.
Step 7: Pour evenly into baking dishes.
Step 8: Make your topping by stirring together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and crumbled butter. Just stir until evenly mixed together.
Step 9: Sprinkle topping over coffee cake batter evenly.
Step 10: Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
Note: Coffee cake is done baking when inserted skewer comes out clean.
Step 11: Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or cool and enjoy!
Classic Applesauce Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 2 9×9 Baking Dishes
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
Coffee Cake
- 1 Cup Applesauce
- 2½ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups Bran
- 1 Cup Bran Cereal
- 1 Cup Boiling Water
- ⅓ Cup Butter
- 1½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 2½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
Crumb Topping
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar packed
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Cup Butter crumbled
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in your saucepan. In a heat proof mixing bowl, add bran cereal and boiling water.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In second mixing bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar.
- In your butter mixture, mix in eggs.
- Mix in your bran mixture, buttermilk, and applesauce until well combined.
- Mix in your flour, bran, salt, and baking soda.
- Pour evenly into baking dishes.
- Make your topping by stirring together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and crumbled butter. Just stir until evenly mixed together.
- Sprinkle topping over coffee cake batter evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Note: Coffee cake is done baking when inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or cool and enjoy!
Nutrition
Liv’s Coffee Cake Recipe Notes
- Make sure to use a mixing bowl that can handle heat when combining your boiling water and bran cereal.
- When combining your butter for your topping, it does not need to be completely blended in.
- If you are out of buttermilk, you can make your own by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to regular dairy milk.
- Store your coffee cake covered at room temperature for up to three days.