Apple Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Tender apple-spiced cake, a creamy cheesecake center and a generous buttery crumb topping make this the perfect fall breakfast—or an irresistible afternoon treat with coffee.
Prep Time: 40 minutes Bake Time: 55–60 minutes Cooling Time: 2½ hours Serves: 9–12
A tart, crisp apple balances the sweet cream cheese and buttery crumb topping beautifully. Dice the apple into small, even pieces so every bite gets a little fresh apple flavor. Serve the cake at room temperature—or warm each slice for just a few seconds before serving.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup packed brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Cream Cheese Layer
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup Clover Sonoma sour cream or whole-milk plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Apple Cake
⅓ cup sour cream or whole-milk plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium Granny Smith, Pink Lady or other firm California-grown apple, peeled, cored and diced—about 1 cup
Cooking spray
Powdered sugar, for finishing, optional
Instructions:
Make the crumb topping
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Use a fork to break apart any lumps in the brown sugar.
Drizzle in the melted butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened and forms buttery crumbs. Set aside.
Make the cream cheese filling
Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Make and assemble the cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom and two opposite sides with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift out the finished cake.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Whisk in the baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour and scatter the diced apple over the top. Fold gently until no dry flour remains and the apple is evenly distributed.
Spread the cake batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the batter and carefully spread it all the way to the edges.
Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the cream cheese layer, leaving some larger crumbs for extra texture.
Bake for 55–60 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out without wet cake batter. A little moisture from the cream cheese layer is perfectly fine. The center may still have a very gentle wobble.
Cool in the pan for 1 hour. Using the parchment handles, lift the cake from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack. Cool completely, about 1½ hours more, to allow the cream cheese layer to set.
Dust lightly with powdered sugar, if desired, and cut into 9 generous squares or 12 smaller servings.