To capture the cozy flavor of classic apple fritters, I use brown sugar, cinnamon + nutmeg, and softened butter. The result is a moist cake filled with spiced apples and topped with a crunchy streusel & sweet glaze. It feels old-fashioned in the best way possible, and tastes like a trip to an apple orchard!
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Classic Apple Fritters in the Form of Cozy Coffee Cake
This glazed apple fritter cake holds a special place in my heart. Growing up in Germany, I fell in love with rustic apple desserts like German applesauce cake and apple fritters. And when I started dating my husband, he was working at a donut shop & fritters were his all-time fave. So it was a no-brainer for me to create an apple crumb cake similar to my apple streusel loaf cake, that captures the nostalgic flavors and textures of a classic apple fritter.
Instead of just making a cinnamon cake topped with apples, I coat chopped apples in cinnamon sugar and swirl them throughout the batter. Then a streusel topping is crumbled on top for a crunch in each bite, just like traditional apple fritters. Finally, once the cake comes out of the oven, I love drizzling a simple glaze on top - it takes almost no extra time but makes this cake look extra festive for your holiday table! And a tip from my dad is to add a pinch of salt to the glaze to balance the sweetness - it's impossible to resist licking right off the spoon!
Welcome to My Kitchen - Let's Bake Cake!
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Mix the streusel.
3. Mix the chopped apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
5. Beat the butter, brown sugar, & granulated sugar.
7. Mix in the dry ingredients.
9. Spread the cake batter in a cake pan and top with extra apples & streusel.
11. Mix the glaze.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt.
6. Mix in the milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
8. Fold in the chopped apples.
10. Bake the cake then allow it to cool on a cooling rack.
12. Drizzle on the cake.
Carissa's Time-Saver
After testing this recipe multiple times, I found that leaving the peels on the apples creates a better texture. Plus it's one less step!
My Baking Tips
- Tossing the apples in a little sugar + cinnamon helps coat them so they don't sink or make the cake soggy.
- While it's hard to wait, allowing the cake time to cool before adding the glaze ensures it doesn't melt into the cake and disappear.
- I love this butter-forward cake batter, but be careful not to overmix it to avoid a gummy texture. Stop mixing when you no longer see pockets of dry flour & gently fold in the apples.
Glazed Apple Fritter Cake with a Streusel Topping
Equipment
Ingredients
STREUSEL TOPPING
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
APPLE FILLING
- 2 cups apples, chopped, from about 2 medium apples (see note)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
CAKE
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt, use table salt or fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (1 stick)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
GLAZE
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, mix the streusel topping ingredients together until it forms a wet, crumbly mixture. Set aside.
- Apple Filling: In a bowl, toss the chopped apples with cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until it is fluffy. Beat in the egg & vanilla extract. Then add the milk and mix again. (It'll probably look split at this point, but that's normal - it'll all come together in the next step.)
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on a low speed until you no longer see dry pockets of flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well-mixed.
- Set aside ½ cup of the chopped apples and gently fold the rest into the cake batter.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Spread the reserved chopped apples on top, then sprinkle the streusel evenly on top.
- Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan to finish cooling.
- While the cake cools, mix the sifted powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in a small bowl until it forms a smooth glaze. Drizzle on top of the cake & allow it to drip down the sides. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Apples: I love using Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith apples for baking, since they hold their shape well in the oven. And I find that the apples hold their shape better if you don't peel them.
- Brown Sugar: I prefer using dark brown sugar for a richer caramel-like flavor, but I've tested this with light brown sugar which also works.
I'm eggcited to hear from you :)