This cozy Applesauce Crumb Cake is moist, tender, and topped with a buttery cinnamon topping. It's everything you love about a classic coffee cake, but lighter thanks to the applesauce that creates a soft crumb with sweet, apple flavors.
If you have ever wondered how to use applesauce in cake recipes, this is a perfect place to start. It's a simple recipe that uses a handful of pantry staples, meaning you can whip it up anytime of year. I especially love this for Thanksgiving or Christmas brunch, as it's easy to make ahead, plus has all the warm spices of the season.
Whether you call it an applesauce coffee cake or a crumb-topped applesauce cake, this recipe is as versatile as it is delicious! I love it with a hot cup of coffee in the morning, but it's also perfect for an afternoon snack, or top with a dollop of whipped cream for a simple but special dessert. In addition to the classic crumb topping, there's a sneaky layer of apples, similar to my Caramelized Apples recipe. It's an easy applesauce dessert recipe that you'll want to bake on repeat.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Moist, tender cake (thanks to applesauce)
- Easy to make with pantry staples
- Doubles as breakfast or dessert
- Perfect for holiday brunches
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Ingredients for Applesauce Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
This applesauce coffee cake uses incredibly simple ingredients. Here is what you'll need for this recipe:
- Applesauce. Use unsweetened applesauce, homemade or store-bought.
- All-Purpose Flour. I used regular all-purpose flour so you don't need a special trip to the store for cake flour.
- Apples. The sneaky layer of caramelized apples makes this cake extra special. Choose two of your favorites. Some that work great here are Fuji, Gala, Macintosh, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples.
- Butter. Unsalted butter adds nutty flavor to the cake, topping, and caramelized apple layer.
- Brown Sugar. To simplify this recipe, I stuck with light brown sugar as the only sweetener (besides the applesauce, of course). Feel free to use dark brown sugar or even coconut sugar.
- Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon goes perfectly with apples, but you can also use apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, or any combination of nutmeg, allspice, or ground ginger.
- Baking Soda. A touch of baking soda contributes to browning and a tender crumb.
- Egg. One large egg is all you need for this applesauce cake.
- Vanilla Extract. A splash of vanilla extract is all you need.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Applesauce Crumb Cake Step by Step
This recipe may look like a lot of steps, but each one is simple and straightforward. Here are the detailed instructions on how to make this moist applesauce cake with a crumb topping and caramelized apple layer.
- Start by preheating the oven to 325F and lining an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and parchment paper for easy removal. Make the caramelized apples by cooking peeled and chopped apples in a bit of butter in a large skillet. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and cook until caramelized. Add in 1 tablespoon of water if the mixture is dry. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Use the same skillet to melt ¼ cup of butter and place in a small bowl. Do the same with another ¼ cup of butter, adding to a separate small bowl.
- To make the crumb topping, add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and ¼ cup of the melted butter to a medium bowl. Mix well with a fork or your fingers. The mixture should feel like wet sand. Form into one large clump and set aside.
- To make the cake, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate medium mixing bowl or measuring cup, stir together applesauce, remaining ¼ cup melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the applesauce mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine, ensuring no streaks of flour remain.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan, then spoon on caramelized apples, spreading evenly over the cake.
- Break apart the crumb topping into pebble-sized pieces and spread evenly on the cake, pressing gently onto the apple topping. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then lift out of the pan (using the parchment paper sling) and cool on the rack for another 30 minutes before serving.
Hint: Don't skip the cooling process. The cake and crumb topping need a chance to set up at room temperature.
Adam's Pro Tip
There is no need to clean out the skillet after making the caramel apple topping. Little bits of cinnamon or sugar from the skillet may get into the melted butter used for the crumb topping and cake, but that only adds more flavor. Also, melting butter in a hot skillet gives you a toasty, nutty brown butter flavor.
Substitutions
There are plenty of substitutions you can make to this recipe depending on your dietary restrictions, including:
- Dairy-Free - You can make this recipe dairy-free by swapping out the butter for a plant-based butter or even coconut oil. However, these ingredients will not produce the same buttery flavor, but are a solid substitute if you do not eat dairy.
- Eggs - If you want to make this recipe without eggs, whether for an allergy or to make it vegan (swapping out the butter as well) you can use a flaxseed or chia seed egg. Use 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds soaked in 2 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes instead of the egg.
- Gluten-Free - Swap in a one-to-one gluten-free flour substitute for the all-purpose flour to make this recipe gluten-free.
Applesauce Coffee Cake Variations
Once you learn how to make this simple applesauce coffee cake, you can tweak it with the following variations:
- Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake - Gently fold the caramelized apple topping into the cake batter.
- Whole Wheat Applesauce Cake - For a healthier, higher fiber cake, use half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour.
- Nutty Crumb Cake - Add ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the crumb topping.
- Glazed Applesauce Crumb Cake - Drizzle the top of the cake with a simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk once the cake has cooled for a coffee-shop style finish.
- Spiced Applesauce Dessert - Add some warm spices to the cake, including ground nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger.
- Hearty Oat Topping - My kids actually prefer the topping with oats, but I left them out of this recipe for simplicity. Add ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats to the crumb for a heartier topping.
How to Serve Applesauce Crumb Cake
This simple applesauce crumb cake is as versatile as it is delicious. Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy it:
- Serve with a cup of coffee or tea for a cozy start to your day.
- Add a dollop of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to turn it into an easy dessert.
- Round out holiday brunch along with Brioche French Toast Casserole and Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal.
- Cut into smaller squares for an afternoon snack or lunchbox sweet treat.
Whether you are making it for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or a mid-day snack, this cake fits beautifully into any occasion.
Storage & Make-Ahead
This cake tastes best the same day its made, but is also good as leftovers. You can store on the counter, wrapped well in plastic wrap, or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Note that the longer it sits at room temperature, the moister the cake will get from the apple topping. And the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the drier it will get.
The solution is to enjoy it the same day, but you can also prep all the components well ahead of time for that busy holiday morning. Make the caramelized apples and crumb topping ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make the cake batter the day you plan to bake, but prepping the toppings ahead saves time on busy mornings.
FAQ
Yes, for some recipes! Applesauce adds natural sweetness and moisture, making it a great substitute for some or all of the oil or butter in many cake recipes. In this crumb cake, it helps keep the texture light and tender, and eliminates some of the butter and brown sugar.
They are essentially the same thing. Coffee cake refers to any cake served with coffee, not necessarily made with coffee. They may or may not have a crumb topping or cinnamon sugar layer. Crumb cakes, on the other hand, always have a crumbly crumb topping. This recipe technically works as either!
Yes! Once baked and cooled, wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap then freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm gently in the oven before serving.
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Recipe
Applesauce Crumb Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour + 1 hour to cool
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
Description
This cozy Applesauce Crumb Cake is moist, tender, and topped with a buttery cinnamon topping. It's everything you love about a classic coffee cake, but lighter thanks to the applesauce that creates a soft crumb with sweet, apple flavors.
Ingredients
Caramelized Apples
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 medium apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. table salt
- 1 Tbsp. water, if needed
Crumb Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (3.4 oz.) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (2.3 oz). light brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. table salt
Applesauce Cake
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (7 oz.) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup (7.6 oz.) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (2.3 oz.) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. table salt
Instructions
Caramelized Apples
- To make the caramelized apples, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add apples. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown and softened, 3-4 minutes. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and stir well to combine. Continue to cook until tender. If dry, stir in water. Transfer apples to a medium bowl and set aside.
Crumb Topping
- To make the crumb topping, melt butter in the same skillet used to make the apples (no need to clean out the skillet). Add to a bowl with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and stir with a fork or your fingers until well combined. The mixture should resemble wet sand. Press firmly together into a cohesive mixture and set aside.
Applesauce Cake
- To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325F and line an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and parchment paper. Melt butter in the skillet until golden brown. Add to a medium bowl or a measuring cup and stir in applesauce, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the applesauce mixture and gently stir to combine, ensuring no flour streaks remain. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Spoon on the prepared caramelized apples evenly over the batter then add the crumb topping, breaking apart large pebble-sized pieces evenly over the apples. Gently press down the topping. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean 35-40 minutes. Cool at room temperature on a wire rack for 30 minutes then remove cake from the pan using the parchment sling and cool on the rack another 30 minutes. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Store leftovers covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 3 days. Note that the longer it sits at room temperature, the more moist the cake will get and the longer it's in the fridge, the drier the cake will get. For best results, enjoy the same day.
- To make ahead, cook the apple topping and make the crumb topping up to 3 days ahead. Store separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or cut into smaller pieces for a cozy afternoon snack or lunchbox treat.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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