Applesauce Coffee Cake
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With a super moist crumb and plenty of buttery streusel, this applesauce coffee cake has been a reader favorite for years. Applesauce adds subtle flavor and combines with sour cream to keep the breakfast cake moist and tender for days. Cinnamon pecan streusel runs through the middle and covers the top, bringing a sweet crunch to every slice of this full-size coffee cake.
FEATURED REVIEW
“I don’t usually write reviews, but this cake was absolutely exceptional. It was not only devoured by the entire family in a single day, but it was easily one of the most delicious things I’ve EVER eaten and I couldn’t believe I made it with my own two hands- haha! Thanks so much for sharing. I followed the recipe to a tee and it was perfect in every way.” ★★★★★ Magdalen
Coffee Cake That Stands The Test Of Time
I first published this applesauce coffee cake in 2019, and while the beginner photography makes me cringe (see for yourself at the bottom of the post 😬), it has remained one of the most popular recipes on Butter and Bliss. Only my pumpkin bread has it beat. Not bad for a full-size cake among all my small batch recipes.
For this update, I went back through the recipe from start to finish with new process photos and a fresh look at the method. And after years of positive reader reviews, I wasn’t about to start changing a cake people already love. Instead, I focused on the details that make it work — and a few places where the instructions could be more helpful.
What Makes A Good Applesauce Coffee Cake?
Applesauce and sour cream work together. I use applesauce for two reasons: to replace some of the sugar and to add moisture. Plus, it gives the cake a delicate, bright apple undertone. I use applesauce for the same moisture boost in my apple upside-down cake. Then there’s the sour cream, which is at the base of most classic coffee cakes to give it richness and tenderness. The result of the two is a cake with enough structure to hold a generous amount of streusel and cut into hand-held squares.
The mixing order keeps the cake tender. Yes, there are a few bowls involved (I know). But each has a purpose. Adding the ingredients in stages allows the batter to come together with less mixing. That matters once flour is involved, because overmixing develops the gluten and can turn a tender coffee cake tough.
How To Make Applesauce Coffee Cake
Start with the streusel. Toasting the pecans is optional, but I think it’s worth the extra few minutes — it brings out their warm, sweet flavor and makes them more prominent in the finished cake. I take streusel on coffee cake just as seriously on my pumpkin coffee cake, where it gets a fall-spiced version.
Mix the streusel until you have moist clumps, stir in the finely chopped pecans, then refrigerate it while you make the batter. Keeping the butter cold helps the streusel hold its texture as the cake bakes.
For the cake batter, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy before adding the eggs. From here, the goal is to mix as little as possible. Add the dry ingredients in two additions with the applesauce mixture in between, and stop mixing once the last dry streaks disappear. A few small lumps are fine.
The finished batter will be quite thick and closer to thick pancake batter than a typical cake batter. That’s what you want.
Assemble The Coffee Cake
Spread half of the batter into the baking dish, then sprinkle about one-third of the streusel evenly over it. Resist adding more here; too much streusel in the middle can weigh down the cake underneath, and you want most of those buttery crumbs saved for the top.
Gently spread the remaining batter over the middle layer. Don’t worry if you pull up a little streusel along the way. Cover the top with the remaining streusel, squeezing handfuls together and breaking them into clumps as you go for bigger, crunchier pieces.
This is a big cake, so give it time to bake. The top will turn golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Let the cake cool completely before slicing so the moist crumb has time to set.
A Few Coffee Cake Notes
- The leavening is correct. This is a large, heavy cake with sour cream, applesauce, and a generous amount of streusel. It needs the lift.
- Serve it straight from the baking pan. The cake is large, and getting it out of the pan in one piece can be tricky. I do it because I’ve had years of practice, but if you have a pretty baking dish, just slice and serve. No parchment to worry about and no split cake to cut into even squares.
- Homemade applesauce and yogurt can work. I haven’t tested every variation, but readers have reported good results using homemade chunky applesauce instead of store-bought (which reminds me of my small chunky apple cake). Greek yogurt has worked well for readers too, though I recommend full-fat to stay closest to the richness and consistency of sour cream.
- Unsweetened applesauce is preferred. If you only have sweetened applesauce, I don’t recommend compensating by reducing the granulated sugar. Sugar does more than sweeten the cake, and reducing it can change the texture and structure.
I LOVE hearing from you!
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If you made this applesauce coffee cake, let me know in the comments below! Your comment and star rating are greatly appreciated and help other bakers discover the recipe.
Applesauce Coffee Cake
by Erin Cernich
Equipment
- 9×13-Inch Baking Dish
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped (toasting optional)
Coffee Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Instructions
- Before you start, read through the entire recipe. Yes, this coffee cake uses a few bowls, but they’re necessary for the mixing method and getting the best texture from the cake.
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Grease a 9×13-Inch baking dish. Or, if you plan to lift the whole cake from the dish, line it completely with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the cake. Lightly grease the paper/foil.
Streusel
- To toast the pecans (optional): Spread them on a small, parchment-lined baking sheet and put them in the oven while it's preheating. Toast for 5 to 7 minutes. You'll smell their toasty aroma, but watch them closely, as they can go from toasty to burned quickly. Once they are cool enough to handle, chop them into small pieces about the size of a pea.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter cubes and cut into the mixture using two forks, your fingers, or a pastry cutter. Mix until you have coarse crumbs, then stir in the pecans.1 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes, 1 cup pecans, finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon salt
Coffee Cake
- In a small mixing bowl, add the applesauce, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until combined and smooth. Set aside.1 cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature, 1 ½ cups full-fat sour cream, room temperature, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt
- In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed — the butter likes to stick to the bottom.1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature
- Turn the speed to low and sprinkle half of the dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl. Mix until just combined, then beat in the applesauce mixture. Add the remaining dry ingredients, turn the speed up to medium, and mix until no dry streaks remain and the batter is mostly smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The batter will resemble thick pancake batter, and it’s okay if there are a few lumps. Be careful not to overmix, or the cake can turn out tough.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the streusel evenly over the top. Add the remaining batter and gently spread it over the streusel. Finish with the remaining streusel on top.
- Bake the cake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the baking dish, set on a wire cooling rack. This can take up to 2 hours. If you intend to lift the cake out of the dish to slice and serve, use the paper/foil overhang and lift carefully to prevent the cake from splitting.
- Cover the cake and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Small Batch Option – The recipe can be halved to make a smaller cake in an 8×8-inch dish. Start checking the cake at 35 minutes.
- Baking Dish – A ceramic, glass, or metal baking pan will work. If using a metal pan, the cake may not take as long to bake — start checking it 5 minutes early.
- Streusel Option – You can also use a food processor to make the streusel. Add all of the ingredients, except for the pecans, and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Then stir in the chopped pecans.
- Freezing – The cake can be frozen once it has cooled completely. Wrap in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature to serve.
Nutrition Estimates
TRY THESE SMALL BATCH RECIPES NEXT!
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
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If I have sweetened applesauce, how much do I need to reduce the sugar by in the recipe? And I have full fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Can I substitute the Greek yogurt for sour cream 1:1?
The full-fat Greek yogurt will be fine. Though I would not remove any sugar from the cake batter; otherwise, the texture of the cake will change. Instead, you can remove some of the sugar from the streusel topping. Use 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar in the streusel (instead of a mix of white and brown sugar). Thanks Nina – hope you enjoy it!
Fabulous cake. I’ve made it as a cake and as muffins. Everyone loves it. However, there’s nothing low sugar about it even using unsweetened applesauce. 3 cups of sugar in the whole cake! That’s why it’s so yummy.
Thanks Shiela! Muffins sound awesome – I’ll have to try that! Appreciate you trying the recipe.
I don’t usually write reviews, but this cake was absolutely exceptional. It was not only devoured by the entire family in a single day, but it was easily one of the most delicious things I’ve EVER eaten and I couldn’t believe I made it with my own two hands- haha! Thanks so much for sharing. I followed the recipe to a tee and it was perfect in every way
This made my day – thanks so much Magdalen! So glad to hear everyone enjoyed the cake!
I made the cake in a smaller pan (10″ spring form) and I guess that’s where I went wrong. I forgot the time and cooked it for 1hour and 15mins. It didn’t burn in fact when it cooled and I cut into it, you t was raw in the middle. I threw it back in the oven for another 1/2hour. It’s still wet in the middle. I don’t want to scrap it so I’ll cut around it and made bake the centre a third time.
Sorry the smaller pan didn’t work. There’s about a 2 cup difference in volume between a 10″ and 9×13″ pan. There’s a lot of batter and that will usually happen if the pan is too small – the middle will have hard time cooking properly. But appreciate you trying the recipe.
Made this today, subbing plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream because I had some to use up. This was a good cake, very nice crumb to it, but not as “apple-y” as I would like. I think I might add a layer of thinly sliced apples next time and more of a combo of spices than relying just on the cinnamon (nutmeg, allspice, maybe cloves.) Note: This recipe is like a lot of the older recipes where you use separate bowls to premix ingredients, which adds to the cleanup.
Thanks for trying the recipe Laura!
I did not have enough applesauce, so used 1/4 cup of a Costco honey/ginger/tea mix concentrate that has a consistency like jam. I was also short on yogurt, so used half mayo with a splash of heavy cream. Used apple pie spice and no nuts. Came out great! This is one of those recipes that you can play with and it still turns out delicious.
Thank you for the kind review Gale! Love to hear that your swaps worked – the honey/ginger mix sounds delicious!
Want to try this but wil use apple butter, so will cut sugar a lot. Was wondering can this be made ahead and frozen ? Want to have for day after Thanksgiving breakfast for my crew. Trying to cook ahead.
Yes, the coffee cake can be frozen. Cool it completely. You can either leave the cake in the pan or remove it. Either way, wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Then, if in the pan, cover with foil. If out of the pan, place in freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature.
This Applesauce Coffee Cake looks absolutely delicious! I love the idea of using applesauce for added moisture and flavor. Can’t wait to try this recipe for my next brunch!
Thank you so much!
I am in the process of mixing the ingredients. It calls for a Tablespoon of Baking Powder. Should that be a Teaspoon?
Thank you!
Hello – Yes, 1 tablespoon is correct. Because of the amount of flour, sour cream and applesauce, the cake needs help to get a good rise!
I just made the Applesauce Coffee Cake, and it’s absolutely delightful! The combination of flavors is perfect, and it turned out so moist. I love how easy the recipe is to follow. This will definitely be a regular in my kitchen! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for trying the recipe and I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I found this recipe because I had applesauce I wanted to use up. Although it takes up alot of dishes, it is really yummy and a hit with the two families I shared it with. Making it again right now, using a little less sugar and a slightly smaller glass cake pan. Smells wonderful!
Thank you for trying the recipe!
I made the coffee cake for my church this past Sunday and they loved it. I made two of them and both of them were devoured, there wasn’t a crumb left. Thank you so much for this recipe. It was so good, I made two more for my family. This is my new go to dessert.
Thank you so much Troy – I love to hear this! Thank you for visiting the blog and trying the recipe.
I loved this recipe! The combination of applesauce and coffee cake was a game-changer. The texture was moist and the flavor was amazing. Can’t wait to make it again!
So glad you enjoyed it – thank you!
This looks wonderful but before I bake I am wondering if I could bake in a Bundt pan?
Hi LynnAnn – Thank you! I think that should work – the cake is certainly sturdy enough. The only issue would be the streusel topping and if you invert the cake to get it out of the pan – all the streusel will fall off. But, you could swirl it into the batter on top. Hope you enjoy it!
Good recipe, fairly simple, and a great use for extra homemade applesauce. Like others have said, I used a tiny bit more butter in the streusel just to get it more even. Only change I might make next time is using a slightly smaller baking dish and adjusting the cook time. With a 9×13, the layers came out VERY thin which made it a little tough to get evenly spread out. All around great recipe!
made this recipe yesterday. used homemade chunky applesauce. it was GREAT !!!! very moist and flavorful…will definitely make this again and again !
Thanks so muck Kiki! Glad you enjoyed the coffee cake and thank you for visiting the blog!
I wondering if the amount of butter in the streusel topping is way too low. You call for only 2 tablespoons while most streusel topping recipes call for at least 6 tablespoons considering the amount of sugar and flour you call for.
Is this possible?
Hi Donna – It’s intended to be a crunchier topping. You can certainly add more butter if you like!
I”m a bit confused on the measuring of the sour cream and applesauce. It says to mix them in a liquid measuring cup but do you measure them using the liquid measuring cup?
Hi Denise – thanks for the note. I updated the recipe to just mix the sour cream and applesauce in a mixing bowl. I (personally) like to measure and mix into a liquid measuring cup because the cup makes pouring the liquid mix into the dry ingredients easier (for me). Thanks!
The best recipe ever!! I used homemade applesauce and yogurt instead of sour cream just because I didn’t have the sour cream. So delicate and perfect leavening ratio❤️
Wonderful! Thank you so much Yvonne and I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Very good, moist & full of flavor. I use homemade chunky apple sauce.
Thank you Sandra – so glad you enjoyed it! I’ll have to try it with the chunky applesauce 🙂