A few weeks ago I traded my neighbor a loaf of King Arthur’s Harvest bread for a big slice of homemade apple coffee cake. It was one of the best apple coffee cakes I’ve ever tasted, and she was happy to share the recipe. It;s called “Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake” from the New York Times Cookbook.
Loaf Pan Apple Coffee Cake
The original recipe is made in a Bundt or Tube pan, but I was determined to halve it so I did just that and baked it in a loaf pan. The one I used, an 8×4 inch pan, was a bit too small and the cake had giant ridges like you see in the picture. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you they were really fun to break off and eat, but the cake would have looked better baked in an larger loaf pan. For the apples, I used a mixture of Macintosh, Gala and big green Michigan apples. And for the cinnamon, I used 2 1/2 teaspoons. That sounds like a lot of cinnamon, but it was not.
This cake was truly the best apple coffee cake I’ve had. I especially loved the thin slices of apples running through the cake. If you try it, let me know what you think. I told another friend about it and while she was curious, she recommended yet another recipe so maybe I’ll have a second cake to compare this too.
Recipe
Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups of apples sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 2-3)
- 1 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar (200 grams plus 35 grams)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (190 grams)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- Toss the sliced apples, 2 1/2 tablespoons of the sugar, and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, combine flour, remaining 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Stir with a heavy duty scraper until blended.
- Scrape 1/3 of cake batter into loaf pan. Layer about 1/2 the apples, drained of excess moisture (I blotted them with paper towels), on top. Add another third of the batter, followed by the rest of the apples, and remaining batter.
- Bake about 60 to 75 minutes (check at 60 – time will vary with loaf pan size), until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean or a meat thermometer registers 210F.
- Allow cake to cool to lukewarm in the pan, then turn onto a serving plate.
Notes
Bake Time — I loaded all the batter into an 8×4 inch pan when an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 or a 9×5 inch pan would have been a better choice. Because I put so much batter into a small pan, it took almost 80 minutes (at 325) to bake. If you’re using the 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 or 9×5 inch loaf pan as recommended, it will probably take closer to 65 or 75 minutes. A good way to test whether or not cake is done is to stick a meat thermometer in it. Internal temperature of cake should be about 210 F. If you’d rather just make a full cake, double the recipe and use a 10 inch tube pan or Bundt pan.
d
This is so yummy! I did it in a 9X5 loaf pan and that was perfect. I did AP flour but I’ll try it with pastry flour next time and see if it’s even better. Really moist. Thank you for posting!
Anna
Thanks for the feedback, Sherry! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Sherry
Anna: I made this over the weekend and it was a huge hit. I’ll definitely made it again—in fact probably tonight since I still have quite a few apples to use up.
d
This looks so good! I need to try it. I love all these fall recipes and how great they make the house smell. I’m also looking forward to hearing how the Samuelson recipe turns out. Thanks!!
Sonya
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Apple cake is one of my favorites! Looking forward to hearing about how the Samuelson recipe turns out! Also will look up brownie temps – I’ve only used my instant read thermometer for cheesecake and bread ( in terms of baked goods). Great to know.
Anna
Beth, let me know what you think.
Darlene, it’s so helpful to know. If you google, you can find internal temperatures for brownies, cheesecake, and other baked goods that sometimes require guesswork.
Debbie, I should try yours too. The next one on my list is by Marcus Samuelsson. It’s completely different than this one, but another friend swears by it.
Amy, glad you like the half batch versions :). You can also freeze this cake. I gave a few slices away, ate some and froze the rest.
AmyM
That looks delicious Anna! I have a bunch of different apples I got at the store the other day so I’ll have to try it. Thanks for the small batch recipes – I’m the only one with a sweet tooth in my house and 9X13 and full bundt recipes are just too much.
debbie
Hi Anna! This looks delicious! I just brought back a bushel of apples from the mountains this past weekend and will have to try this cake!! I love apples cakes. I just made one too but yours look much better than mine!!!
Darlene
My family would love this! I especially appreciate your adaptation of the recipe to make a smaller size loaf cake. Your hint about testing the internal temperature of the cake with a meat thermometer will definitely be added to my “Anna’s Greatest Hints” folder.
beth
This looks great! i cant wait to make it!