Apple cider Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel

This apple cider coffee cake is the perfect fall treat. It’s super tender and filled with delicious fall flavors like apple cider, cinnamon, and pecans. The brown sugar filling reminds me of a warm cinnamon roll, and the streusel on top adds the perfect crunch. This coffee cake is also easy to make and doesn’t require any beating or stand mixers! It’s amazing for breakfast, dessert, or just a snack! It’s also perfect for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel:

• It has the perfect texture – the cake is fluffy and tender with a crunchy streusel topping
• This recipe fills a 9×13 inch baking dish, so it’s perfect for feeding a large group
• The streusel topping is made with melted butter, so it’s super easy to mix together
• The cinnamon filling doesn’t require any mixing at all! You just sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon directly on top of the batter
• The batter is made with applesauce so it’s extra moist and full of apple flavor
• The actual batter is not too sweet, so it pairs perfectly with the cinnamon sugar filling and brown sugar streusel on top

Why is it called coffee cake?

Coffee cake is actually a slightly misleading name because coffee cake doesn’t actually contain coffee. Instead, it got the name coffee cake because this cake is commonly served with a nice cup of coffee. The sweet and fluffy crumb and slightly bitter coffee are a perfect match.

Key ingredients:

• Eggs – for best results, use eggs that are at room temperature
• Vegetable oil – while many recipes use butter in coffee cake, this apple cider coffee cake uses vegetable oil because it keeps the cake moist and fluffy for longer
• Apple cider – I recommend using a high quality apple cider for the best flavor. For an extra flavor boost, simmer 2 cups of apple cider until reduced by half to concentrate the apple cider flavor.
• Unsweetened applesauce – unsweetened applesauce gives this coffee cake some extra flavor, but more importantly, it makes the cake super moist
• Spices – this recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. I like to use pre-ground spices for convenience, but freshly ground spices would be even better! You could also substitute pre-made pumpkin pie spice, which has many of the same ingredients.
• Pecans – I like to use chopped pecans in the streusel, but feel free to leave them out or substitute other nuts

Tips and variations for this apple cider coffee cake

• This recipe calls for 3 cups of all purpose flour, but you can also try replacing 1 cup of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour. Simply add two extra tablespoons of vegetable oil if you make this change.
• Apple cider: for extra flavor, simmer 2 cups of apple cider until reduced by half to concentrate the apple cider flavor.
• Applesauce: if you don’t have applesauce, try substituting pumpkin puree or milk.
• To add even more apple flavor, try mixing 1 diced apple into the coffee cake batter.
• If you are using pre-ground spices, make sure they are not expired for the best flavor!
• If you can’t/don’t want to use pecans, feel free to substitute other nuts or leave them out completely
• To make this even more festive, try adding some dried cranberries or candied ginger.
• When mixing the batter, make sure not to over mix because that could lead to a tough coffee cake.
• Since this batter is fairly thick, it can be hard to spread the top layer of batter over the cinnamon sugar. I recommend evenly distributing the batter on top of the cinnamon sugar using a spoon, and then using a spatula to spread it out.

Basic steps to make this apple cider coffee cake:

1. Make the streusel: Mix together all the dry ingredients, including the brown sugar. Then add the melted butter and mix in with a fork until everything is evenly hydrated. Then add the chopped pecans. This will be set aside so it has some time to slightly firm up.
2. Make the cake batter: In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients for the cake batter.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients using a whisk. Keep whisking until everything is super smooth and well combined. It helps if everything is at room temperature. Then add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until everything is just combined. Be careful not to over mix!
4. Pour half of the batter into a greased or parchment lined baking dish. Spread evenly to cover the bottom. Then sprinkle the brown sugar over the batter along with the ground cinnamon for a cinnamon sugar filling. Then, add the remaining half of the batter on top of the cinnamon sugar layer and spread it out evenly. See the section above for tips if you are having trouble with this step. Finally, top the cake off with the streusel topping by using a fork or fingers into small pieces and sprinkling on top.

Serving suggestions:

So you’ve made the apple cider coffee cake, and now you are ready to dig in! However you serve it, make sure that the cake is warm! You can reheat in an oven or microwave. Here are my favorite ways to enjoy it:

• With a cup of coffee (it’s traditional for a reason!)
• With a warm mug of apple cider
• Topped with whipped cream
• Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
• Topped with a drizzle of maple syrup

If you liked this apple cider coffee cake, you might also like…

• German Streusel Apple Pie
• Apple Cider Donuts
• Healthy Apple Muffins
• Healthier Banana Cinnamon Coffee Cake