Apple Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

The minute October sets in, I start craving pumpkin and apple everything, and this year, my urge to bake has been extra strong. I don’t often like to experiment too much with baking, because, as I often tell my husband, baking is a science and cooking is an art. But when the experiments turn out as good as this one did…well, we can all be glad I break my own rules sometimes. I can assure you, my baking experiments do not always turn out (i.e. the coffee cake explosion of 2021).

We grew up eating and loving our mom’s delicious apple coffee cake, and I almost just made that again this week, but I decided I wanted to create something that packed a much stronger apple-spiced punch. So anyway, I got to work and ended up with this. I was honestly shocked at how it turned out! The streusel topping collapses down into the cake in some spots, creating dimples of cinnamon roll-esque gooeyness throughout the cake…the cake itself is loaded with grated and diced apples, so it’s extra moist and appley…and there are three different glaze options to choose from, depending on your mood and motivation level. I can assure you, there’s no wrong choice when it comes to those!

Apple Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
yield 1 9×13-inch cake

For the Apple Cake:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups pressed apple juice or apple cider*, boiled and reduced down to 1/2 cup
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 2 cups peeled and grated apples (I used Honeycrisp)
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced or chopped apples depending on how big you want your apple chunks)

For the Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup cold butter, grated or diced in small cubes
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

#1 Glaze: 

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk

#2 Browned Butter Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter, browned
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

#3 Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 4 oz cream cheese, warmed until soft in the microwave, about 20 seconds
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°. Grease a 9×13 baking dish. 
2. Combine oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, sour cream/yogurt, and cooled apple juice in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until combined and smooth. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. 
4. Add dry ingredients to stand mixer and mix on medium low until just combined. 
5. Fold in grated and chopped apples. 
6. Pour batter into prepared baking dish, then combine streusel ingredients in a medium bowl. Use your fingers to combine the ingredients into clumps varying in size from pea-size to pecan-size, then sprinkle streusel topping all over the top of the cake. 
7. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean––try to test the cake in a spot where the topping hasn’t sunk, as the gooey topping will still stick to it even if the cake is finished baking. (The streusel topping will sink down into the cake in some spots, making the cake look a little dimpled on top—don’t be alarmed, it’s supposed to happen and leads to spots of gooey cinnamon deliciousness)
8. Allow to cool 5 minutes. While cake is cooling, combine ingredients for the glaze of your choice, using just enough milk to be able to whisk through. Start with a teaspoon and add more as needed. Drizzle the glaze all over the top of the cake while still warm. 

*NOTE:
Do not use regular apple juice in this recipe. You’re looking for the medium brown type of pressed apple juice that is found in the refrigerated section. In the Northeast, we call this apple cider, but you don’t want anything that’s pre-spiced––you only want apple juice. Trader Joe’s sells a half-gallon sized option in their refrigerated section year-round called Pressed Apple Juice. You could likely also use the Simply brand of apple juice. Just know that if it’s shelf-stable and not refrigerated, you don’t want it.