Mom's Apple Coffee Cake
Quick and Easy Apple Breakfast Cake. We used to have this most Sundays before Church. It was always in the pretty good stuff category, but as I fill in the slightly modified recipe and figure out it comes out at about 700 calories per piece, I seem to know why. Enjoy... just don't eat the whole thing!
Quick and Easy Apple Breakfast Cake. We used to have this most Sundays before Church. It was always in the pretty good stuff category, but as I fill in the slightly modified recipe and figure out it comes out at about 700 calories per piece, I seem to know why. Enjoy... just don't eat the whole thing!
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 whole egg
- dry stuff
- 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 whole apple granny smith or cup of fruit
- 1/2 cup nuts pecans or walnuts
- wet stuff
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 3/4 cup 2% milk
- crumb topping
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- Carbohydrate 69.1990004030558 g
- Cholesterol 52.4805555916818 mg
- Fat 17.6323669558134 g
- Fiber 3.25649154602634 g
- Protein 5.49623619902277 g
- Saturated Fat 7.97572552666834 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (206g)
- Sodium 393.259121650318 mg
- Sugar 65.9425088570295 g
- Trans Fat 1.30652275742201 g
- Calories 438 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix the dry stuff ... AP Flour, Sugar (yes I know its really wet stuff) Baking powder, Salt, Apple, Nuts
- Melt the butter and heat the milk so that the butter doesn't solidify but not hot enough to cook the egg... and then mix together the wet stuff
- Mix wet into dry but not too much
- top with crumb topping
- Let the butter warm to where it is soft, but not mushy. Usually if you set it on the counter in the kitchen while you do everything else you have to do, it is pretty much ready when you get to this point. If not, have some coffee... Its breakfast. Slow down and enjoy the process.
- Dump everything in a bowl. Play like you are still in kindergarten and mush it all together until is is all well combined. You can't use anything but butter here. Don't bother trying. (ok you might get away with shortening or lard ... hmmm... but butter works every time)
- Bake in a 350 oven till a pick comes out clean. Usually about 30 minutes but it really depends on the moisture i the fruit.
Operating within a strict thirty-minute baking window requires thermal management of liquid ingredients before they meet flour. Warm the milk and melted butter to roughly 100 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring the fat stays liquid without denaturing the whole egg during incorporation. Cold dairy poured into melted butter causes the fat to solidify into discrete globules, creating an uneven crumb structure and dense pockets throughout the crumb.
Overmixing remains the primary mechanism of failure for this specific batter consistency. Fold the wet components into the dry ingredients using a spatula just until the flour hydrates completely, stopping before gluten strands develop too much elasticity. Leaving small lumps in the batter preserves a tender mouthfeel, whereas aggressive stirring produces a tough, rubbery cake crumb that fails to support the fruit weight.
Granny Smith apples supply essential malic acid and structural firmness, holding their shape during the thirty-minute thermal transfer inside a 350-degree oven. Substituting high-moisture or mealy fruit introduces excess water into the pan, extending baking times unpredictably and turning the bottom layer soggy. Toss chopped pieces lightly in flour before folding them into the bowl to prevent fruit from sinking directly to the base of the baking dish.
Building the streusel topping demands softened butter rather than completely melted liquid fat to achieve proper crumb cohesion. Work the flour, sugar, and fat together manually until irregular pebbles form, then distribute them evenly across the unbaked surface to insulate the underlying batter. This solid fat layer melts slowly during baking, creating a crisp textural contrast against the soft, fruit-laden interior.
