Apple Bourbon Coffee Cake

coffee cake on wood board with apples around on marble surface.

Apple Bourbon Coffee Cake

Embrace the cozy flavors of fall with this moist apple bourbon coffee cake. Bursting with sweet apple chunks, a hint of bourbon, and a brown sugar cinnamon streusel, it's the perfect autumnal treat.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 1 25

Total Time: 2

Servings: slices

Calories: 659kcal

Ingredients

Streusel

¾ cup brown sugar firmly packed
¾ cup pecans chopped
2¼ teaspoons apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
1½ Tablespoons all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Cake

1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar firmly packed
4 large eggs room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons bourbon
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⅓ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups sour cream room temperature
2 cups chopped honeycrisp apple (about 1 large apple)
1 medium honeycrisp apple cored and thinly slice

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar sifted
¼ teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons apple cider

Instructions

Streusel

Combine brown sugar, pecans, spice, flour, and salt in a small bowl.
Mix well. Set aside.

Cake

Heat oven to 350℉/177℃.
Spray a 10-inch tube pan with baking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in vanilla and bourbon.
Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with sour cream.
Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle ¾ of the streusel over the batter.
Top with chopped apples.
Spoon remaining cake batter evenly on top.
Arrange apple slices on top of cake.
Sprinkle remaining streusel on top of apples.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 325℉/163℃.
Bake for an additional 60-65 minutes, or until cake tests done.
Allow to cool in pan for 15-20 minutes, until cool enough to touch.
Turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Glaze

In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, spice, and apple cider until smooth.
Drizzle over top of cooled cake.

Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing: The cake can be baked and covered tightly at room temperature overnight. Make the icing right before serving and drizzle over cake. The cake, with or without the icing, can be frozen up 2-3 months. Remember to thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
Sour Cream: Sour cream creates that deliciously tender and moist crumb. Do not skip it! If needed, you can substitute full-fat Greek yogurt.
Baking Apples: While there are so many different apple varieties, only a handful of them are good for baking. With this recipe, we suggest using honeycrisp or granny smith!
Loaf Pan: If you’d like to bake this coffee cake as a loaf, you will need two 9×5 inch loaf pans. Remember that, since the batter will be divided between two pans, the bake time will be less. Check your cake around 45-50 minutes.
Why is it called coffee cake and there's not any coffee in the recipe? This cake gets its name not because of the ingredients, but because it’s a breakfast cake meant to be enjoyed alongside a cup of coffee!

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