Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
with Cinnamon, Ginger & Cardamom
There’s something about a coffee cake that makes a morning gathering feel a little more special. Set it on the table, pour some coffee, and suddenly there’s a reason to sit down and stay awhile.
I made this apple streusel coffee cake for my moms group at church, where our mornings together include a little breakfast potluck. It’s the kind of recipe I love bringing to share: simple, cozy, and easy to slice right out of the skillet.
The cake is filled with diced apples and gently spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. On top is a generous layer of buttery streusel — the kind with little crumbs and bigger clusters you might be tempted to pick off before anyone else gets a slice.
A little butter, a little oil
For this cake, I use both butter and oil. Butter brings the flavor, while oil helps the crumb stay soft as the cake cools. Sour cream adds richness, and the apples bring moisture to every slice.
The result is a tender apple coffee cake that’s just as welcome beside your afternoon coffee as it is on a breakfast table.
Warm spices that let the apples shine
Cinnamon is a familiar companion to apples, but ginger and cardamom make this cake a little more interesting. The ginger adds gentle warmth, and the cardamom brings a fragrant touch without taking over.
Granny Smith apples give the cake a little tartness, while Honeycrisp makes it sweeter. Either works well. Cut them into small, roughly ¼-inch pieces so they distribute evenly throughout the batter.
My favorite way to make streusel
I stir the sugar, spices, and salt into the melted butter first, then gently mix in the flour. This helps form those distinct crumbs and clusters I love. Make the streusel before the batter and tuck it into the refrigerator while you finish the cake. That gives the butter time to firm up so the topping is crumbly when you sprinkle it on. Leave a few bigger clusters, and resist pressing them into the batter.
Serve this cake warm or at room temperature. It doesn’t need a glaze; just a cup of coffee and someone to share it with.
Apple Streusel Coffee Cake
Yield: 8–10 servings
Pan: 10-inch cast iron skillet, at least 2 inches deep
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Bake time: 45–55 minutes
Cooling time: At least 25–30 minutes
Ingredients
Cinnamon-cardamom streusel
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Apple coffee cake
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream or plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, room temperature
2 cups peeled, finely diced apples, about 2 medium apples
Additional butter for greasing the skillet
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a room-temperature 10-inch cast iron skillet. Do not preheat the skillet.
Stir the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt into the melted, slightly cooled butter. Add the flour and gently mix with a fork until crumbly, leaving some larger clusters. Refrigerate while you prepare the batter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes, until lighter and fluffy. Beat in the oil, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
On low speed, mix in half the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Gently fold in the diced apples. The batter will be thick.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared skillet. If the chilled streusel has firmed into one mass, gently break it into crumbs and clusters with a fork. Scatter it evenly over the batter without pressing it down.
Bake for 45–55 minutes, beginning to check at 40 minutes. The cake is done when the center springs back lightly and a tester inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If the topping browns before the center finishes baking, loosely tent with foil.
Let the cake cool for at least 25–30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe notes
Measure flour lightly. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off to avoid packing in too much.
For more cardamom: Increase the cardamom in the cake batter to ½ teaspoon, keeping the streusel at ¼ teaspoon.
Storage: Once completely cool, transfer the cake to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze individual slices for longer storage.
