Sour cream apple cake is made with tender apples, tangy sour cream and a spiced brown sugar topping. Enjoy the cake with coffee as a glorious way to wake up.
Sour Cream Apple Cake
Updated Aug. 23, 2024
What I love about this sour cream apple cake is that you can almost feast on its heady autumn scent alone before even going near it with a fork. The oven makes the tart apples, brown sugar and fall spices permeate the air, letting you know there are only a few minutes left on the timer. But nothing compares to this coffee cake’s tender, autumnal bite—thanks to the magic of sour cream and juicy apples—that’s complemented by the crunchy brown sugar and spiced pecan topping.
Ingredients for Sour Cream Apple Cake
- Butter: To cream butter and sugar together properly, your butter must be softened to room temperature. If you forget to do this beforehand, no worries! There are a few different methods for how to soften butter quickly, such as grating the butter or rolling it out between parchment.
- Sugar: You’ll need 1 cup granulated sugar to sweeten the sour cream apple cake. Or, substitute brown sugar to create a molasses, caramel taste. It’s a lovely flavor addition to the apples and apple pie spice.
- Eggs: Bring your eggs to room temperature by taking them out of the fridge 30 minutes before starting this recipe. It’s the perfect time to take the butter out of the fridge to soften too!
- Vanilla: A touch of vanilla extract may seem as if it hardly does anything for the recipe, but it is obvious when it’s not there. Vanilla rounds out the flavors with a delicate sweetness.
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is a mix of hard and soft wheat, which is why it’s so popular in baking recipes. We especially love all-purpose flour for this coffee cake because it provides a strong structure but keeps the sour cream apple cake tender and light, just as it should be.
- Baking soda: Double-check that your baking soda hasn’t expired. If you store baking soda properly, it should last up to a year or two. Otherwise, it may last for only six months at its best.
- Sour cream: If you have any leftover sour cream, even only a little bit, save it for one of these recipes made better with a dollop of sour cream. Enchiladas, anyone?
- Apples: Tart, firm apples are the best apples for baking. Reach for varieties like Honeycrisp and Granny Smith, and stay away from mealy, bland apples like McIntosh and Red Delicious.
- Topping: Brown sugar, pecans, butter and a bit of autumnal apple pie spice are stirred together to create a nutty, crunchy, warming topping for the sour cream apple coffee cake.
Directions
Step 1: Make the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar.
Editor’s Tip: Cream the butter and sugar together on high for five to seven minutes. I know, that seems like an excessively long time, but your coffee cake will be so much lighter and tender for it. Trust me!
Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Add some of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Editor’s Tip: When combining the flour and creamed mixtures, take a moment to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
Step 2: Fold in the apples
With a rubber spatula, fold in the apples until they’re evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
Step 3: Pour into the pan
Scrape the coffee cake batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Spread the batter evenly to all four corners and edges.
Step 4: Add the topping
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, pecans, softened butter and apple pie spice.
Scatter the topping evenly all over the batter.
Step 5: Bake and serve
Bake the apple sour cream coffee cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the coffee cake cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, and serve while it’s still warm.
Editor’s Tip: It may be tempting to bake the coffee cake until a toothpick inserted comes out completely clean, but that means you’re baking out a lot of moisture. The coffee cake will continue to cook for a little while longer after it’s pulled out of the oven, so don’t overbake it!
Recipe Variations
- Don’t be shy with baking spices: Fall spices are a welcome addition to any desserts with apples. Introduce ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, some cardamom, a hint of ginger or apple pie spice into the coffee cake batter.
- Fit it for the season: Apples make this sour cream apple cake an autumnal dessert, but you can easily swap a fruit that’s in season for the apples. In the winter, sub in vibrant persimmons or pears. Spring welcomes rhubarb and strawberries, and summer is ripe with peaches, plums, apricots and cherries.
- Finish with a glaze: Need a little extra sweetness? Drizzle a quick vanilla glaze on this coffee cake, or use a maple glaze to play up the autumnal flavors.
How to Store Sour Cream Apple Cake
Once your sour cream apple cake has cooled off completely to room temperature, cover the pan with storage wrap or transfer slices to an airtight container. We recommend storing the coffee cake in the fridge for up to three days. Rewarm slices in the microwave to enliven the tender apples and warm baking spices.
Can you make sour cream apple cake ahead of time?
Yes, you can put together this recipe ahead of time to make your morning a breeze! Assemble the coffee cake and sprinkle on the topping. Cover the unbaked coffee cake with storage wrap, and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven to 350°. Remove the coffee cake from the refrigerator while the oven heats up, and take the storage wrap off the coffee cake. Bake as directed. Keep in mind, you may have to bake the coffee cake for a few minutes longer, but start with 35 minutes.
Sour Cream Apple Cake Tips
Can I substitute for the sour cream?
Yes, feel free to use a substitute for sour cream. A really great 1:1 replacement for sour cream is Greek or plain yogurt. You could also use buttermilk, but it’s not a direct substitute. For each cup sour cream needed in a recipe, you’ll need 1-1/3 cups buttermilk, but you’ll also need to decrease the liquid in the recipe (for example, the milk) by 1/3 cup.
Can I bake this sour cream apple cake in a different pan?
Absolutely! Instead of a 9×9-inch square pan, you could use a 10-inch round pan or an 11×7-inch pan. You could also divide the batter between two 8-inch round pans but know that the coffee cakes will be a bit thinner.
How should I serve sour cream apple cake?
Serve sour cream apple cake while it’s still slightly warm from the oven. It’s heaven with a cup of tea or a mug of coffee. I love to dollop homemade whipped cream on a slice from time to time if I have a carton of heavy whipping cream in the fridge.
Watch How to Make Sour Cream Apple Cake
Sour Cream Apple Cake
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
35 min
Yield
9 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1-1/2 cups chopped peeled tart apples
- TOPPING:
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
Directions
- In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to the creamed mixture. Fold in apples. Spoon into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until done.
I wish I could give credit where it's due, but I don't remember where this recipe originated. It seems as soon as this coffee cake is out of the oven, my family has it eaten!
Recipe Creator
