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Cream Cheese Apple Coffee Cake

Cream cheese apple coffee cake with a cinnamon-apple filling and buttery streusel topping. Bakes up golden with a tender crumb and visible cream cheese layer in every slice.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cake
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 lb unsalted butter softened
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
For cream cheese layer
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 0.25 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp
For apple layer
  • 2 cup apples diced
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
For streusel
  • 0.5 cup flour
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup cold butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 dish. Make sure the pan is fully coated so the coffee cake releases cleanly.
Make streusel
  1. Combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then cut in cold butter until crumbly with no large butter lumps. The mixture should look like coarse sand and hold together when pinched.
Prepare fillings and cake batter
  1. Beat cream cheese layer ingredients until smooth. Stop and scrape the bowl so the cream cheese stays lump-free.
  2. Toss apples, sugar, and cinnamon for the apple layer until evenly coated. You should see the apples glisten with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  3. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. The batter should lighten in color and look airy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Stop when no streaks of egg remain.
  5. Alternate adding the flour mixture and sour cream to the batter. Mix just until combined so the crumb stays tender.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread batter in the prepared pan and dollop the cream cheese over the top, then spread gently. Leave some small cream cheese streaks for a layered look.
  2. Top with cinnamon apples and scatter streusel over everything. Cover the surface so every bite gets a crisp, golden topping.
  3. Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Look for a set center and caramelized, golden edges on the streusel.

Notes

For neat slices, let the coffee cake cool for about 20 minutes before cutting; it helps the cream cheese layer set and keeps the cinnamon apples from sliding. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze slices up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a lighter option, swap sour cream for full-fat plain Greek yogurt for a similar tang and moisture.