Caramel Apple Streusel Cake recipe is an apple coffee cake topped with streusel and drizzled with caramel sauce. It is to die for!
I have been a subscriber of Southern Living magazine for years. Yes, I am also crazy for the cuisine of the American South, too!!! When I saw all the marvelous apple dessert recipes in their September 2012 edition, I told myself that I not only had to make some of them, but I also had to share them with my readers. inspired by this wonderful magazine, I created this scrumptious Caramel Apple Streusel Cake (Bolo de Maçã com Calda de Caramelo e Farofa Alemã).
Since one of my closest Brazilian friends asked me several months ago to publish an apple cake recipe and I finally found one that really caught my eye, I decided to make this specific one: the Caramel Apple Coffee Cake, which I have renamed (as you can see below) after making a few special modifications. 🙂
Although I love apples, in most of Brazil we don't have an abundance of desserts made from this fruit. However, a few apple desserts can be found in Southern Brazil since this is a region whose cuisine was significantly influenced by German settlers, and whose cooler climate is more favorable for cultivating apple trees.
I am telling you, this cake reminded me so much of the Southern Brazilian coffee cakes I enjoyed in their Cafés Coloniais** years ago. The presence of the apples as well as the streusel seem very German to me (and Southern Brazilian too). I love the contrast between the crunchiness of the streusel and the tenderness of the apples as well as sweetness of the caramel against the neutral background of the batter. This is the PER-FECT coffee cake...
I do hope that you enjoy this culinary jewel as much as I did (Oh boy, and did I ever...).
See you in the kitchen in a minute. And don't forget to serve our Apple Streusel Cake with a good cup of coffee!
xx
** Café Colonial (lit. "colonial breakfast") traditionally consists of a full table overflowing with assorted breads and coffee cakes, butter, cheeses, jams, sausage, milk, hot cocoa, cookies, and honey, among other delicacies. The majority of the items are artisan-crafted and homemade. This meal can be enjoyed at any time of day, and is typical of the cities in Southern Brazil colonized by German immigrants.
Caramel Apple Streusel Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- For the Cake Batter
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large Granny Smith apples cored, peeled, and sliced
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- For the Streusel Topping
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg**
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract**
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ** These ingredients are not part of the original recipe. They were added by me.
- For the Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract**
- ** This ingredient is not part of the original recipe. It was added by me.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F (About 180° C). Grease and flour a 9-in (22.5 cm) springform pan. Reserve.
- Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the apples; sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat; cool completely (about 30 minutes).
- Meanwhile, prepare the Streusel Topping and Caramel Sauce. Reserve ½ cup Caramel Sauce to drizzle the cake with just before serving.
- At medium speed, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Beginning and ending with this flour mixture, add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beating at low speed until well blended after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, top with apples, drizzle with ½ cup Caramel Sauce; then, sprinkle with Streusel Topping.
- If using a dark, coated springform pan, bake at 325° for 45 minutes (if using a noncoated shiny springform pan, bake at 350° for 45 minutes). After these 45 minutes, cover loosely with aluminum foil in order to prevent excessive browning; bake for additional 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set (note: wooden toothpick will not come out clean due to the caramel).
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes; remove the sides of the pan. Then let cool completely on wire rack (about 1 ½ hours). Drizzle with ½ cup Caramel Sauce and serve.
- For the streusel: Stir together all the ingredients until blended. Let stand for 30 minutes or until firm enough to crumble into small pieces.
- For the caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring brown sugar, butter, whipping cream, and honey to a boil , stirring constantly. Let boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, stir, and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
- This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. In order to reheat, microwave at high power for 10 to 15 seconds or just until warm; stir until smooth.
- Note: Recipe based on the 'Caramel Apple Coffee Cake' recipe from Southern Living Magazine - September 2012 edition. To see the original recipe, please click on Caramel Apple Coffee Cake.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Oh Denise!!! This caramel (yum!) apple streusel (yummm!) cake looks so good! As you see, I love streusel...and this totally made my mouth water! I didn't know that Brazil doesn't have too many fruit desserts. I thought warmer place = abundance of fruits, but I guess that's not the case. I'm not familiar with Southern cooking either. But this surely looks super delicious! I need to brush up my baking skills so that when I look at the baking recipes I won't be intimidated. At this point.... I'm a bit scared by unfamiliar processes. 😀 I wish you are my neighbor so I can just knock on your door when you open the oven door. Hehee!
Denise Browning says
Nami:
Thanks a lot!!!! In Brazil there are a lot of desserts made with our tasty fruits, but there is not a lot of made especifically with apples. Only in the southern area of my country, where is cold a few months of the year, we can find desserts tipically made with this fruit. These apple dessert recipes came from the German immigrants that went to live there. Yes, I wish you were also my neighboor too so we could cook together. You could teach me how to cook your mouth-watering Japanese food and I'd teach you about Brazilian food - with emphasis in baked desserts. :):):) I really think if you'd try to bake this cake you'd make a fantastic job!!!!! xx
Marcia says
This recipe is delicious!!! Just switched up a couple ingredients to make it vegan for my daughter, and no one knows otherwise. GREAT recipe!!
Denise Browning says
Marcia:
I am so glad that you made this cake and loved it. It's good to know that it could be easily adapted to become vegan. Thank you for taking time to stopping by. Have a great week!