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This easy apple coffee cake never disappoints! Don’t take it from me, just read the comments below!
Made with yellow cake mix, fresh apples and lots of cinnamon-sugar swirled in, this irresistible apple coffee cake will be ready in under an hour and make your house smell like Cinnabon!
This is one of THE best coffee cakes I’ve ever made and by far the easiest.
-Kathleen
A friend brought me lots of apples, so this was a good chance to try this recipe. It came together beautifully and is absolutely delicious. The recipe is now in my tried and true file. Thank you.
-Pauline
Delicious Fresh Apple Cake made with Cake Mix
- starts with a box of yellow cake mix
- bake in a 9×13 inch pan
- has chopped apples inside
- will make your house smell like fall!
I was initially concerned that I couldn’t call this a “coffee cake.” But google says that a coffee cake is a cake, often cinnamon flavored, with drizzled white icing – this cake definitely fits that description!
There are so many names you could call this cake – doctored up apple cinnamon cake, easy apple cinnamon crumb cake, apple coffee cake.
So let’s break it down.
Does Coffee Cake have coffee in it?
Despite its name, traditional coffee cake usually does not contain actual coffee as an ingredient. Coffee cake is a type of cake that is intended to be served with coffee, hence the name.
Best Apples for Apple Cake
For apple cake, choose apples with a balance of sweetness and tartness, like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Braeburn, Gala, Jonathan, or Cortland. These varieties hold their shape during baking, offering a satisfying texture to the cake.
Apple Coffee Cake Recipe Ingredients
- apples, diced into small pieces
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- sour cream
- vegetable oil
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- yellow cake mix (can use a gluten free mix!)
How to Make Apple Cake with Cake Mix
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Dice the apples into small pieces. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, mix with a spoon to combine. Remove 3 tbsp and sprinkle over the apples. Set aside the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. And set aside the apples.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract, beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until combined. Add in the cake mix, gently mixing with the beater. Add in the apples and mix by hand until incorporated. Pour the cake mixture into the 9×13 inch pan, smooth with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture all over the cake. Use a butter knife or spatula to swirl this mixture into the cake batter.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool while you make the glaze.
- In a mixing bowl combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to stir the mixture until it’s smooth. YOUR CHOICE: pour the glaze over the warm cake or let the cake cool completely then add the glaze. Serve right away or cover the cake pan with a lid and store on the counter until serving.
This is for sure the easiest way to make apple coffee cake!
Making Apple Coffee Cake Ahead of Time
You can make this apple coffee cake with sour cream the day before you serve it and store it on the counter in an airtight container. However, I recommend waiting to add the glaze until the day of, otherwise the glaze can make the cake soggy.
How to Store Sour Cream Apple Coffee Cake
The cake can be kept on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Apple Coffee Cake Substitutions and Variations
- You can replace the 15.25 oz box of yellow cake mix with another 15.25 oz cake mix. Other flavors I recommend are white, butter golden, spice, and french vanilla!
- I tested this recipe with a gluten free yellow cake mix and it turned out SO good!
Want Cream Cheese Icing Instead?
Beat 4 oz softened cream cheese with 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 cup milk until thick. If too thick, beat in more milk (1 tsp at a time).
Apple Coffee Cake Recipe Tips for Success
- Be sure to dice the apples into small pieces so they soften during baking. If the apple pieces are too large, they won’t become fully soft.
- Don’t be afraid to really swirl in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Use a butter knife or small spatula.
- Recommended apples include: granny smith, honey crisp, or gala.
More Favorite Recipes
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Fresh Apple Cake with Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 2 apples, diced into small pieces (I recommend granny smith, honey crisp, or gala)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 box yellow cake mix, 15.25 oz (can use a gluten free mix!)
GLAZE
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp milk or more in needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Dice the apples into small pieces. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, mix with a spoon to combine. Remove 3 tbsp and sprinkle over the apples. Set aside the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. And set aside the apples.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract, beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until combined. Add in the cake mix, gently mixing with the beater. Add in the apples and mix by hand until incorporated. Pour the cake mixture into the 9×13 inch pan, smooth with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture all over the cake. Use a butter knife or spatula to swirl this mixture into the cake batter.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool while you make the glaze.
- In a mixing bowl combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to stir the mixture until it’s smooth.
- YOUR CHOICE: pour the glaze over the warm cake or let the cake cool completely then add the glaze. Serve right away or cover the cake pan with a lid and store on the counter until serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
For the cream cheese recipe, is it supposed to be 1/4 cup milk?
Hi Liz! Yes! Thanks for catching that! I’ll update it to read 1/4 not 14 ?
Are you sprinkling the 3 tablespoons over the apples or the rest of the mixture after you remove 3 tablespoons?
You sprinkle the 3 tablespoons that you remove over the apples. The rest of the mixture gets swirled on top of the cake in step 5!
I would like to make the gluten free version of the apple cinnamon cake but it calls for sour and I also have to be dairy free, so what can I substitute?
Love your blog, a lot of good recipes.
Hi Cecelia! I don’t have a lot of experience with dairy free baking. I would recommend using a dairy free sour cream substitute or a dairy free plain yogurt.
I have turned into a lazy critter recently. I just don’t have the time to bake like I would like. This recipe is terrific answer to coffee cake. I have all the ingredients in the pantry. On Wed. our coffee meeting will have coffee cake!.This is fast an easy yet meets ALL the requirements of a coffee cake . Thanks for the brilliant idea! The people at my Senior Comlex will love this!!!!
Aw, you are very welcome Barbara!
I’m making this today (for work tomorrow) with a Butter Golden cake mix. I’m wondering how it would taste with a spice cake mix?
I would think a spice cake mix would be so delicious!
Do you have to use Sour Cream? Can you you replace it with pudding or cream cheese?
Hi April! I haven’t tried this recipe with pudding or cream cheese – let me know how it turns out if you do!
Can you use a sugar free cake mix? You stated gluten free!
Hi Nancy! I haven’t tried this recipe with a sugar free cake mix myself.
I just made this with a Pillsbury sugar-free yellow cake mix along with the Truvia Brown Sugae blend and it came out great. The cake is fluffy and not too sweet. I added a teaspoon of nutmeg to the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and did not put on a glaze; topping with sugar-free Coo Whip instead. **** thumbs up!
Is it possible to bake this cake in a bundt pan?
That sounds delicious!! I haven’t tried it myself yet.
I don’t know if you’ve made it in a Bundt yet or not but I did today! I have 2 smaller Bundt pans so I separated the batter into the 2 turned out great! Only thing I’m going to note when I write the recipe down if I do it in a Bundt pan again to do a cinnamon/sugar layer halfway through because the bottom of it didn’t have any but it was very yummy!!!
Erica, it is amazing if you split the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture with half going into the pan first, then 1/2 -3/4 of the cake mix, add the rest of the cinnamon/brown and swirl, then add the rest of the cake mix. When you de pan the Bundt onto your serving plate, you get a gooey glaze on the top… then drizzle cream cheese glaze over the top and you have a stunning and delicious cake that pairs perfectly with coffee!
Do you need an electric mixer or could you mix everything by hand? Thanks in advance :)
Hi Lily! I recommend an electric hand mixer if possible! You can mix it by hand, but it will take longer.
I mixed it all by hand it it tasted delicious!
Of course!
Your recipes are Fantastic!! The cake is moist, very moist. Keep up your sharing with us. Thanx.
Thank you so much for your kind comment Mary!