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This Salted Bourbon Apple Crumble Coffee Cake is fall baked up into a sweet little cake, infused with warming autumn spices, bourbon, and swirled with crisp autumn apples. This cake is no fuss, easy to mix up, and SO DELICIOUS! Every bite is layered with sweet cinnamon streusel, apples, and bourbon-vanilla coffee cake crumbs. Finish with a light drizzle of sweet glaze for a cake that no one can turn down…breakfast or dessert.
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I’m taking a pause from all the pumpkin recipes to bring back an autumn apple recipe! Once October hits I feel like we can all get sidetracked by baking (and cooking) with so much pumpkin. It’s easy to do, something about baking with pumpkin just feels so quintessentially perfect in October.
But, I’m here to remind us all that it’s still very much apple season. And we can’t forget about baking with fall apples too!
Enter this cake. It’s honestly one of the more delicious recipes I’ve baked up all month.
Here are the details
There are three steps to this cake…the batter, the streusel, and the glaze. The batter is pretty simple but has a few special ingredients: apple butter, apple cider, bourbon, apples, and a bit of sour cream to give the cake a perfect moist crumble.
Simply mix together the wet ingredients in a large bowl, then add in the dry…very simple, nothing fancy.
For the middle of the cake, you’ll need to make a streusel. You’ll also need some Honeycrisp apples. For this cake, I opted out of any creamy cheese, as I wanted the flavors of the apples and bourbon to really shine through.
I swirled the middle of the cake with chopped apples and then added a layer of streusel mixture.
For the very top of the cake, I like to arrange a few apple slices around the cake. Then I finish it off with streusel. It’s so delicious and perfect atop this apple cake.
Now on to that glaze
I don’t love a straight powdered sugar glaze. I find it to be pretty bland, and really, it’s just too sugary for my taste.
With this glaze, I wanted it to be exciting, but not overpowering. I wanted the flavors within the glaze to help highlight the flavors in the cake. Apples pair so well with maple. They help to make this my favorite buttery glaze. The bourbon adds a warmth and richness to the glaze, and the small pinch of salt ties it all together.
Not too strong, not too sweet, but just right. Especially when drizzled over this warm cake.
Insanely delish.
When everything is combined into one cake, you have a truly special fall apple cake. Make it today for something sweet tonight. But don’t forget about it when Thanksgiving rolls around next month as well.
It makes for a great brunch cake too!
We all really loved this. Especially my dad, who highly agreed that the apples really do make this cake.
Looking for other apple fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Maple Icing
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Lastly, if you make this Salted Bourbon Apple Crumble Coffee Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Salted Bourbon Apple Crumble Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/4 cup bourbon, (or more cider)
Streusel
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, grated
- 1 1/2 cups chopped apples, plus 1 small apple, thinly sliced
Glaze
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch bundt pan.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until combined. Add the sour cream, apple butter, and vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly mix in the apple cider and bourbon until just combined, being careful not to overmix.3. To make the streusel. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and use your fingers to mix the butter into the flour until a crumble forms.4. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the apples over the batter, sprinkle half the crumble over the apples. Spoon the remaining batter over in an even layer. Evenly layer on the apple slices, then top with the remaining streusel mix.5. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 30 minutes and then invert the cake onto a plate, flipping it back upright onto a serving plate.6. To make the glaze, add the butter and maple to a small pot set over medium heat to melt. Whisk in the powdered sugar, bourbon, and salt. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let set 10 minutes. Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature. Keep cake stored, covered in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Any specific bourbon recommendations?
Hey Bridget,
I like 4 Roses or Off Hours bourbon. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This looks amazing and am so excited to try it this weekend for date night!! I only have a 10” Bundt pan…do I need to change the bake time at all or make any adjustments? Can I still use the 10” Bundt?
Thanks so much!!
Hey Danielle,
A 10 inch bundt pan will be just fine to use, I would just check it towards the end, you may or may not have to take a little baking time off. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi has anyone made this using gluten free flour? If so, can you please let me know how it turned out? I want to make it this way for Thanksgiving but would like to be sure – thanks!
Hey Jamie,
You can use an equal amount of GF flour in this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this and oh my gosh it is absolutely delicious. I did 60 minutes in my oven and it was perfect!!! Making it for thanksgiving! My husbands family loves coffee cake and I know they will die over this!
Hey Taylor,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
After you mix in the powdered sugar, bourbon, and salt for the glaze, how long do you let it sit in the pot for? Do you have to cook it down for a certain time?
Hi Elissa! Nope, you don’t have to cook it down for a certain time! I would just stir until everything it combined and a nice consistency for the glaze 🙂 xxTieghan
This was amazing. Skipped the glaze because of time….
I was worried it would be too sweet, but it was perfect! Served with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink egg casserole as “breakfast for dinner” and it was a huge hit with the whole family.
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xxTieghan
Wow this recipe turned out incredibly delicious and was a HUGE hit! It is the perfect fall recipe to make you feel cozy and your kitchen smell amazing!!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
INSANELY DELICIOUS!! Is now a family favorite!!! This will be a repeat recipe!!
Hi Patti! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
So I’m dying to make this cake. I want to take it away on a girls trip. Can this be made ahead of time with the glaze on it and then freeze it. I won’t be able to make it the day bf we leave. Then, how should I defrost? Thanks.
Hi there! I would just defrost by setting it on the counter and then maybe in the oven for a few minutes to warm for a few minutes! xTieghan
So delicious!! The glaze on top just makes this that much more mouth watering. Going to be a new tradition to make this every fall. I didn’t have a Bundt pan or spring form, so I used a 9×13 and baked for 40 minutes, came out perfect!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
The flavor of this cake gets even better as it cools. The second day even more! We tried it warm with a little salted caramel ice cream and that was really good. But as it cooled, the flavors really popped! I think next time I would use chopped apples both places. I didn’t care for the apple slices as they got a little “slimy” on my try. Although that was my husband’s favorite part!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
This cake is a major WINNER! It just screams fall with cinnamon, maple syrup, apple butter, and apple cider. The bourbon gave it a very nice rich flavor (literally the icing on the cake). I’m far from a seasoned chef/baker but this recipe was very easy. The only thing that turned out different from mine was that the icing did not turn that white color (it stayed that maple-like color) and I took it out of the oven just a few mins shy of 1hr and it was so nice and moist!
Hey Megan! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
I live on an island in nw Washington, and haven’t found apple butter. Is it basically applesauce? What can I substitute? I have LOTS of apples.
Substitute apple sauce. You’ll typically find apple butter at more high-end grocery stores like Whole Foods
Would love to make this for thanksgiving! Can I substitute something for the bourbon in the glaze?
Hey Morgan,
You can just skip the bourbon. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi there! I would sub apple sauce or make your own apple butter if you’d like! xTieghan
If you have plenty of apples, apple butter is very easy to make and so good in many recipes! Just goggle it, there’s a lot of recipes for it.
I saw this recipe and knew I had to make it. My problem was trying to find someplace in my area that sells apple butter and I am surrounded by orchards here in Lake Country, BC. Luckily my neighbour had some that she got from Ontario. The cake is delicious and decadent. I did make this cake in a Bundt pan but I do think it would be more presentable in a tube pan. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
Instructions say bundt pan, but it looks like you used a tube pan. Does it matter?
Hey Amy! Either pan will work just fine! xTieghan