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Cream Cheese Apple Coffee Cake

Cream cheese apple coffee cake with a cinnamon apple filling and buttery streusel topping baked until golden. Swirled cream cheese layer adds a tangy, creamy center in every slice.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430

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 cup 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
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
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 dish, so the coffee cake releases easily after baking.
Make the streusel
  1. Combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then cut in cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Mix the fillings and batter
  1. Beat the cream cheese layer ingredients until smooth and spreadable, with no visible lumps.
  2. Toss the apple layer ingredients together until the diced apples are evenly coated and glossy.
  3. Beat the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and lighter in color.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated and smooth.
  5. Alternate mixing in the flour mixture and sour cream until just combined, stopping when no dry streaks remain.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, then dollop the cream cheese over the top.
  2. Gently spread the cream cheese layer so it sits mostly in one even layer across the batter.
  3. Scatter the cinnamon apples over the surface, distributing them evenly to avoid dry spots.
  4. Sprinkle streusel over everything so the top bakes into a golden, crumbly crust.
  5. Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges look caramelized.

Notes

For best slicing, cool the coffee cake until warm and set (about 20-30 minutes) before cutting so the cream cheese layer holds its shape. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze individual slices up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use low-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat sour cream (texture will be slightly softer but still bakes well).