Apple Coffee Cake With Brown Sugar Sauce

Initially, I had reservations about this recipe. I found that the cake didn't require further baking after 45 minutes, so many thanks to all of you that posted the warnings about cooking times. The cake that emerged from the oven was visually tempting, and its cinnamon-vanilla aroma was pleasantly appealing...but when I served it up for dessert, still warm, with ice cream, it didn't go down a storm. Everyone ate it politely, and there were no overt criticisms but not a one jumped at the chance for seconds or even to take leftovers away with them. Disappointed, I was preparing to offer the remains of the cake to the birds the next morning when I popped a morsel of it in my mouth, and then immediately wondered what had happened to the one that I had baked because the bird fodder I had in hand could not possibly have been it!! It had a gorgeously moist and tender crumb and a crust that was both crisp and caramelly at the same time. So, unless the fairies stole in overnight and substituted slices of their enchanted food for my floury stodge, this cake *clearly* benefits from having a night to rest - as do we all! I shall definitely make this one again - but the next time it will be a "make-ahead" cake for brekkie or brunch.

I highly recommend this cake. It is easy and delicious. I have made this about 4 times and people always want the recipe. I use 3 apples instead of 2. No nuts, just because I don't like them. Reduce baking time to about 1 hour. The sauce is good but I don't always make it. When I do make it, about half the recipe is enough and it is fine without the alcohol if you don't have any on hand.

Great flavor. Very moist and delicious. I found that it took just under an hour to bake (and even then the bottom was a little overdone).

This cake is absolutely delicious. We made it for the first time for christmas breakfast, now we make it atleast once a month!

I just made this delicous cake!!! I didn't make the sauce, but really enjoyed the cake warm with some vanilla ice cream and coffee! I made it with wheat flour, added an extra apple and only baked it for 1 hour!

This is a scrumptious moist apple cake with a really rich caramel sauce. The recipe comes from Newfoundland

Mine turned out dry and very heavy. Now this could have definitely been user error, but I just wasn't a fan.

My sister who's 14 absolutely loved the crust, she ate everyone elses too. The rest of the family thought it was great, but I didn't like it too much myself. I thought it was a little too heavy, esp. with the brown sugar sauce. Next time I may add more apples. I cooked it for only 1hr. when the knife came out clean, and it was already slightly dry- the recipe said 1 hr.20 min..... on the whole though it was more complicated in terms of texture and taste than most coffee cakes. If my family hadn't liked it though, I doubt I'd be making it again.

It's way too sweet. But my family enjoyed the cake, even my picky mom said it's good.

The Brown Sugar Sauce that goes with this cake is so delicious that I'm going to serve it as pudding the next time around. Delicious!

I wasn't particularly impressed with this recipe and probably won't make it again. It could be because I didn't make the sauce with it - didn't have brandy on hand. I did like that this cake was very moist, but didn't like the way the crust turned out - it was difficult to cut through.

Delicious I like to use different flavours of yogurt to replace the sour cream. You don't have to at all, this recipe is fantastic, but it gives you more flavour and aroma options. Blueberry is a good one. I sell at markets and as soon as I open up the container the smell really hits the shoppers. Followed everyones advice for baking time. First time I went for the 45 minutes and it wasn't completely cooked in the middle (still really good like that though). Second time for an even hour and it was perfect.

We really enjoyed this. I ended up layering the apples between the two batter layers and it resembled a combination between cake and pie. I cooked it for 50 minutes and the cake was done. The bottom could have benefited from a little more heat so I will cook it on the bottom rack next time. My spring form pan was in the garage sale box but I am saving it to use for this recipe. Yum.

This was good. I used an 8X8 inch square glass baking pan because that was what I had and it worked fine. Like another reviewer, I reduced the heat to 350 and did not have to cover it at all. it took about 85 minutes to cook completely. For the sauce, I didn't have brandy, so I didn't use it. Next time I'll skip the vanilla too. I tasted it before the vanilla and thought it was wonderful, but when I put in the vanilla it didn't taste as good. I also used pecans instead of walnuts, because I like them better.

This cake is delicious and stays moist. I made it for a holiday and it was a bit hit with everyone having seconds. I had never baked a cake before and this recipe was easy and delicious. It only needs to cook for just under an hour and I added an extra apple - perfect!. I didn't make the brown sugar sauce. It didn't need it.

I used 3 smallish macintosh instead of 2 and left out the nuts. It was not going to fit in a regular cake pan so I used a 9 inch springform. Lowered the temperature and baked it for 55 mins at 350 instead of 375. Other than that I followed the directions and it came out wonderful! The cake didn't brown excessively, was very moist, and the crust didn't become hard and crunchy. Didn't make the sauce as the cake was sweet enough on its own. As a bonus the house was filled with the amazing aroma of apples and cinnamon! Will definitely make again.

Family loved it even more the day later! Very moist! One thing I would change would be to not press the crumb mixture into the pan, but rather let the apple-mixture soak into it, so it would be less of a pie-crust thing (because after a day the crust got hard and chewy and wasn't coherent with the texture of the apple cake).

This is a fantastic recipe, though I did make just a couple minor adjustments. I found that the two medium apples I at first chopped up weren't quite enough so I used a third - though maybe two large apples would be plenty. Also, I found the top to my cake browning quite a bit faster than anticipated so I layed the aluminum foil across the top much earlier than suggested. Be careful when doing this, however, as the top of the cake is very sticky while hot. It's best to "tent" the foil over the pan. The Brown Sugar Sauce recipe that accompanies is the superb "cherry on top." The whole thing went over a fantastic hit and is a requested future fall recipe tradition.

This is a pretty nice coffee cake. Some reviewers said not to press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, but I disagree--the crust is the best part of the cake, and it looks nice too. My modifications were to use only one cup of sugar and 2.5 apples. Also, I didn't find the cake dense at all, and I would add a full cup of sour cream next time. I have a 3-year-old oven that cooks rather fast, so I did a toothpick test and took the cake out at 45 mins. It was NOT enough--a few parts in the centre of the cake were still gooey, so I would probably go to a full hour next time. I put foil on top of the cake at around 40 minutes to prevent over-browning. I will definitely make this again.

So moist and really delicious! Only change I made was I added a third apple to the mix and it turned out fantastic!

Great recipe I baked for only 45 minutes and was baked perfectly. I also added a bit of orange zest which gave this recipe a little extra flavor.

this is now my all time favorite coffee cake. I loved it. It is very moist, and the sauce is perfect for it.

Very yum, but make sure oven is not too hot or cake dries out quickly

This was alright. I really don't think that the prep work was really worth the taste. Don't get me wrong, people enjoyed it, but I think that you can get a moister, tastier coffee cake without all of the work. The crust was a little too dry for my taste, ("Looks like a dog biscuit" was the running joke among my family members that evening.) and the brandy (brown) sauce was a little too bitter, and not sweet enough for the coffee cake. Again, this is "okay", but I will not be making it again unless specifically asked.

I don't usually make a recipe for co-workers unless I have tried it myself, but I experimented this time and it worked out great. I made the Brown Sugar sauce to go with it and it was great too. Thanks for the recipe, I will make this cake again.

This apple coffee cake is better than any bakery coffee cake that I have ever had. I highly recommend this to any beginner baker. I have made it twice in two weeks. MMMMMMM GOOD.....:)

Wow!! I was so impressed with this recipe. I got many comments on how good it was and was asked for the recipe by several. I did not change anything to the recipe itself but did have to watch the baking time, after 45 minutes at 375 I covered with foil and then only baked an additional 10/15 minutes at 350. Served with the sauce and cool whip. Highly recommend you try this one.

I very much enjoyed this cake. Very moist. I used about 2 and 1/2 apples, 375 for 1 hour. The reason I gave it four stars was the crust. The rest of the cake was cooked perfectly, but the crust was a little too hard. I'm not sure if there was anything I could have done to keep it from getting so hard. I'm not a huge fan of crusts in the first place, but my boyfriend agreed. I will definitely make this again, but perhaps I will try a different pan or a lower temperature for a longer amount of time. Also, very filling. I just ate two pieces (more than enough, and I feel a little ill. That's my fault though, shouldn't over do it.)

Delicious and moist. I used a bundt pan, and baked for 45 minutes. It was great even without making the sauce!

This cake was very average. I really wanted to like this cake and I didn't think you could go wrong with apples and caramel but this recipe proved that it is possible. Even with the adjustments made based on other reviewers (i.e. 1 cup sour cream and 2.5 apples), it was very dry and dense and the crust was very hard and chewy (perhaps the flour should be cut down to 2 cups?) This wasn't horrible, but not worth the calories. I will not make this again as there are better recipes out there (i.e the Butter Rum Glazed Applesauce cake on this site, or the Apple Spice Cake on marthastewart.com). Regarding the sauce, I will add the brandy as an ingredient to the caramel sauce recipe from Martha Stewart. This is a great basic sauce to use on pancakes, baked apples, or perhaps on the Pear Cake recipe from this site.

This is a WONDERFUL cake! My family and I just loved it! 1/2 the cake was gone after being out of the oven for only 30 minutes! I used a different brown sugar sauce found also on this web site. DELICIOUS!!! I'm already being asked when I'll be able to make the next one! I used 1/4 cup Sour Cream, and 1/2 cup yogurt because that's what I had. And also I was hesitant to put a whole 1 1/2 cup sugar in so I put about 1 1/4 cup in. Thanks sooo much for the great recipe. Definitely a keeper!

Fantastic! It's not too heavy and pleasantly moist. Brought it to a party and everyone loved it! ...add some ice cream and it's even more splendiferous ;)

Easy to prepare, quick to make, and a knockout with the hot brandy sauce. The brandy sauce offsets the not-too-sweet cake. It's great!!!

This was a GREAT coffee cake. Made it for a coffee date with a close friend and chatted over it for over 3 hours! I used 3 apples like others and half the nuts. Being worried that it would bake too soon and burn on the outside, I baked it at 350 instead. It did take close to an hour and a half that way. Didn't make the brown sugar sauce but would like to try it for next time. Was good without though. Also, not having a round cake pan, I baked it in a 8x8 square pan. Wonderful!!

This recipe and the Brown Sugar Sauce that goes with it are requested by everyone who has had a piece of this cake.

I left out the nuts for a personal preferance. Overall it was a keeper. Will make again. Its a nice fall recipe.

I made this cake last night and the texture was great. I wasn't crazy about the bottom crust, it was a little too floury. I used chunky applesauce in place of the apples, it made it very moist. I will make this again and try a different crust style.

I opted to make this cake without the brown sugar sauce. On its own, it is quite tasty, but quite frustrating to bake all the way through. I had to tent it with aluminum foil from about 40 minutes on, checking every five minutes to see if it had cooked through. I ended up baking mine for a little over an hour. I found that, although it tasted great, it did not hold together very well, and the cake separated entirely from the crust-like bottom. Overall, I would serve this to family with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but wouldn't trust it to hold together for company.

This cake turned out so nicely! We loved the crust on the bottom. I had to use foil to prevent the cake from browning too much after about half an hour, but it wasn't a problem. The colour was beautiful. It ended up taking only about 1 hour until it was ready. I didn't even bother with the sauce after tasting it without. I'll definitely make this one again.

Only issue I found at all was that the top of the cake came out a little hard due to the long cooking time. I'll be sure to cover it after about 40 minutes next time so the top doesn't brown so much. Other than that.....AWESOME! I will make this with the brown sugar sauce repeatedly in the future! My hubby who is terribly picky about the cakes he will eat had two slices right away!

This was very nice. I used almonds instead of walnuts as I don't like walnuts. At first I thought the cake wouldn't work as the crumble base part was very dry and the batter part was also dry. The cake actually turned out quite moist. The brown sugar sauce went very well with it.

Just made this cake and have to say it great! I did add some extra apples b/c i had to use them but what a great easy recipe. Will definitely make again - thanks for sharing

A different twist on a normal "coffee cake" recipe, this turned out pretty good. I used vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream, and decreased the amount of sugar. I also added nutmeg and a bit of extra cinnamon. It was completly cooked in only 45 minutes, so be careful. Thanks!

It was good. I left the nuts out of the crust and I baked it for the full 1 hour and 20 minutes, the last 20 I covered it in foil. It turned out perfectly, not overbaked, and was quite yummy with vanilla bean ice cream.

This was so good. I used macintosh apples, pecans instead of walnuts and lowered the temp to 350. I did not have to cover it and used a 9x9 square glass pan. The first night it was moist as you could possibly imagine. The next morning when my family finished it off for breakfast the bottom had hardened into a wonderful carmel like crust...and the cake was still moist///it was awsome!!

I have a true temperature oven and found that after about 30 min. I had to reduce the temperature to 350 F and still the cake had already turned a touch too dark. Still tasted very good though.

Not much flavor, really, besides the butter. Leaves a greasy feel to the mouth and a bit too greasy for the tummy, too.

I followed reccomendations of others... heavy on apples, easy on the sugar, and reduce either the temperature or the cooking time. Without the sauce, it was a moist cake-like concoction. The caremely nuts on the bottom were a nice treat. Overall, it wasn't anything incredible. It is a good cake for people who like a more delicate, less sweet cake. I'll try it one more time with the sauce.

Flavor was very good. Next time will reduce heat to 350 degrees (375 was too hot) and bake for 1 hour, with 45 min cake was still raw in the middle. Also, I think 3 apples were too many, and apples might cook better if sliced thin rather than chopped, they were not cooked thru either. Otherwise, very good.

Fabulous! The best coffee cake I've ever made. Loved the bottom crust. A bit of work but sooo worth it. Congrats to the person who created the recipe.

I thought this was a great and easy cake to make. I baked it for an hour, but it probably only required 50 minutes, as it was a bit overdone. I wanted to reduce the butter and sugar required, so I cut the butter in half and used applesauce to make up the rest. I was able to reduce the sugar to 1 cup only because the applesauce is sweet enough. My whole family really liked it. I would make it again for sure.

I cooked mine for the full 1.5hrs at 375 and it turned out quite dark (should have read the reviews beforehand - see picture). In the end though, the cake turned out very tasty. Not too dense, but not light either. Haven't tried the brown sugar sauce yet, but it sounds like a winner.

First off, the cake was quiet tasty, very moist and flavorful. Its translates well to gluten free. I don't recommend making it in a Bundt pan however. I followed the directions almost to the T having to sub gluten free flours for ap but the brown sugar mixture stuck to the bottom of my pan despite a liberal coating of cooking spray. Which isn't the fault of the cake.

This recipe is fantastic! It is so rich and moist. I used the springform pan and came out looking like a professionally done cake. I ommitted the brandy because I didn't have any, and the sauce was rather bland. Also, I used pecans instead of walnuts.

I read a couple of the reviews and followed their suggestions. Such as cook time 50 minutes, used 3 apples, let sit over night and did not use the brown sugar sauce. I made a simple glaze instead. This cake was delicious, many had 2 pieces. I will definitely be making this again.

This is fabulous. It will be especially good as an autumnal dessert. The sauce reallly make it!

An hour was way to long to bake. Couldn't even eat the crust. I might try this recipe again using a lot less cooking time. Not sure though.

Just made this today and had my first piece. Delicious! I doubled the recipe to make 2. Little different to put the flour-crumble-mix as a bottom layer, but it turned out well. Also, could not find the brown sugar sauce recipe...? I'm on a tablet, so maybe it's not there? Who knows. Tastes great without it. Oh- I also like things less sweet, and cut the sugar down by 1/3. I will be making this again.

Good. Would not separate mixture next time.

delicious, its a heavy cake, which I like very much. My family and I liked it better without the brown sugar sauce.

This is abxolutely wonderful, I made it for my little brothers and they wanted to eat the whole pan full! I will definately made this again and again. a few things I did differently: used whole wheat flour, and sucanat instead of sugar, also in the sauce, I omitted most of the ingrediants and just mixed 1/4 cup of butter, and 1 cup of brown sugar on the stove, and it really added to the flavor of the cake.

This is my new favorite apple cake!!!One I will hand down to my kids

Love this cake. I would make it for members of my team while working in Afghanistan. They all loved it and would ask for it often. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

I made this in a rush on Sunday morning and foolishly turned up the heat to try to get it to cook quickly before mass. I then took it out early, the outside a bit over done and the middle still wasn't cooked properly (as expected) but what we managed to salvage was AMAZING and i cannot wait to make this amazing recipe again. Love the toastedness of the walnuts, love the crunchy bottom,love the amount of cinnamon...love love love. Will make again, but the night before because 1 1/2 before breakfast is too long to wait, especially for this deliciousness!!

nofail awesome dessert even without caramel sauce. great with ice cream

Very delicious! I made it with the lesser baking time recommendation and it turned out wonderful. I will definitely make this again.

Have not made it yet. Is there a recipe for the Brown Sugar Sauce?

This is an extraordinary coffee cake. I serve it without the brown sugar sauce to cut some carolies and sugar, and it's so delicious!

I just made this and my family LOVED it. The "crust" was perfect, I would not change it! The only change I made was to add an extra apple. Delicious!