Apple-Studded Brown-Butter Streusel Coffee Cake
This apple coffee cake gets extra rich flavor from browned butter and boasts a delicious streusel topping.
Apple-Studded Brown-Butter Streusel Coffee Cake
Photo Credit : Squire FoxCooking butter until it turns a rich brown color adds a nutty flavor to this addictive confection. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to pack in more appealing elements here: buttermilk batter, warm spices, streusel topping, browned butter, and lots of apples.
Yield:
8-10 servingsFOR THE TOPPING:
Ingredients
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus extra for greasing pan
8 tender-sweet apple slices, unpeeled (garnish)
Instructions
Butter a 9-inch cake pan with removable sides. Set aside.
Make the topping: In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle butter cubes over mixture and use your fingertips to work it into a crumbly topping. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake.
FOR THE CAKE:
Ingredients
10-2/3 tablespoons (2/3 cup) salted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup buttermilk
2 medium-size tender-sweet apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a small pan, melt butter over medium heat until it begins to turn a medium nut-brown, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a medium-size bowl, beat egg and egg yolk to blend. Whisk in melted butter and buttermilk; then pour liquid mixture into flour mixture and stir just to combine. Fold in apple cubes and pour batter into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle topping over cake and arrange apple slices around the top, pressing them lightly into the topping. Bake until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-55 minutes.
Set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Use a thin knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Carefully remove sides, transfer cake to a platter, and serve warm.
Apple notes: The texture of this cake should be extremely tender, which is why a tender-sweet apple is important. The popular supermarket varieties Fuji and Gala are a great choice here; use the same variety for the garnish.
