When you combine apple crisp with a sweet roll, you get a beautiful, delicious coffee cake that’s loaded with apples topped with a crumbly streusel topping piled high on a tender, buttery sweet roll.
When you buy an apple danish, you generally get a tiny little dollop of apples on top. I’m always trying to spread that little bit of filling around so I get apple in every bite. So I decided to load up my sweet roll with apples.
The filling is a combination of apples, Granny Smith which are tart and firm, and Honey Crisp, which are sweeter, softer, and juicier. That way you get the best of both worlds in the filling.
I didn’t want any of the apple filling to fall off while it was baking, so I added a beautiful twisted edge to the coffee cakes and baked them in a springform pan. If you don’t have two springform pans, you can use 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper.
Of course any sweet roll needs a sweet glaze finish, so I drizzled my coffee cake with a simple powdered sugar icing.
The trick I use to get pretty, thin lines of icing is to put the icing in a quart size Ziploc bag and snip just a little bit off the corner of the bag.
To get the drips to run down the side of the coffee cake, just put a little puddle of the icing on the top edge and let gravity work it’s magic to pull the drip down the side.
The recipe makes two Apple Crisp Sweet Roll Coffee Cakes, one for your family, and one to share. I made this recipe twice to get it just right. So I shared two coffee cakes, one with my back-door neighbor for her birthday, and the second one my daughter’s family enjoyed.
Now it’s your turn to Bake the World a Better Place. Use the coupon at the bottom of this post, and bake a coffee cake for your family to enjoy, and also share one to brighten someone’s day.
Apple Crisp Sweet Roll Coffee Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 – 2 ½ cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons 1 packageRed Star Quick Rise or Platinum Yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cut in to pieces
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, diced
- 2 large Honey Crisp apples peeled, cored, diced
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats not quick-cooking
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a microwave safe dish, heat milk and butter until warm (120°–130°F). Add heated milk and butter to flour mixture. Mix in eggs. Blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.
- Switch to the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough, adding more or less flour as needed. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rest until doubled, about an hour.
While the dough is rising, prepare the apple filling:
- In a large bowl, or Ziploc bag, combine apples, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan. Add the apple mixture and sauté over medium heat until apples are tender and juices are thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before using.
Prepare streusel topping:
- In a large bowl combine brown sugar, flour, oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and mix with a fork or your hands until mixture forms large clumbs.
- Coat a 9″ springform pan with non-stick cooking spray, or cut 2 pieces of parchment to fit 2 9-inch round cake pans. Sprays pans, line with parchment, and spray parchment.
- Divide dough in half and keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap.
- Divide the dough again in to two pieces — a smaller piece ⅓ of the dough and a larger piece ⅔ of the dough. Shape the larger piece into a ball, then on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough in to a 9-inch round. Put the round in to the bottom of the springform pan. If necessary, use your fingers to press the dough to fit the pan.
- Divide the smaller piece in to four pieces. Use your hands to roll each piece in to a 16-inch long rope. Twist two ropes together and place it on top of the dough in the pan, along the outside to create an decorative border. Repeat with the remaining two ropes and join the twists together in the pan. Cover.
- Repeat with remaining half of the dough.
- Place half of the apple filling in the middle of each coffee cake and spread to the border. Top the apple filling with streusel topping.
- Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Uncover coffee cakes. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Carefully remove from pan; place on serving plate.
- Icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm coffee cakes.
Teresa
My goodness, Barbara, this cake is breathtaking. It is so beautiful–almost too beautiful to eat! …uhhh, well not really! 🙂 I’d sure like to taste it, that’s for sure!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips
What a gorgeous recipe, and or course drizzly glaze is totally necessary!
Kelster
I want to make the cinnamon knots, the pull apart bread and this coffee cake.
I need some clarifcation on the ropes. Are there two twisted ropes per pan?
Barbara Schieving
Yes – There are two twisted ropes per pan. Each rope only fits half way around the pan. So there will be four twisted ropes total made from eight strands. Enjoy!
Emily Davison
I’ll be baking the pumpkin challah! yummy!!! can’t wait 🙂
Jackie
I am going to make the apple crisp coffee cake for brunch on Sunday. It looks delicious. I love and trust Red Star Yeast for my baking.
gerry @ foodness gracious
Wow..absolutely perfect!
Meghan Finley
I’d make pumpkin challah
Ala
GREAT cause, Barbara. I love your participation, and this coffee cake is EXACTLY what I love to see in my coffee cakes (that crumb and glaze!–I actually still dream about my first coffee cake, which was a lemon curd coffee crumble cake from Safeway. haha.) Thanks for sharing this, and best wishes with this awesome cause!
Linda
I will certainly make 2 of the Apple Crisp Sweet Roll Coffee Cakes and I think the Pumpkin Cinnampon Rolls withCaramel Icing. I am inspired to bake with this bright beautifu; fall weather we are having. You can find me at litalindam@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Linda
Sandy Headtke
from Stephie Cooks Fluffy No-Knead Refrigerator Rolls every one loves a warm roll. Pinning your recipe, that is a picture of art, gorgeous.
Melissa @ My Recent Favorite books
This looks delicious! I have a weakness for Coffee Cakes! =)
Carol
Oh Barbara-what a gorgeous coffee cake! Yeast bread and apples….2 of my favorites.
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe-I can’t wait to try it. One for us….one for our neighbor….PERFECT! I only hope mine comes out looking as pretty as yours. I love baking and sharing….
There are so many wonderful recipes on that board….such talented bakers you all are. After your coffee cakes….I’d love to try the Snickerdoodle Bagels with Cinnamon Crunch Topping.
Stephanie J. Schiltz
Pumpkin Challah first then Apple Crisp Sweet Roll Coffee Cake Yum!
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh
It’s the time of year for apple everything, and what a yummy looking sweet roll! It’s my favorite time of the year!
Heidi @foodiecrush
You’ve hit all my sweet spots with this one Barbara. I love how you finished the edge with the roll of dough, such a nice touch. I love the message you’re sharing, great reminder for this time of year and all the gluttony about to be surrounded by.
Heidi @foodiecrush
And, I’ll be trying out your recipe, but do you think I could adapt it to jumbo muffin cups?
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Heidi! I think that’s a fun idea. I would spray the cups well with non-stick cooking spray, eliminate the twist and roll the edge piece pretty thin so it leaves plenty of room for apples after the dough rises.
Jeffrey
Wow, this looks delectable! It’s a toss up between your Coffee Cake and the Chocolate Glazed Pumpkin Donuts from Foodness Gracious. They both look and sound spectacular, great job!
Medeja
The filling sounds and looks really good! Amazing cakes!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
Barbara, this is gorgeous. I love how you did that edge!
Rosa
What a beautiful and original bake! Really mouthwatering.
Cheers,
Rosa
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This is such a great cause, and an absolutely stunning cake! Love!