Baking · Cake

Honey Apple Coffee Cake

September is National Honey Month, and if there was ever a reason to bake with BeeMaid Honey, this is it. This is the coffee cake I make when the apples on my counter have been sitting long enough that they need to become something. The honey goes into both the filling and the batter, giving the whole cake a floral, rounded sweetness that brown sugar alone would not. The streusel on top goes golden and clumpy in the oven and the layer of apple butter baked into the middle is the part that makes every slice feel a little more considered than a standard coffee cake. It is the kind of thing that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible and tastes just as good the next day, if there is any left.

Ingredients

Apple Filling

• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 3 medium apples, cubed
• 55g brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp BeeMaid Honey
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

Cake Base

• 150g butter, softened, room temperature
• 150g granulated sugar
• 50g BeeMaid Honey
• 85g yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 200g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Streusel

• 50g butter, cold and cubed
• 40g granulated sugar
• 40g brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 112g all-purpose flour

To Finish

• Apple butter, store bought

Method

1. 1Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8 or 9 inch round or square cake pan.
2. 2Make the apple filling. In a bowl, combine the cubed apples, melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the BeeMaid Honey and vanilla paste. Set aside.
3. 3Make the streusel. Combine the cold cubed butter, both sugars, cinnamon, and flour in a bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until you get a coarse, clumpy crumble. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the cake base.
4. 4Make the cake base. Cream the soft butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the yogurt, vanilla paste, and BeeMaid Honey, and mix until combined.
5. 5Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. 6In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
7. 7Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Add a layer of apple butter over the top, then cover with the remaining cake batter.
8. 8Top the batter with the apple filling in an even layer, then scatter the chilled streusel evenly over everything.
9. 9Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil partway through if the streusel is browning too quickly.
10. 10Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

Tips & Notes

Use a light coloured pan rather than a dark one as it heats more evenly. Make sure everything for the batter is at room temperature, especially the butter, so it creams more easily. Do not overmix once the flour goes in streusel cakes with a tender crumb depend on stopping as soon as the flour disappears. Check for doneness at the 45 minute mark with a toothpick inserted into the cake portion, not the apple filling, since the fruit can make the middle look wetter than it is. Let the cake cool most of the way before slicing coffee cakes with a fruit layer are prone to collapsing in the centre if cut too warm.