Happy New Year! Did you have a good New Year’s Eve and Day? We were absolute homebodies. We stayed home all day both days and while it was rainy and yucky outside decided to have a Downton Abbey marathon. It was absolutely heaven.

I made this apple breakfast cake for new year’s day morning and I have to tell you, my family is a bit obsessed with it.

I had been testing a new breakfast cake recipe and then decided to make one that I knew Mama would be able to eat easily.

She has to be careful with eating eggs and I like to make recipes that the whole family can enjoy, especially for special occasions.

Instead of using eggs, I amped up the apple flavor and the moist texture of this breakfast cake with applesauce.

Did you know you can substitute applesauce in many baked goods without losing a soft crumb?

It works well in pancakes, muffins, waffles, and also in cookies.

It really shines in this recipe, too!

This recipe is so simple to whip together.

You mix it all together with a spoon in one big bowl.

It’s nice not to have to worry about turning on a mixer early in the morning so that you can let other folks in the house sleep in a bit on a holiday or weekend.

The smell of it baking is sure to wake them up though. It made my entire house smell so warm and delicious that it was hard to wait on it to finish baking!

Here’s the recipe to my Apple Breakfast Cake. I added a streusel topping for even more flavor, but this cake is amazing without it. It gets gobbled up quickly either way, I promise.

Apple Breakfast Cake Recipe

5 from 11 votes
Apple Breakfast Cake makes a warm, comforting treat anytime of the day. An apple coffee cake topping with streusel and filled with fresh apples.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 16

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (2.6 g) kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup (49.5 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon (0.33 g) ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup (198 g) packed brown sugar
  • 2 (218 g) apples, peeled and diced
  • 3/4 cup (191.25 g) applesauce
  • 1 cup (227 g) milk
  • 8 tablespoons (113 g) butter, melted
  • Streusel Topping
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (53.25 g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (2.6 g) ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup (22.25 g) oats
  • 4 tablespoons (61.5 g) butter, diced

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Add all dry ingredients through brown sugar to a large bowl. Whisk together until well-combined. Add in diced apples, applesauce, milk, and melted butter. Stir until well-combined. Pour batter into prepared 9×13 baking dish.
  • In a small dish, combine all of the ingredients for streusel topping, mixing together with a pastry blender, a fork or even with your fingers. Add to the top of the apple breakfast cake batter.
  • Bake cake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
  • Cover cake slices tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 303IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




45 Comments

  1. Will this recipe freeze well? I like to make something like this, cut into individual portions, and freeze for whenever I want one.

    Please also respond to my email address.

    Thank you, Sharon

  2. Hey Robyn,
    Just happened to find your sight and i’m thrilled I did. My son’s 29th birthday is tomorrow and he always wants a white cake with white frosting. Don’t know how he can be my son and not LOVE chocolate!!! Oh well I’ll try the recipe and let you know what happens.
    I love to bake and since I’m home recovering from major surgery it’s something I can do.
    Thanks from the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylavania!

  3. Hi Robin.
    I so want to try and bake this cake. Is the applesauce sweetened?

    Thank you in advance.
    Love your blog

  4. 5 stars
    This recipe is such a great, easy way to do a breakfast cake. It turned out perfectly, so I highly recommend. While I’m at it I can recommend, 100%, the following Addapinch recipes. My family is nuts over them: chocolate cupcakes, salted caramel blondies, Mississippi mudcake, apple cinnamon muffins and Balsamic pork tenderloin. We just discovered the site recently so will keep plugging through the recipes. Thanks!

  5. 5 stars
    This was amazing. I made it in the evening for us to have breakfast the next morning. Well, the smell was too good… We wound up having a slice for dessert too. I was coming back on here to get the recipe so I can make it again. This is a keeper. I was concerned about the texture since it doesn’t have eggs. Sometimes replacing with applesauce leaves a strange texture, this does not. It’s not too sweet either. It truly is perfect as written (which is rare in my experience) 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! My husband and kids all thank you too.

  6. 5 stars
    I made this for Sunday brunch today, and it was very well received. It is delightfully moist and not overly sweet, perfect for breakfast or brunch, any day of the week. Thanks, Robyn!

  7. You’re absolutely speaking my language with this! I was just saying the other day how I put apples in anything I can and totally want this right now 🙂