Apple Oatmeal Cake

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My go-to Apple Oatmeal Cake delivers everything you want in an autumn treat.

• Lo-tech: No machine is needed to make this apple oat cake. Perfect for beginner bakers to make and a great recipe for kids to help with.
• Harvest dessert: Overloaded with apples after an outing at the orchard? This recipe’s for you! 
• Streusel for the win: You will not be able to resist these buttery, crunchy, cinnamon crumbles on top of the cake.
• Surprisingly quick! It’s just a little more than an hour from start to finish.
• The Cake of Fall! Make this seasonal, snackable cake on the weekend and enjoy it all week!

The lovely smell of an apple dessert in the oven always takes me back to memories of my Mum baking. Her amazing  Irish Apple Cake was a favorite, and one of the first things I remember making was an Apple Crumble when I was about 5!  I love baking with apples so much that I’m always dreaming up new apple desserts. Here, I wanted something with a really rustic, homey feel and lots of apple goodness, and this Apple Oatmeal Cake is it!

When making any type of coffee cake, I’ve learned to bake it off the day before serving, because as it sits, the cake becomes moister, and the flavors develop, marrying together. And this cake freezes wonderfully for up to 8 weeks. I personally like to refresh it in the oven before serving. Just wrap in foil and pop it in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for 15 minutes. Just taking these few minutes makes it brand new again!

Table of Contents

• What is Apple Oatmeal Cake?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Apple Oatmeal Cake
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Apple Cake Recipes

What is Apple Oatmeal Cake?

• Apple Oatmeal Cake is a cross between a coffee cake and quick bread—a streusel topping and the plush crumb put it in coffee cake territory, while the simple, straightforward recipe, along with the moisture and flavor of the grated apple, make it similar to a quick bread like banana bread.
  • Flavor: This cake is pleasantly sweet and fruity, and the streusel adds nutty warm spice and vanilla notes.
  • Main ingredients: Apples, oat flour, butter,  dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg
  • Texture: The oat flour gives this dessert a pleasantly rustic texture, grated apple contributes moisture, and the streusel is crumbly and crispy.
  • Great for: Snacking, fall family dinners, parties, gifting, breakfast, brunch, with tea or coffee.
• Apples have been used in cakes since medieval times, partly because they taste great, and also because they have a long shelf life and can be dried for use throughout the winter.  Medieval cooks used the fruit in a pudding made with bread and spices. American colonists made apple pandowdy–apples baked under squares of pastry. Cooks today love the flavor, moisture, and texture apples add to desserts like this Apple Oatmeal Cake.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• 8-inch (20-cm) round cake pan
• Parchment paper
• Wooden spoon
• Whisk
• Silicone spatula
• Wire cooling rack

Key Ingredients and Substitutes

Streusel Topping

Pecans

• Pecans give the streusel crunch and buttery richness.
• Substitute: You can use the same amount of walnuts or hazelnuts.

Dark brown sugar

• Dark brown sugar sweetens the streusel, and its molasses adds depth and caramelly notes.
• Here’s how to make your own dark brown sugar.
• Substitute: Use an equal amount of light brown sugar.

Rolled oats

• Rolled oats give the streusel a fantastic, rustic texture with a hint of chew.
• Additionally, the rolled oats give the streusel a slightly nutty flavor.
• Use old-fashioned oats, and not quick oats here.

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour contributes to the structure for the streusel.
• Substitute: You can use an equal amount of 1:1 gluten-free baking mix, like my Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix or another gluten-free flour.

Cinnamon

• Cinnamon gives the streusel homey warmth.

Salt

• Salt balances out the streusel’s sweetness.

Butter

• Using melted butter makes it easy to form streusel crumbles.
• Significantly, butter adds fat, moisture, and rich flavor.
• Substitute: You can use an equal amount of melted coconut oil. Note that this will give the streusel a subtle coconut flavor.

Oatmeal Apple Cake

Oat flour

• Oat flour lightens the cake crumb.
• Additionally, oat flour contributes a nutty flavor.
• Follow my simple instructions to learn how easy it is to make your own oat flour, and you’ll love using it in different recipes!

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour is crucial to give this apple cake both structure and a soft crumb.
• Substitute: Use the same amount of a 1:1 gluten-free baking mix, such as my Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix, a store-bought mix, or another gluten-free flour, instead of all-purpose flour.

Cinnamon

• Cinnamon permeates the cake with a warm, spicy aroma, enhancing the flavors of apple and oat.
• Substitute: In place of the cinnamon and nutmeg, you can use pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or my Mixed Spice Recipe (the Irish version of pumpkin pie spice!).

Nutmeg

• Nutmeg adds a nutty, peppery note to the apple cake with oatmeal.
• Substitute: If you use pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or Mixed Spice in place of cinnamon, you can leave out the nutmeg.

Baking powder

• Baking powder contributes to the cake’s rise and helps create a stable structure.

Baking soda

• Baking soda is also needed for a proper rise in this streusel cake recipe.
• When baking soda is combined with an acidic ingredient (like the buttermilk and dark brown sugar in this recipe), a chemical reaction occurs that creates carbon dioxide bubbles that make the cake lighter.
• Learn more, including how to make your own leaveners, in my guide, How to Make Baking Powder and Baking Soda!

Salt

• Salt accents the ingredients and ensures the cake will taste flavorful, not flat.

Eggs

• Eggs unite the batter ingredients into a smooth, cohesive whole.
• Always use a room-temperature eggs in baking recipes unless the recipe instructs otherwise. The batter will come together better, and room temperature eggs contribute to even baking.
  • Learn how to quickly warm up eggs from the fridge.
• Substitute: You can use a flaxseed egg in this apple cake recipe. For each egg you replace, mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed plus three tablespoons of water. Set aside for 5 minutes before adding to the batter.

Granny Smith apples

• I like using Granny Smith apples in this cake because they have a wonderful tart edge to their sweet apple flavor, making them a great contrast to the cinnamon sugar streusel.
  • Other apple types that work well are: Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Jonathan. If you like sweeter apples, you can use Honeycrisp.
• The grated apples add wonderful moisture to the cake.

Dark brown sugar

• Dark brown sugar adds sweetness and tantalizing molasses flavor.
• Notably, dark brown sugar also adds moisture to the cake.
• Substitute: You can use light brown sugar too, but the flavor won’t be as deep.

Buttermilk

• Buttermilk adds an enticing tang.
• Additionally, buttermilk adds moisture to the cake.
• Importantly, buttermilk reacts with the baking soda to leaven the cake.

Vegetable oil

• Vegetable oil creates a delightlfully moist texture with a tender texture.
• Substitute: You can use the same amount of coconut oil.

Vanilla extract

• Vanilla extract complements all of the other ingredients in this cake with oatmeal.
• Here’s how to easily make your own Vanilla Extract.
• Substitutes: You can use an equal amount of Vanilla Bean Paste.

How to Make Apple Oatmeal Cake

To Make the Streusel Topping

1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon and salt.
2. Add the butter: Stir in the butter until the mixture clumps together. Refrigerate until needed.

To Make the Oatmeal Apple Cake

3. Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and line with parchment an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan. Set aside.
4. Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the oat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

5. Whisk the wet ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, grated apple, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract.

6. Combine wet and dry ingredients: Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just combined, then spread into your prepared pan. Crumble the streusel topping over the batter.

7. Bake: Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Cool and serve: Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing.

FULL (PRINTABLE) RECIPE BELOW! 

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Oat flour in minutes: If you don’t have oat flour, it is very easy to make your own. Check out this article for the recipe: How to Make Oat Flour.
• Mix it up: You can replace the pecans in the streusel topping with any chopped nut of your choice. Almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts would work just as well.
• Pump up the apple vibes: For more apple flavor, replace 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk with 2 tablespoons of defrosted apple juice concentrate.
• Best varieties: Here in LA, we don’t get as much of a variety of apples as other parts of the country. If there are good, tart local varieties of baking apples near you, then those would work great in this recipe. I use Granny Smith, and they always work really well.
• Lovely mix in: For an unexpected twist, stir in 1 cup of raisins or dried currants into the batter.
• Let it rest: Bake off the day before, and the cake will have even better flavor and be more moist.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

• Make-ahead tips:
• You can make the streusel a day in advance. Store in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to two days.
• You can also make the cake, place in an airtight container, and store at room temperature for up to three days.
• For more extended storage, wrap the baked, cooled cake well, and freeze for up to four weeks.
  • Defrost in the fridge overnight, and then cover in foil and refresh in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15-20 minutes.
• How to store leftovers: 
  • Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. 

FAQs

How do I make this cake recipe gluten-free?

• To make this cake recipe gluten-free, substitute the all-purpose flour in the cake with the same amount of 1:1 gluten-free baking mix. My Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix works well, or you can try another gluten-free flour.
• Additionally, in the streusel, use an equal amount of almond flour instead of all-purpose regular flour.
• Also, make sure that the other ingredients you’re using are certified gluten-free.

Can I make this apple coffee cake without eggs?

• Yes, you can make this apple coffee cake without eggs.
• A good substitute here is a flaxseed egg. For each egg, mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed plus three tablespoons of water, and set aside for 5 minutes before adding to the cake batter.
• For additional substitution ideas, see my guide, 12 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking Recipes.

How can I prevent my oatmeal streusel cake from being dry?

• The grated apple should keep your cake perfectly moist, but here are a few more tips:
  • Carefully measure your dry ingredients.
  • Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just combined
  • Don’t overbake—the cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

What are some mix-ins I can use in this coffee cake?

• Stir in a cup of raisins for lovely flavor and texture.
• Add a cup chopped, toasted peanuts to the cake batter to echo the streusel’s flavor.
• This cake would be lovely with a teaspoon of lemon zest.
• Drizzle some Salted Caramel Sauce on top.

More Apple Cake Recipes

• Apple Cheddar Pie
• Caramel Apple Tarte Tatin
• Apple Cider Donuts
• Apple Honey Cobbler
• Apple Strudel