Apple Crumb Coffee Cakes

My younger brother Kevin and I spend a lot of evenings talking on Facebook and playing Words with Friends.  In one of our conversations I told him I was going to bake a coffee cake but couldn't decided which one of the two recipes I had found online I wanted to make.  To Read More, Click On The recipe Title.
I picked this one because I liked the idea of individual coffee cakes. I also liked that Chef Spike Gjerde makes this coffee cake for his Baltimore spot called Artifact Coffee. 



These little crumb cakes are light, feather light and delicious.  The streusel topping, the cake ,everything about this recipe is airy and light.  I came across a mixing technique in this recipe that I don't think I've encounter before and maybe that attributes to the ( I can't say this enough) lightness.
In just about every cake recipe I've made the dry ingredients are combined and then the wet ingredients are beaten together and incorporated with the dry.  In this recipe, the dry ingredients are combined, then the butter is added to the flour and slowly beaten until it looks like course crumbs, then the wet ingredients are added.  Kinda strange huh?




The recipe called for regular muffin tins , these were made in jumbo tins.  I filled each tin half full as per the recipe and piled on the crumb topping.




It's going to look like you have more topping than cakes, just keep filling the tins with topping .  Trust me it just makes the little cakes better.  Even though I made these in bigger tins, the bake time stayed the same.  After 30 minutes they were golden brown and perfectly baked.



Chef Spike Gjerde says he has made these with everything from fresh blueberrys to chocolate chips.  I can't wait to try these with blueberries...a little dab of fresh whipped cream and a big ole fork!  Your gonna love these little Apple Crumb Coffee Cakes!




Click here to print the recipe.

Apple Crumb Coffee Cakes
Food and Wine
Chef Gjerde

Streusel

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1/2 cup light brown sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Crumb Cakes

1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 cup granulated sugar
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
7. 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
8. 3/4 cup sour cream
9. 1 large egg, beaten
10. 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced

1. MAKE THE STREUSEL Preheat the oven to 350°. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour with the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces and mix at medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal; continue mixing the streusel until very small clumps form. Transfer the streusel to a large plate and refrigerate until it is well chilled, about 10 minutes.
2. MAKE THE CRUMB CAKES Line 18 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners. Spray the liners with vegetable oil cooking spray. In the mixer bowl, combine the flour with the granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and beat at low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sour cream and beaten egg and beat until the batter is smooth. Add the diced apple and beat just until incorporated.
3. Fill the muffin cups halfway with the crumb cake batter. Press the streusel into clumps and sprinkle on top. Bake the crumb cakes in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until risen, golden and springy to the touch; rotate the pans halfway through baking. Let the crumb cakes cool slightly before serving.

Make Ahead The crumb cakes can be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container. Rewarm before serving.