Category: Desserts

Pink m&m’s Chocolate Cookies

Print Recipe
 Pink m&m's Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate cookies with pink m&m's candies
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, cream butter with sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add egg and vanilla in separate additions and beat until well incorporated.
  5. Add flour mixture and beat just until combined.
  6. Gently fold in m&m's.
  7. Place 2-tablespoon size portions, about 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets. I used a #30 portion scoop.**
  8. Add a few more m&m's to the top of each cookie.
  9. Bake until edges are set and tops puff slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

*To find pink m&m's, click here.

**To find the portion scoop I used, click here.

Creamy Lemon Tarts

Creamy Lemon Tarts

One of the reasons I love baking is because of the joy it brings. In this case it’s joy and sunshine. These vibrant, lemon tarts are pure sunshine. With only four ingredients, they’re so easy to make that you’ll be surprised at how silky and delicious they are.

Print Recipe
 Creamy Lemon Tarts
Course Dessert
Keyword lemon, tarts
Servings
tarts
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword lemon, tarts
Servings
tarts
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place six 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms* on a baking sheet.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix crushed cookies with melted butter until well combined.
  3. Press crumb mixture firmly into tart pans with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a small cup. It's important to press firmly, especially on the sides.
  4. Bake tart shells for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
  5. In a medium bowl, stir mascarpone cheese with a spatula until smooth. Fold in lemon curd until well combined.
  6. Fill cooled tart shells with mascarpone mixture. Refrigerate tarts until set, about 2 hours.
  7. Carefully remove tarts from tart pans. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.
Recipe Notes

To find 4-inch tart pans, click here.

Pink Velvet Cookies

Pink Velvet Cookies

Whenever I walk into a bakery, my eyes are always drawn to anything pink. Pink cupcakes, cookies, donuts or anything with pink icing will inevitably come home with me. This probably started in childhood. Most bakeries back then, including the bakery my aunt always took me to, had pink boxes, so I associate it with delicious, freshly baked treats. Maybe pink desserts do taste better or maybe our minds just tell us that. Either way, if you love pink treats, you’ll love these cookies.

Pink velvet is similar to red velvet, but without the cocoa powder and red food color. The texture should be somewhat velvety, like red velvet cake. I have yet to taste a velvety red velvet cookie, but I think the texture of these cookies is pretty velvety as long as they’re not over baked. Pink velvet desserts are typically vanilla flavored. I upgraded the flavor by adding a touch of cherry flavoring. It’s not enough to give you cherry flavored cookies, but it will add depth to vanilla flavored treats. It’s an old bakery trick that I learned years ago that adds a fruity note in the background.

For best baking results, I recommend using a scale to weigh your ingredients, especially your dry ingredients. If you love baking, you should invest in a food scale if you don’t already have one.

To watch the Pink Velvet Cookies TikTok video, click here. To watch the Pink Velvet Cookies Instagram video, click here.

Print Recipe
 Pink Velvet Cookies
Pink vanilla flavored crinkle cookies with chewy exteriors and soft, velvety centers
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, pink velvet
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Optional
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, pink velvet
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat egg whites into butter mixture in two addition, until well combined.
  5. Beat in extracts until well combined.
  6. Add gel food color, a little at a time with a toothpick, until desired shade of pink is reached. (Adding remaining ingredients will lighten the color slightly.) Beat until evenly distributed.
  7. Add flour mixture to batter and beat just until combined. Mix in white chocolate chips if using.
  8. Roll dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each. I used a #30 portion scoop.*** Roll dough very generously in powdered sugar. Place two inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
  9. Bake until cookies are puffed and tops are set, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

*The cherry flavoring in this recipe is not intended to make a cherry flavored cookie. The addition of cherry flavoring adds a subtle fruity note. You can also use pure cherry extract. Use a bit less (scant 1/2 teaspoon)  because extracts tend to be stronger than flavorings. DO NOT use imitation cherry extract. It has a medicinal flavor that will disappoint you. If you want your cookies to be cherry or strawberry flavor, reduce vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon and  use 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons of natural cherry or strawberry flavoring.

**To find the pink gel food color I used, click here.

***To find the portion scoop I used, click here.

This recipe was updated on 2/14/23.

Little Strawberry Heart Cake

A cute little, stress-free, perfectly pink heart cake is my gift to you for Valentine’s Day. The vanilla cake is soft and fluffy. The frosting is super easy and delicious, with only two ingredients. It all comes together with fresh strawberries and it’s so good, you won’t want to share.

Print Recipe
 Little Strawberry Heart Cake
A six inch heart shaped vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and two-ingredient frosting
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Optional Decor
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Optional Decor
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine strawberries and 2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside to macerate for about 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of a 6-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and oil with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.
  5. Beat in egg and vanilla in two separate additions until well combined.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and sour cream.
  7. Beat flour mixture into batter in two additions, alternating with milk mixture.
  8. Transfer batter to prepared cake pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool.
  9. In a large bowl, stir cream cheese with a spatula to smooth out lumps.
  10. Add marshmallow fluff and beat until well combined. Add food gel color with a toothpick and beat until evenly distributed.
  11. Split cake into two layers. Top the bottom layer with frosting. Drain strawberries and spoon onto cake. Top with second layer, then more frosting.
Optional Decor
  1. To make sugared strawberries, mix 1 part meringue powder with 3 parts water. Dip strawberries in meringue mixture, cover with sugar, then let dry. Alternately you can dip the strawberries in pasteurized egg whites, cover with sugar, then let dry.
Recipe Notes

*To find the gel food color I used, click here.

**To find meringue powder, click here.

***To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.

 

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

These cute kitties were created as a special request by someone who grew up playing with Webkinz. Do you remember the Strawberry Cloud Leopard? It was a cute pink Webkinz plushie. The cookies are made of tender, buttery shortbread dough. They get their natural color and flavor from freeze dried strawberries. Mini chocolate chips are added to make the adorable leopard spots. I originally made this cookie dough into hearts for Valentine’s Day but it’s perfect for the Strawberry Cloud Leopards!

To watch the Strawberry Cloud Leopard Shortbread Cookies Instagram video, click here.

Print Recipe
 Strawberry Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Tender strawberry shortbread cookies dotted with mini chocolate chips
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, strawberry chocolate chip
Servings
4-inch tall cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, strawberry chocolate chip
Servings
4-inch tall cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Pulverize freeze dried strawberries to a powder with a small food processor or a clean spice grinder. Pass through a sieve to strain out seeds.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, powdered sugar and salt together.
  3. In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add freeze dried strawberry powder and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
  4. Add flour mixture and beat just until dough comes together. Fold in mini chocolate chips.
  5. Divide dough into two portions and form into disks. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  6. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Alternately, you can roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut cookies into desired shapes. I used a 4-inch cat cookie cutter.**
  7. Place cookies about 2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. To prevent excessive spreading, refrigerate cut cookies for 30 minutes prior to baking, especially if your dough becomes warm as you work with it.
  8. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Bake until cookies are slightly puffed and edges barely start to turn light golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. (Smaller cookies will need a shorter baking time.) Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
Recipe Notes

To find a cat cookie cutter, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

At the Brownie Mischief website, all types of brownies are welcome. We all know and love chocolate brownies. But there are other less common brownies in the universe, that deserve to shine too. Let me introduce you to Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies. These lovely pink creations aren’t strawberry cake or strawberry blondies. They contain white chocolate and they’re made with the same baking method as brownies. When you bake chocolate brownies, you want to be careful not to over bake them, to achieve the rich, fudgy texture. The same is true for these strawberry brownies. When you test for doneness, the toothpick should have a few moist crumbs attached to it. If the toothpick is clean, the brownies have baked too long and will likely be a little dry and cakey, although still edible. So make sure to test for doneness well before the end of the baking time!

The baking temperature for this recipe is 325ºF. I noticed that when baking in a heart shaped cake pan, things tend to bake unevenly because of the shape. So I used a lower temperature to help with even baking. If you don’t have an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan, you can also use an 8-inch round cake pan. To find the cake pan I used, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

To watch the Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies Instagram video, click here.

Print Recipe
 Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies
A heart shaped strawberry brownie made with fresh strawberries topped with strawberry icing.
Course Dessert
Keyword brownies, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Brownies
Strawberry Icing
Course Dessert
Keyword brownies, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Strawberry Brownies
Strawberry Icing
Instructions
Strawberry Brownies
  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line the bottom of an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Spray the insides with nonstick spray.
  2. In a large heat safe bowl, melt butter and white chocolate together on the stovetop over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave for 20 seconds at time, stirring at each interval. White chocolate overheats easily, so be vigilant.
  3. Add the sugar and salt to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
  4. Add egg and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
  5. Pass strawberry purée through a sieve to remove seeds. Set aside 2 tablespoons of strawberry purée for icing. Add remaining purée to batter. Mix until well combined.
  6. Add extracts and food color. Mix until combined.
  7. Stir in flour until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
  8. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center has a few moist crumbs on it, (not batter), about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and top with strawberry icing.
Strawberry Icing
  1. Whisk all icing ingredients together until smooth and well combined.
Recipe Notes

*To make strawberry purée:   Purée clean, hulled and quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor. **To find the food color I used, click here. **To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.

This recipe was updated on January 24th, 2023

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Who else loves those heart shaped boxes of chocolates we see at Valentine’s Day? That adventurous first bite of chocolate, when you don’t know which flavor you’re getting, is so much fun! I adore the fruit ganache filled chocolate bon bons. If you love bon bons too, you’ll love these brownies. They’re rich, fudgy and topped with a silky raspberry ganache that makes you feel like you’re biting into a raspberry truffle. The ganache adds an elegant touch to these brownies, so dried rose buds, rose petals and crispy chocolate pearls were my toppings of choice.

This isn’t the first time I’ve created elegant brownies. I displayed beautifully decorated brownies at two previous cookie conventions and they were well received. Elevated brownies are unexpected, but they’re definitely appreciated!

To watch the Raspberry Truffle Brownie Instagram video, click here.

Print Recipe
 Raspberry Truffle Brownies
Course Dessert
Keyword brownies, raspberry truffle
Servings
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword brownies, raspberry truffle
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.
  3. In a large heat safe bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
  4. Beat the sugar into butter and chocolate mixture until well combined.
  5. Add the eggs, egg yolk and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
  6. Fold in the flour mixture until combined.
  7. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs on it, about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool completely.
  8. Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl.
  9. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer raspberry purée until reduced by half. Combine heavy cream with the reduced purée in saucepan. Heat until bubbles start to form around the edges. Do not boil.
  10. Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate, making sure its completely submerged, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spread over the cooled brownies.
Recipe Notes

To find dried rosebuds, click here.

To find dried rose petals, click here.

 

Chocolate Gingerbread

Chocolate Gingerbread

Chocolate gingerbread is gingerbread’s elegant sister. It has the warm spices we love in gingerbread combined with the earthy depth of chocolate. Topping this rich, tender loaf with silky cream cheese frosting is the best possible choice to take it over the top. It’s a lovely loaf to enjoy during the holiday season and beyond. Enjoy it with a hot drink for a cozy, comforting winter treat.

Make sure to check out my method for making sugared cranberries below. No raw eggs required!

Print Recipe
 Chocolate Gingerbread
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, chocolate gingerbread
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
Chocolate Gingerbread
Cream Cheese Frosting
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, chocolate gingerbread
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
Chocolate Gingerbread
Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Chocolate Gingerbread
  1. Preheat oven go 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease the insides and dust with a mixture of equal parts flour and cocoa powder.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together until smooth.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk.
  5. Add flour the mixture to the batter in two additions, alternating with the milk mixture, beating just until combined.
  6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 38-45 minutes.
  7. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
  2. Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of milk, the vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth. Add additional milk, if needed, until your desired consistency is reached.
Recipe Notes

To make sugared cranberries and rosemary for garnish:  Mix 1 teaspoon of meringue powder* with 1 tablespoon of water. Place 1 cup of fresh cranberries in a bowl and coat them in the meringue powder mixture. Drain any excess liquid then coat the cranberries with granulated sugar.  Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet to dry at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Use the same method for sprigs of rosemary.

*To find meringue powder, click here.

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies


Print Recipe


Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Fudgy chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies

Course Dessert
Keyword cookies

Servings
cookies


Ingredients

Course Dessert
Keyword cookies

Servings
cookies


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 2 cups (227g) powdered sugar until well combined. Set aside the remaining 1/2 cup (113g) of powdered sugar in a shallow dish.

  3. Beat in eggs in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Add the extracts and the melted chocolate and beat until well combined. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.

  4. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

  5. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

  6. Roll the dough into 15 2-tablespoon size balls, 1 1/4 ounce (35g) each. Roll the dough balls generously in the reserved 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.

  7. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bak until the cookies puff and the tops are set, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooking rack to cool.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

This cake story has a happy ending. Once, many years ago, someone gave my grandparents’ neighbor a flourless chocolate cake. The neighbor had a slice and couldn’t finish it because it was too rich. She brought the cake over to my grandparents and they each had a slice and couldn’t finish them, because they were too rich. I had a slice and I couldn’t finish mine either and, well…you can guess why. So my grandparents, not wanting to be wasteful, put the cake in the freezer and forgot about it for a very long time. Whenever I opened the freezer and saw it, I wondered why none of us could eat more than a few bites of that rich cake. Although I don’t know for sure, it was probably because the ratio of chocolate to butter was off. But I do know that serving it with something acidic, like berries or raspberry sauce, would have helped immensely.

The happy ending to this story is that this flourless chocolate cake was created to be enjoyed to the last bite. It’s decadent, but not overly rich. It has a good balance, not too sweet or too bitter. The raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries compliment it perfectly. This luscious cake is also delicious with strawberries or any combination of berries you like. It’s also delicious served with salted caramel sauce. I wish my grandparents were still around to give my version of a flourless chocolate cake a try. I think they would have loved this cake and finished every last bite!

Print Recipe
 Flourless Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Keyword cake, chocolate
Servings
Ingredients
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Raspberry Sauce
Keyword cake, chocolate
Servings
Ingredients
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Raspberry Sauce
Instructions
Flourless Chocolate Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a 6-inch springform pan** with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Wrap the bottom two inches of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Set pan in a baking pan.
  2. Combine chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat.
  3. In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until doubled in size, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract and salt.
  4. With a large spatula, gently fold beaten eggs into chocolate mixture in three additions until no streaks of egg remain. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth top of batter with a small offset spatula.
  5. Pour 1 1/2 inches of boiling water into baking pan. Bake until top is set and internal temperature*** reaches 140ºF, about 28-37 minutes.
  6. Remove cake pan from water bath. Cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to overnight, but cake is best served the day it's made).
  7. Remove cake from pan when chilled and set. Top with powdered sugar and fresh raspberries.
  8. To serve, remove cake from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving and serve at room temperature for best texture. Serve with raspberry sauce.
Raspberry Sauce
  1. Purée raspberries in blender or food processor. Pass purée through a fine mesh sieve**** to remove seeds.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch.*****
  3. In a small saucepan, heat raspberry purée with sugar and cornstarch slurry to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Recipe Notes

*Chalazae are the opaque chords of egg white. Removing them is optional, but they do show up as white spots in the cake after baking.

**To find the 6-inch springform pan I used, click here.

***To find an instant read thermometer, click here.

****To find a fine mesh sieve, click here.

*****To find a mini whisk for whisking small amounts, click here.

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

My fascination with Christmas cookies started as a child when my elderly neighbor used to bring over a tray of her homemade Christmas cookies every year. I loved the moment where I got to choose a cookie from the beautiful, interesting selection. In my humble opinion, I think a holiday cookie should be something special. It should be something that you don’t eat on a regular basis, maybe because it seems fancy or requires a little extra work to make. Or maybe it has a special meaning or a fond memory. These Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets check all the boxes for me. They have that something special a cookie needs to be the star of the holiday cookie tray…tender jam-filled chocolate dough, dipped in shiny chocolate with a pretty pop of red.

Print Recipe
 Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets
Keyword chocolate raspberry, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Keyword chocolate raspberry, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
  3. Add powdered sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
  4. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.
  5. On low speed, beat in flour just until combined.
  6. Divide dough into two equal portions. Wrap with plastic wrap and form into disks. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
  7. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  8. Roll dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into 3-inch rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. If dough becomes too soft at any point, chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes then continue with recipe.
  9. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets. Top each round with a teaspoon of jam.
  10. With a small food safe brush or with your finger, apply a small amount of water to the edge of half of each round. Fold over and press edges to seal.
  11. Bake until tops of cookies look set, about 9-11 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
  12. In a small bowl, mix melted chocolate with coconut oil until smooth.
  13. Dip cookies about 1/3 of the way into melted chocolate. Top with freeze dried fruit or sprinkles.
Recipe Notes

*To find freeze dried raspberries, click here.

To find the cookie cutter I used, click here.

To find food safe brushes, click here.

Grandma’s Apple Crumb Cake

Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake

I remember my grandma making coffee cakes and sweet muffins for breakfast, along with eggs, sausages, hot coffee and a big pitcher of milk on the table. The older generation really loved their coffee cakes. I’ve noticed that many Millennials and Gen Z’s think coffee cake contains coffee. Maybe some coffee cake does contain coffee, but in general, coffee cake is called that because it’s typically eaten with coffee. A classic coffee cake is usually a subtly sweet cake with cinnamon, crumb topping and maybe some icing. The Apple Crumb Cake recipe I’m sharing with you has the elements of a classic coffee cake, but so much better! The cake is fluffy and soft, the crumb topping is chunky and plentiful, and the apples are perfectly tender. And don’t get me started about the icing!

Why do most of our grandmothers cook and bake so well? Because they’ve had decades of trial and error to perfect their recipes, tweaking them here and there until they’re approved and loved by their families, neighbors and friends. This cake has had its share of trial and error. She has earned her place as a well-loved, delicious, beautiful queen of coffee cakes.

Print Recipe
 Grandma's Apple Crumb Cake
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword apple, cake
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Apples
Crumb Topping
Cake
Icing
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Keyword apple, cake
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Apples
Crumb Topping
Cake
Icing
Instructions
Apples
  1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
  2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
  2. Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press together to make 1/2-inch chunks.
Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom*, or a 9-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminum foil and place pan on a baking sheet.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture in three separate addition, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together.
  6. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into batter in three separate additions, alternating with milk mixture. Mix just until combined.
  7. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top with a spatula.
  8. Drain any excess liquid from the apples. Top the cake batter evenly with apples, then the topping mixture.
  9. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from pan and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons of cream. Add additional cream until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Recipe Notes

*To find the cake pan I used, click here.