Apple Crumb Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I have to be honest, recipes like this one are not typically my cup of tea - a few too many steps and dirty dishes for my "quick and easy" style. But my sister requested an apple cream cheese coffee cake, so I decided to give it a try. We still have a handful of apples leftover from our apple picking adventure earlier in the month and they need to be used up before we lose any of them - so I've been heavily perusing apple recipes. This version of an apple coffee cake with cream cheese looked really delicious! Look at all the apple goodies I've already made over the past month or so! Apple Butter Biscuit Breakfast Bake, Applesauce Pork Chops, Honeyed Apple Bundt Cake, Peachy Apple Crisp, Freezer Apple Pie Filling, and Crock Pot Applesauce.

This cake has a wonderful white cake-esque base with delicious gooey cinnamon cream cheese and sweet, saucy apples layered throughout. And of course that streusel topping. It's a very special treat - would be beautiful for a brunch, or holiday buffet, etc. Or just make it for your family and enjoy a small piece with a hot cup of coffee! It's super rich with all that cream cheese in there. A little goes a long way - but the flavors were lovely.

Apple Crumb Cream Cheese Coffee Cake from The Baking Chocolatess

Ingredients

Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Apple Mixture:
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 medium apples, peeled and sliced thin

Coffee Cake:
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling:
1 8-oz cream cheese softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Brown Sugar Crumble Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled, and cut in chunks

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Apple Mixture:

1. Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar. Toss with sliced apples and set aside.

Brown Sugar Crumble Topping:

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter in, with a fork or pastry cutter, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer blend the cream cheese by itself for a minute until creamy. Add in the egg, and blend in. Add the sugar and cinnamon and blend again, until well combined, scraping the sides down as needed. Set aside.

Coffee Cake:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the white sugar and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add in the eggs, 1 at a time, until well blended in; lastly add in vanilla extract and blend once more.
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder together. Slowly add dry mixture into the creamed butter mixture, combining just until blended.
3. Add the milk in, blending again just until combined.
4. Pour half the coffee cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
5. Pour about 2/3 of the cinnamon cream cheese mixture over the cake batter.
6. Place half of the prepared apple slices on top of the cream cheese layer.
7. Pour the remainder of the cake batter over the top, add the rest of the cream cheese filling by dollops scattered about, and top with the rest of the brown sugar cinnamon apple slices.
8. Sprinkle the brown sugar crumble topping over, and bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
9. Let coffee cake cool to room temperature before serving. Keep leftovers refrigerated.