Name: Apple Coffee Cake Twist With Giant Crumbs
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: For the twist:; 2 small sweet-tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady, peeled, cored, and chopped; 0.33 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped; 3 tablespoons light brown sugar; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 0.5 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt; 0.13 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 8 oz. can crescent rolls; 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, divided; For the crumbs:; 3 tablespoons light brown sugar; 0.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 0.13 teaspoon ground ginger; 0.13 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 0.25 cup all-purpose flour

Apple Coffee Cake Twist With Giant Crumbs

3.5

(38)

1 Review

The sweet-and-spicy cinnamon crumb topping is unquestionably the best part of this apple coffee cake.

Betty Gold

Updated on November 8, 2022

Hands On Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

55 mins

Yield:

6 servings

For this delectable apple coffee cake, big, buttery crumbs sit atop an elegant crescent roll twist, which is more striking to serve (and simple to bake) than a traditional coffee cake. It's okay if your twist doesn't look perfect—an apple piece or two may poke through the dough—because you can cover up any imperfections with your oversized crumbs.

Ingredients

For the twist:
2 small sweet-tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady, peeled, cored, and chopped
⅓ cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 8 oz. can crescent rolls
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, divided
For the crumbs:
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine the apples, pecans, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
Unroll the crescent roll dough on a lightly-floured piece of parchment paper. Pinch together any seams so that you have a smooth rectangle with no holes. Flip the dough over and repeat. Transfer the parchment with the dough to a baking sheet.
Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon melted butter and top with the apple mixture, leaving a ½-inch border. Starting with the short end nearest to you, gently roll the dough into a log and place seam side down, pinching together any small tears as you go. Make 8 cuts in the dough, slicing almost to the bottom but not cutting all the way through, creating 1-inch thick rolls.
Gently lay the far right roll flat on the parchment paper. Continue with the next few so that the rolls are overlapping each other, forming a semi-circle as you go. When you get to the center roll, lay it in the opposite direction. Coil the log in a circular wreath, shaping as you go and tucking the end of the last roll under the first. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Transfer it to a baking sheet.
Make the crumbs: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and melted butter until combined. Stir in flour until clumps form (the mixture should hold its shape when squeezed). Break into large crumbs with your fingers and scatter over twist.
Bake, rotating halfway through until the twist is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover with foil and continue baking until the apples are soft when pierced with a fork, about 10 more minutes. Serve warm.

Brie Passano