The question is, why aren’t all your coffee cakes yeasted? No matter if you are new to yeasted coffee cakes or one of those that can’t have them any other way, you are going to fall in love with this apple version. I used apple cider (not the same as apple cider vinegar!) through different points in the recipe, infusing every component with the subtle sweetness we love from apples. And that’s including the dough, which is chewy and elastic like the best cinnamon roll you’ll ever have, but also has that fluffy and light cake-like texture thanks to the addition of baking powder. The warm flavors of the brown sugar–cinnamon filling and the cooked cinnamon apples make this so good! It can be made ahead and also cut in half easily. It’s a sweet little baking adventure that will leave your mornings smelling like fall.

Yeasted Coffee Cakes are kind of old school, but their unique texture is making me loving them so much right now. Let’s not fool ourselves: coffee cakes with baking powder and no yeast are just regular snacking cakes, and coffee cakes with yeast and no baking powder are basically giant cinnamon rolls. It’s the combination of these two leavening agents, plus an extra amount of acid and fat, that creates the uniquely fluffy and tender texture of a true old-school coffee cake. Thanks to the sponge…