Description
Warm Rustic Apple Crumb Cake topped with cinnamon apple drizzle. A comforting dessert, perfect for any season. Get my personal recipe!
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cake Batter:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- For the Cinnamon Apple Drizzle:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons apple juice (or water)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Star Ingredient:
- 4–5 medium fresh apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji), peeled, cored, and diced
Instructions
- Prep Your Apples and Oven: First things first, let’s get those apples ready! Peel, core, and dice about 4-5 medium apples. I like my pieces about half an inch, so they soften but still hold a bit of texture. Toss them with a tablespoon of granulated sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl – this gets them coated and ready for their moment. Then, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. I usually use a springform pan because it makes unmolding so much easier; learned that after a few frustrating attempts with a regular one!
- Make the Crumb Topping: Now for the best part, the crumbs! In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Give it a whisk to combine. Then, cut in 6 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter. I use my fingers to really work it in, pinching and rubbing until it looks like coarse sand with some pea-sized crumbs. You want those little buttery pockets! Don’t overmix, or you’ll get a paste instead of crumbs. This is where I sometimes get a little too enthusiastic, but a light hand is key for the crumbly texture.
- Whisk the Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together ½ cup softened unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This usually takes me about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer. Then, crack in 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Don’t forget that teaspoon of vanilla extract here! The mixture should look creamy and smooth. I swear, the smell of butter, sugar, and vanilla creaming together is one of the best kitchen smells, honestly.
- Combine Dry and Wet for the Cake: In another bowl (yes, more bowls, it’s worth it!), whisk together 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon baking soda. Now, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with ½ cup whole milk, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Overmixing here makes for a tough cake, and we want a tender cake! A few streaks of flour are totally fine; don’t stress about it.
- Assemble Your Cake: Pour about half of your cake batter into the prepared pan. Spread it out as evenly as you can. Then, sprinkle half of your diced apples over the batter. Next, add the remaining cake batter, gently spreading it over the apples. Top with the rest of the diced apples, and finally, generously sprinkle that beautiful crumb topping all over! It might look like a lot, but trust me, it bakes down perfectly. This is the moment where I always get flour and crumbs everywhere, but hey, that’s baking, right?
- Bake and Drizzle: Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. While it’s cooling, make the cinnamon apple drizzle! In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter, then whisk in 2 tablespoons apple juice (or water), ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ cup powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle it warm over your slightly cooled cake. The smell is intoxicating, and the cake should be golden brown, tender, and just begging for a bite!