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Simple Recipes for Every Day

Apple Crumb Cake

Apple Crumb Cake with a piece cut from the corner with a knife sitting beside it
  • Serves:  9
  • Prep Time:  25 min
  • Cook Time:  50 min

Ingredients

Crumb Topping

  • 1/3 cup pecans, toasted, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup All purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 10 Tbsps cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces

Cake

  • 1 3/4 cup All purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter softened, plus more for baking dish
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, preferably not low fat
  • 1/3 cup whole milk
  • 1 tart apple (such as a Granny Smith), chopped into 1/2” pieces (about 1 cup)

Method

  1. In a small skillet set over medium heat, toast the pecans, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove the pecans onto a plate to cool before chopping.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center of the oven.

  3. Make the crumb topping: In the base of a food processor, add the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter. Pulse until combined and the mixture resembled thick sand. Pour it into a bowl and squish as much of it together as possible creating large clusters. Place it in the fridge until ready to use.

  4. Make the cake: In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.

  5. In a stand mixer, or by hand, cream together the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with a mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 of the sifted ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add the sour cream and milk and mix until combined before adding the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until there are no longer any dry parts left, but don’t over mix it.

  6. Grease with butter, then flour a 9x9 inch baking dish.

  7. Remove the crumble topping from the fridge and break it up with your hands, but keeping some pieces intact about the size of a piece of a dime.

  8. Add half of the batter (it is thick) to the pan. Place the chopped apples on top of the batter and gently push the apples to the edges of the pan ensuring that the batter reaches the edges too. Evenly sprinkle on 1/3 of the crumb topping. Add remaining batter to the pan followed by the pecans and remaining crumb topping (using each layer of toppings to press the thick batter to the edges of the pan).

  9. Bake for 45-50 minutes on the center rack. Check for doneness with a toothpick, which should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.