Crumb cake with apples hits different than regular apple cake. The top becomes this thick, buttery, cinnamon-sugar layer that’s almost as substantial as the cake itself. Underneath, tender cake studded with soft apple pieces that release their juice as they bake. The whole thing stays impossibly moist for days.
This is morning coffee cake or afternoon dessert. It works warm from the oven with ice cream or at room temperature straight from the pan. The apples keep it from being too sweet, and the crumb topping gives you that textural contrast that makes you keep reaching for another piece.
What You’ll Need
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
Tools:
- 9×13-inch baking pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small bowl
- Electric mixer or whisk
- Spatula
- Vegetable peeler
- Chef’s knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wire cooling rack
Making the Crumb Topping
In your small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to mix.
Pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs. It should look like wet sand that clumps together when you squeeze it.
Set aside while you make the cake batter.
Preparing the Pan and Dry Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease your 9×13-inch pan with butter or cooking spray.
In your medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Making the Cake Batter
In your large bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Beat in the vanilla extract.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until no flour streaks remain. Don’t overmix or the cake will be tough.
Fold in the diced apples with a spatula. The batter will be thick.
Assembling and Baking
Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan. It will seem like there’s not much batter, but it will rise as it bakes.
Break the crumb topping into chunks and scatter it evenly over the batter. Cover the entire surface—don’t be shy with the crumbs.
Bake for 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs and the crumb topping is golden brown.
If the topping is browning too quickly, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Cooling and Serving
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting. It’s excellent warm, but easier to slice cleanly after it cools a bit.
Cut into squares and serve. The cake is sweet enough on its own, but you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce if you want to take it over the top.
This makes 12-15 servings depending on how you cut it.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week. The cake stays moist because of the sour cream and apples. If anything, it gets better on day two as the flavors settle.
You can also freeze individual pieces wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the microwave.
If you want to make this in a different pan, use a 9-inch square pan and increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes, or two 8-inch round pans and reduce the time by 5 minutes.
