Easy Apple Crumb Cake
on Mar 30, 2012, Updated Jun 11, 2024
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This easy Apple Crumb Cake recipe is a sweet, crumbly, and delicious fruit dessert that you can make on a cool Fall day to use up the rest of those apples lying around! With a cinnamon-sugar topping and moist, fluffy texture, this apple cake is comfort food at its best.
Fall just beckons all of the apple and pumpkin recipes, don’t you agree? And if you have an apple tree, you know you need a whole bunch of great apple recipes to use up the bounty that comes with apple harvest. Or maybe you’re just an apple lover like I am! This recipe gives you every excuse to get a big bag of them at the store.
Something about a crumb cake just makes me so very happy. I think it’s that moist, spongey cake bottom layer combined with the sweet and lightly cinnamon-y crumbly, crunchy topping. I mean, that is pure heaven if you ask me. Plus, it’s a way to sneak fresh produce into a baked goodie!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Apple crumb cake is a lovely and delicious pastry that comes together easily and makes the perfect post-dinner sweet treat.
- It’s delicious for breakfast, dessert, or a snack. You can serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
- It fills your home with a wonderful aroma and allows you to enjoy a homemade treat that’s made with love.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter – melted
- Applesauce – unsweetened
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Flour – whole wheat or all-purpose
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Apples – use fresh or canned
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Apple Crumb Cake
- Beat butter, applesauce, and sugar together until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs, then add flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Fold in the apples and spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Prepare the crumb topping and bake.
Recipe FAQs
Cover your crumb cake with foil or a towel after it’s cooled completely, but don’t cover it too tightly. The light covering will keep it moist without being too moist, and it’ll stay fresh for 1 to 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Cakes often sink in the middle when the batter is over-beaten, which incorporates too much air that later collapses while baking. Opening the oven door too early while it’s baking can also cause cake to fall because the batter still isn’t set, as can closing the oven door too hard.
Crumb cakes consist of two parts: the cake on the bottom, and the crumb topping. This recipe’s cake portion is made of butter, unsweetened applesauce, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and of course, peeled and chopped apples. The topping consists of sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, and flour.
Expert Tips
- Good quality butter will improve the flavor of the cake and the crumb topping. Use unsalted butter to control the saltiness of your cake.
- A good way to check if the cake is done is to insert a toothpick into the center until it comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly.
- Another option is to make this in a 9×13-inch pan for a thicker cake, but be prepared for it to take at least twice as long to bake.
More Pie Recipes to Consider
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Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie
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Apple Crumb Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 cups apple, chopped and peeled, fresh or canned
For the crumb topping:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F., and butter the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan (mine is 10×15 inches).
- Add the butter, applesauce, and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, and beat until well mixed.
- Add the flour to the bowl, and then sprinkle the baking powder and cinnamon over the top. Mix together on low speed until combined.
- Fold in the apples. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- For the crumb topping: Combine the sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together to combine.
- Add the melted butter and stir.
- Add the flour, and stir to make a dough that resembles the consistency of cookie dough.
- Take the “dough” in your hands, break off pea-sized crumbs, and drop them on top of the cake batter. Evenly distribute all of the crumb topping over the cake batter in this manner. Don’t press or pat the crumb pieces into the cake, just let them rest where they fall.
- Place the cake in the oven and bake for 23 to 26 minutes, until the cake springs back when slightly touched.
- Allow the cake to cool for several hours before serving. Store by lightly covering with a towel, too tight of a covering makes the crumb topping go soft.
Notes
- You can make this in a 9×13-inch pan for a thicker cake, but it’ll take at least twice as long to bake. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the cake springs back when pressed lightly.
- Keep ingredients like butter, eggs, and dairy at room temperature for a smoother batter and better texture.
- Use lemon juice to prevent browning. It also adds a tang to the flavor.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before removing from the pan.
Never mind! I see the eggs… Duh! 🙂
Ha! You were fast, I thought I just missed them. 🙂
Looks good! Are there not any eggs in this?
I’m so glad you asked… YES there are eggs! It’s a old recipe, but one that I really like, and I didn’t even notice that typo. You should add 2 eggs. I added that to the ingredients and instructions. Thanks so much for pointed that out!
hmmm… no guilt… So, I guess I’ll be making these then 🙂
Your recipes are starting to haunt me! YUM! I can’t keep up with you! Amazing.