The Ultimate Apple Crumb Cake: Your Perfect Fall Comfort Dessert

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Indulge in the pure joy of autumn with this extraordinary Apple Crumb Cake recipe. Far more than just a simple cake, this creation combines a heavenly moist vanilla-cinnamon cake base with a generous filling of tender, spiced apples, all crowned with a delectable buttery crumb topping and drizzled with a rich maple glaze. Each bite offers a symphony of warm spices and comforting textures, making it the quintessential fall dessert that feels like a cozy embrace on a crisp day. If you’re an apple enthusiast, prepare for this cake to become your new obsession, offering all the delightful flavors of a classic apple pie in a more accessible and equally irresistible form.

Imagine a cake so soft and buttery it melts in your mouth, perfectly complemented by sweet and tangy cinnamon apples, and finished with a crunchy, sweet streusel. This isn’t just an apple cake; it’s an experience. It’s the ultimate centerpiece for any fall gathering, a treat for Sunday brunch, or a simply delightful dessert to enjoy with your afternoon coffee. This homemade apple crumb cake is destined to capture your heart and leave you craving slice after slice.

Looking for more delightful cake recipes to brighten your day? Be sure to try our Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies, the luscious Apple Crumble Cheesecake, and the aromatic Chai Cake.

WHY THIS APPLE CRUMB CAKE RECIPE WORKS SO WELL

This apple crumb cake isn’t just another dessert; it’s a carefully crafted blend of flavors and textures designed to create an unforgettable baking experience. Here’s what makes this recipe truly stand out as the best apple crumb cake:

• Moist Vanilla Cinnamon Cake: The foundation of this cake is a wonderfully soft, tender, and incredibly moist vanilla-infused cake with a subtle hint of warming cinnamon. Its delicate crumb provides the perfect balance to the apple filling and crunchy topping, ensuring every forkful of this apple cinnamon cake is pure bliss and remains fresh for days.
• Perfectly Spiced Cinnamon Sugar Apples: At the heart of this delicious cake lies a generous layer of fresh apple pieces, lovingly coated in a sweet and aromatic cinnamon sugar mixture. As they bake, the apples soften beautifully, releasing their juices and infusing the cake with a delightful, caramelized apple pie-like flavor that’s truly irresistible. We’ll guide you on choosing the best apples for baking.
• Irresistible Buttery Crumb Topping: No apple crumb cake is complete without its signature crumble! This recipe features an abundance of golden, buttery, and slightly crisp streusel topping, adding a fantastic textural contrast and an extra layer of sweetness that elevates the entire dessert. It’s the perfect crunchy crown for this autumnal treat, truly defining it as a superb crumb cake.
• Decadent Maple Glaze: To finish this masterpiece, a luscious maple glaze is drizzled generously over the cooled cake. The natural sweetness and distinct flavor of pure maple syrup perfectly complement the apples and cinnamon, adding a final touch of elegance and an extra layer of deliciousness that will send your taste buds straight to dessert paradise. This maple glaze is the ideal finishing touch for our apple crumb cake.

KEY INGREDIENT NOTES FOR THE BEST APPLE CRUMB CAKE

Achieving the perfect apple crumb cake starts with understanding the role of each ingredient. Here’s a closer look at the key components for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients and precise measurements, please refer to the detailed recipe card below.

• All-Purpose Flour: This forms the primary structure of both the cake and the crumble. Using all-purpose flour with a protein content between 10-11% is ideal for achieving a light, airy, yet sturdy cake crumb that won’t be too dense or too fragile. Always sift your flour to prevent lumps and ensure a smooth batter.
• Granulated Sugar: Essential for sweetening the cake, the fine granules of sugar also contribute significantly to the cake’s moistness and help create a tender texture by attracting and retaining moisture. In the apples, it draws out moisture and helps them caramelize beautifully during baking, enhancing their natural sweetness.
• Dark Brown Sugar: Specifically used for the crumb topping, dark brown sugar adds a deep, molasses-rich sweetness and a wonderfully chewy texture to the streusel. Its higher moisture content compared to granulated sugar also contributes to a perfectly clumped crumb, making it an ideal choice for the crumble.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These are your vital leavening agents, working in tandem to give the apple crumb cake its impressive lift and wonderfully fluffy texture. Baking powder is double-acting, providing rise both when wet and when heated, while baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients like sour cream to create additional lightness and a tender crumb.
• Salt: A crucial flavor enhancer, salt plays a vital role in balancing the sweetness of the sugars and apples, making all the other flavors pop without making the cake taste salty. It’s essential for a well-rounded flavor profile – never skip it!
• Eggs: Acting as a binder, eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness to the cake. It’s vital to bring them to room temperature 1-2 hours before baking, as room temperature eggs emulsify better with other ingredients, leading to a smoother, more evenly mixed batter and a lighter, more consistent cake texture.
• Flavor-Neutral Oil (e.g., Canola Oil): Oil contributes significantly to a supremely moist cake, especially one that stays tender for several days. Using a neutral-flavored oil ensures that the rich, warm flavors of apple, cinnamon, and vanilla are the stars, without being overshadowed by a strong oil taste.
• Sour Cream (14-18% fat): This ingredient is a game-changer for moisture, richness, and tenderness in the cake. The acidity in sour cream also reacts with baking soda to aid in leavening, while its fat content contributes to a rich, velvety crumb and excellent cake structure. Plain Greek yogurt can be used as a 1:1 substitute if needed, offering similar benefits.
• Unsalted Butter: Butter is a star in this recipe, providing incredible flavor and richness to both the vanilla cinnamon cake batter and the crumb topping. Ensure your butter is at room temperature for both components; it creams better with sugar for the cake and mixes more easily into a crumbly texture for the streusel, guaranteeing optimal results.
• Apples (Gala or Granny Smith): The choice of apple significantly impacts the final flavor and texture of your apple crumb cake. Gala apples offer a sweet, mellow flavor and tend to hold their shape well, becoming tender without turning to mush. Granny Smith apples, on the other hand, provide a lovely tartness that cuts through the sweetness of the cake and glaze, and their firm texture ensures they don’t turn mushy when baked. Feel free to use your preferred baking apple or a mix for a more complex flavor.
• Ground Cinnamon: This warm spice is the heart of the “cinnamon” in our vanilla cinnamon cake, apples, and crumble. It provides that comforting, signature autumnal aroma and flavor that pairs perfectly with apples and maple, making this truly an apple cinnamon crumb cake.
• Vanilla Extract: A splash of good quality pure vanilla extract enhances all the sweet and spiced flavors in the cake, adding depth and a lovely aromatic note that truly rounds out the dessert and elevates its overall taste.
• Powdered Sugar & Pure Maple Syrup: These are the key ingredients for our smooth and flavorful maple glaze. Powdered sugar dissolves easily for a silky, lump-free texture, while pure maple syrup provides its distinct, natural sweetness and signature fall flavor that perfectly complements the apple crumb cake.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS: CRAFTING YOUR APPLE CRUMB CAKE

Creating this delightful Apple Crumb Cake is a rewarding process. Follow these detailed steps to ensure a perfect bake every time. For this recipe, you’ll need an electric mixer (either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer), two large bowls, and a rubber spatula.

Remember, the complete recipe with all precise measurements is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

STEP 1: Prepare the Cinnamon Apples. Begin by dicing your chosen apples into small, uniform cubes, approximately ½-inch in size. Place them in a medium bowl and toss them thoroughly with the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until every piece is well coated. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 15-20 minutes; the sugar will draw out some liquid from the apples. Before assembling the cake, it is crucial to drain off any excess liquid from the apples to prevent a soggy bottom layer in your cake. Set the prepared apples aside.

STEP 2: Prepare the Buttery Crumb Topping. In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and the softened, room temperature unsalted butter. Using your fingertips, a pastry blender, or an electric hand mixer on low speed, mix these ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger, pea-sized clumps. This creates the perfect streusel texture for your topping. Set this delicious crumble aside along with the apples while you prepare the cake batter.

Before you begin preparing the cake batter, preheat your oven to 175ºC (350ºF) for a conventional oven. Prepare a 23 cm / 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and lightly greasing the sides. This preparation ensures easy release of your beautiful apple crumb cake after baking.

STEP 3: Cream Butter and Sugar. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened granulated sugar and room temperature unsalted butter. Using your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer, beat these ingredients together on high speed for approximately 3 minutes. The mixture should become noticeably light, fluffy, and pale in color, indicating that sufficient air has been incorporated for a tender and airy cake texture.

STEP 4: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with your rubber spatula to ensure everything is evenly mixed. Add the large eggs one at a time into the mixture, beating on medium speed after each addition until just combined and no yolk streaks remain. Next, gradually incorporate half of your sifted dry ingredients into the mixture on low speed. Once partially mixed, add the room temperature sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, mixing until just blended. Finally, add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the batter is just combined and smooth. Be careful not to overmix, as this can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to a tough cake.

STEP 5: Assemble and Bake the Cake. Pour half of the vanilla cinnamon cake batter into your prepared springform pan and gently spread it out evenly using your spatula. Carefully arrange the drained cinnamon sugar apples over this first layer of batter, ensuring they are evenly distributed across the surface. Then, spoon the remaining cake batter over the apples and gently spread it to cover them completely. Finally, sprinkle the prepared streusel crumb topping generously and evenly over the entire top of the cake. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for approximately 65-70 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted into the very center comes out clean.

Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes. This initial cooling period allows the cake’s structure to set. Then, carefully run a thin knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it before releasing the springform sides. Allow the apple crumb cake to cool completely on the wire rack before applying the maple glaze. This crucial step prevents the glaze from melting and becoming absorbed by the warm cake.

STEP 6: Prepare and Drizzle the Maple Glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, a teaspoon of sour cream (optional, but recommended for extra creaminess and a subtle tang), and vanilla extract until smooth. Add water gradually, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired drizzling consistency – it should be smooth and pourable, but not too thin. Drizzle this delectable maple glaze generously over your completely cooled apple crumb cake just before serving. Slice and enjoy your perfect fall dessert!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR A FLAWLESS APPLE CRUMB CAKE

Achieving baking perfection often comes down to a few key techniques and considerations. Keep these expert tips in mind for the most delicious Apple Crumb Cake every time:

• Use a Kitchen Scale for Precision: For consistent and superior results in baking, measuring ingredients by weight (grams) is always more accurate than using volume (cups). My recipes are developed using grams as the default setting for a reason – it eliminates variables caused by different packing techniques and ensures your cake turns out perfectly every time. A digital kitchen scale is an invaluable tool for any serious baker, guaranteeing precision and accuracy.
• Avoid Overmixing Your Batter: Once you’ve added the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour too much, leading to a tough, dense, and dry cake instead of a tender, moist one. After using your electric mixer, always use a rubber spatula to give the batter a final gentle fold; this ensures all ingredients from the bottom and sides of the bowl are incorporated without overworking the batter.
• Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: For both the cake batter and the crumb, ensuring your butter, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature is crucial. Room temperature ingredients emulsify better, creating a smoother, more homogenous batter that traps air more efficiently during creaming. This results in a lighter, more tender, and evenly textured cake crumb. Plan ahead and take them out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours before you start baking.
• Choose the Right Baking Pan: For optimal results, an aluminum baking pan (light in color) is highly recommended. Light-colored pans reflect heat, allowing the cake to bake more gently and evenly, which prevents overly dark edges or a dry, thick crust. If you’re using a darker non-stick pan, which absorbs more heat, you may need to reduce your oven temperature slightly (by about 25°F/15°C) and keep a close eye on baking time to prevent over-browning. Always grease your pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy, stick-free release.
• Don’t Skimp on Cooling Time: It’s incredibly tempting to dive into a warm, freshly baked cake, but allowing the apple crumb cake to cool completely on a wire rack is essential. This allows the internal structure of the cake to set properly and prevents the maple glaze from melting into a sticky mess and getting absorbed into the cake. Patience here will be rewarded with a perfect cake texture and a beautifully set glaze.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT APPLE CRUMB CAKE

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR APPLE CRUMB CAKE

To keep your delicious homemade apple crumb cake fresh and moist, store it in an airtight container at room temperature. It is best enjoyed within 2-3 days of baking to experience its peak freshness and texture. If you’ve prepared the cake in advance, I highly recommend waiting to drizzle the maple glaze until just before serving. This prevents the glaze from becoming sticky, absorbed into the cake, or losing its vibrant appearance, ensuring it looks and tastes its absolute best.

Other Cake Recipes To Try

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Delicious Apple Crumb Cake with Maple Glaze

Experience the ultimate fall comfort with this incredibly moist Apple Crumb Cake! Featuring a tender vanilla-cinnamon cake base, a luscious filling of cinnamon-sugar apples, a generous buttery crumb topping, and a sweet maple glaze, this recipe promises dessert paradise. Each slice is a warm hug, brimming with fragrant spices and delightful textures.

5 fra 1 stemme

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine American, Fall

Servings 12 slices

Calories 570 kcal

Equipment

• 23 cm / 9-inch springform pan
• Stand Mixer

Ingredients

CINNAMON APPLES

• 4 small or 3 large red gala apple diced (or Granny Smith for tartness, firm baking apples recommended)
• 1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

CRUMBLE TOPPING

• 120 g all-purpose flour
• 200 g dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 85 g unsalted butter room temperature, cut into cubes

VANILLA CINNAMON CAKE

• 340 g all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 125 g unsalted butter room temperature
• 225 g granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 225 g sour cream 14-18% room temperature, or plain full-fat Greek yogurt
• 40 g vegetable oil e.g. canola oil, flavor-neutral
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

MAPLE GLAZE

• 125 g powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sour cream (optional, for extra tang and creaminess)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoon water (as needed for desired consistency)

Important Note on Measurements: The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate and can lead to uncertainties due to variations in how ingredients are packed. For precise and consistent results, especially in baking, it is highly recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale in grams. Baking is both an art and a science, which most often requires precision and accuracy for the best outcome.

Instructions

FOR THE CINNAMON APPLES

• Dice the apples into small, even cubes (about ½ inch). In a medium bowl, toss the diced apples with the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until fully coated. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 15-20 minutes; the sugar will draw out some liquid from the apples. Before assembling the cake, drain off any excess liquid to prevent the cake from becoming soggy. Set aside.
  4 small or 3 large red gala apple, 1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING

• In a separate large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and the softened, room temperature unsalted butter (cut into cubes). Mix these ingredients together by hand (using your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients) or with an electric hand mixer on low speed until a coarse, crumbly structure forms, with some larger, pea-sized clumps visible. Set this delicious crumble aside.
  120 g all-purpose flour, 200 g dark brown sugar, 85 g butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

FOR THE VANILLA CINNAMON CAKE

• Preheat your oven to 175ºC (350ºF) using a conventional setting. Prepare a 23 cm / 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper and lightly greasing the sides. This ensures easy release.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Whisk briefly to combine thoroughly, then set aside.
  340 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
• In a large bowl, using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, cream together the room temperature granulated sugar and unsalted butter on high speed for 3 minutes until light, fluffy, and pale.
  225 g granulated sugar, 125 g butter
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the large eggs one at a time into the mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just incorporated. Do not overmix, as this can toughen the cake.
  3 eggs
• Gradually add half of the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients on low speed, mixing until just combined. Next, add the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract, mixing again until just blended. Finish by adding the remaining half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the batter is smooth and no streaks of flour remain. Use a rubber spatula to give the batter a final gentle fold, ensuring everything from the bottom and sides is fully incorporated without overmixing.
  40 g vegetable oil, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 225 g sour cream 14-18%
• Pour half of the vanilla cinnamon cake batter into the prepared springform pan and gently spread it evenly using your spatula. Distribute the prepared cinnamon-sugar apples evenly over this first layer of batter. Then, carefully spoon the remaining cake batter over the apples and spread it gently to form an even second layer. Finally, generously sprinkle the entire surface with your prepared crumb topping.
• Bake the cake for approximately 1 hour and 5 to 10 minutes (65-70 minutes total), or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted into the very center comes out clean.
• Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan. After this initial cooling, gently drag a thin knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it before releasing the springform sides. Allow the apple crumb cake to cool completely on the wire rack before proceeding with the glaze. This crucial step prevents the glaze from melting.

FOR THE MAPLE GLAZE

• Once the cake is completely chilled (at least room temperature), move it to a serving dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, pure maple syrup, optional sour cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add water one teaspoon at a time until you achieve a smooth, pourable, and drizzly consistency. Drizzle the maple glaze generously over the cooled cake just before serving. Slice and enjoy your perfect fall dessert!
  125 g powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon sour cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1-2 teaspoon water

Nutrition

Calories: 570kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 6gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 317mgPotassium: 179mgFiber: 3gSugar: 55gVitamin A: 652IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 2mg

Keyword apple, apple crumble, apple cake, crumb cake, fall dessert, spiced cake, maple glaze, homemade apple crumb cake, easy apple cake

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