Description
A moist and delicious apple cake topped with a buttery, cinnamon-spiced crumble. Perfect for fall baking!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 medium apples (such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Gala), peeled, cored, and diced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the Crumble Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped pecans or walnuts, if using. Cover and refrigerate.
- Prepare the Apple Filling: In a large bowl, combine the diced apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Toss gently to coat. Set aside.
- Prepare the Cake Batter: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Spoon the apple filling over the batter, spreading in an even layer. Pour the remaining cake batter over the apple filling, spreading as evenly as possible. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the cake batter.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use cold butter for the crumble topping.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter.
- Use a variety of apples for the filling.
- Adjust the sugar to your taste.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-55 minutes