The Best Apple Crumb Cake – the apple crumb cake of your dreams! With tons of apples and the best crumb topping ever! Check out the comments below from our readers who made this cake and love it!
Read the whole story behind this recipe and why I decided to make the crumb topping to thick! For the original post, click HERE.
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HOW TO MAKE APPLE CRUMB CAKE
It took me three tries to get this cake just like I wanted. And it is glorious! You can actually taste the apples and the cake doesn’t overwhelm. Before arranging the apple slices over the batter, I toss them gently in sugar, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar. It helps them cook perfectly between the layers of the cake and the topping.
HOW TO MAKE A CRUMB TOPPING
The crumb topping here is really shining!
If you look at my recipe, you will notice that I use melted butter in making my crumb topping. It may sound strange since most recipes for desserts with crumb topping call for very cold butter that gets cut into the flour-sugar mixture. In that case, if your butter is not perfectly cold, it can melt the whole topping over your cake or muffins. Using melted butter prevents this possibility. This recipe if foolproof! I always make crumb topping with melted butter, in bars or muffins, and it always works.
I highly recommend drizzling caramel sauce over each slice just before serving. It makes it that much more amazing. Try my Microwave Caramel Sauce – it’s the easiest and the best caramel sauce ever! You can make it while the cake cools!
Related Recipes:
Apple Pie Crumb Bars – quick and easy dessert bars that taste just like apple pie! Perfect served with vanilla ice cream.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake – one decadent dessert for the holidays! Sweet and creamy cheesecake with fried cinnamon apples and drizzle of caramel sauce. Each bite is amazing!
The Best Baked Apples – classic fall dessert! Baked apples with cinnamon, brown sugar and oat filling.
Caramel Apple Dip – quick and easy cheesecake dip with caramel sauce. Perfect served with apple slices.
Microwave Caramel Sauce – my easy caramel sauce made in the microwave. Perfect for drizzling over ice cream, pies or cookie bars.
Apple Bundt Cake – beautiful bundt cake for fall gatherings and parties. Filled with chunks of apples and drizzled with caramel glaze and chopped pecans.
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of milk
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 to 3 medium apples washed, peeled, cored and sliced ( I used Red Delicious and Golden Delicious)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
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Grease and flour an 8" round springform pan. Set aside.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together both sugars, cinnamon, salt and flour. Add melted butter and fluff with fork until mixtures creates crumbs. Set aside.
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In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large measuring cup, mix together milk, vanilla, oil and egg. Whisk until smooth.
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Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix. Few lumps in the batter are okay.
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Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
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In a medium bowl, toss together apple slices with two tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and the apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
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Arrange apple slices over the batter.
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Sprinkle crumb topping over the apples covering completely.
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Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
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Let cool completely in the pan.
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Transfer onto a serving plate or stand. Slice and serve.
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Keep in a covered container for up to 4 days.
I  highly recommend drizzling caramel sauce over each slice just before serving. It makes it that much more amazing. Try my Microwave Caramel Sauce - it's the easiest and the best caramel sauce ever! You can make it while the cake cools! You can also top it with a scoop of delicious sweet vanilla ice cream.
Rosellen says
I baked this cake yesterday and i must say it is delish !! I followed the recipe to the T and had no problems whatsoever. My family and I just love it !! The only thing I recommend is storing it in the fridge, because it’s been so warm and humid, simply covering it and leaving it out made it too soft the next day. I suppose in the Winter time it would be fine, but the heat and humidity takes it’s toll. Thank you for sharing, for this is a keeper in my house !!! 😋
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Rosellen! YAY! That is wonderful! I am so happy to know you love this cake and your family does too! Your comment made my day. Thank you so much!! And yes to storing in the fridge. The humidity is not a friend of this cake. 😀
Sue says
Thank you Anna – we had some stewed rhubarb from our Australian garden and your recipe with this was delicous.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Sue! I am so happy to know you made this recipe and used rhubarb! And straight from the garden! That’s wonderful! Thank you!!
Brenda Sand says
How long do you bake the doubled cake recipe in the 9×13 pan for?
Susan McCormick says
I’m planning on making this for Christmas morning. Can I double the recipe for a 10 or 12″ spring , Susanform pan since I don’t own an 8″ one. I’d really like to make it in the spring form pan rather than a 9 X 13 pan. Thanks
annette says
cake is great , do i leave on counter or put it in the frig
Wbarlow says
I tripled the apple crumb cake recipe for a 9×13 baking pan. Came out amazingly!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
That’s fantastic! THANK YOU!
Mary Ellen says
Can I bake the apple crumb cake in a 9 by 13 pan?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Mary Ellen! I recommend doubling the recipe for a 9″ x 13″ pan. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.
Valerie Klenke says
I have been lookiing for this recipe for years! THANK YOU! It was a huge success! I also doubled the crumb topping for 9×13 pans of blackberry cobbler! It too, was quickly devoured! I know that I will use this recipe over and over! FYI: I put your name on every
recipe card!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Valerie! Your comment just made my day! Thank you so much! I am so happy to know you love this recipe. It’s one of my favorite! 😀 Have a beautiful day! -Anna
Erika says
This was great but I think I did something wrong. Did the topping have 1 1/2 cups of flour. My crumb was very dry?
Lisa says
I was looking for a nice crumb cake like we made in Home Econimics years ago and came across this recipe. I have made this, verbatim for brunch for my newly graduated high school daughter. She loves it and I am thrilled to add thos recipe to our home. Thank you for sharing it.
Adeline says
I baked this cake today. It was beautiful and loved by all. Thank you for this recipe. I followed it exactly.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Adeline! That’s fantastic! THANK YOU so so much for trying the recipe and for letting me know. Yay! 😀 Have a beautiful week! -Anna
Stefania Agius Fabri says
Hi! I wished to ask – in the ingredients for the cake ( Not the topping) granulated sugar and cinnamon are listed twice but different amounts each time. Can you kindly explain since I really wish to get the amounts correct! Looking forward to trying this out ?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Stefania! I rearranged the instructions. There is sugar and cinnamon in the cake batter but also tossed with apples. You need to add the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the apple slices to add flavor. I hope it’s clearer now. Let me know if there is anything else I can help with. Have a beautiful week! -Anna
Stefania Agius Fabri says
Thank you! Will try this out tomorrow ?