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The Best Apple Crumb Cake

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The Best Apple Crumb Cake – the apple crumb cake of your dreams, with tons of apples and the best crumb topping ever!

If you are a fan of crumb topping like me, you will love this cake! Just as much as my Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins, Cherry Pie Crumb Bars or the Best Pumpkin Coffee Cake.

apple crumb cake A The Best Apple Crumb Cake

APPLE CRUMB CAKE

What is the best part of a crumb cake? Crumb topping! So often you have a crumb cake and just wish there was less cake in it and more (much, much more!) of the crumb topping.I set out to make it all happen! My goal: make a crumb cake with good amount of cake but the best amount of crumb topping. The BEST crumb cake in the world!

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. Next, layer the apple slices over the cake batter. Sprinkle crumb topping on top and bake!

How to make Apple Crumb Cake?

  • Start by making the crumb topping. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a fork until it resembles crumbs. Set aside.
  • Prepare the apple layer, by slicing apples and tossing them with lemon juice (to prevent browning) and spices.
  • Make the cake batter and pour into a cake pan. Arrange apple slices on top of cake batter.
  • Sprinkle crumb topping over apple layer.
  • Bake cake until the topping is golden brown.

How to make the best crumb topping?

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. The crumb topping here is really shining!

crumb topping on cake The Best Apple Crumb Cake

Tools you need to make this crumb cake:

  • 2 mixing bowls
  • whisk
  • fork
  • springform cake pan

Tips for making the best apple crumb cake:

  • use granny smith or gala apples
  • make sure the melted butter is cooled completely before mixing with topping ingredients
  • if the topping is browning too fast, cover it loosely with aluminum foil
  • cool cake completely before slicing into perfect triangles
  • serve with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream

apple crumb cake B The Best Apple Crumb Cake

More Recipes for Desserts with Apples:

Apple Pie Crumb Bars

Cinnamon Apple Cake

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

The Best Baked Apples

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

BEST APPLE CRUMB CAKE RECIPE:

4.98 from 38 votes
apple crumb cake A 150x150 The Best Apple Crumb Cake
Print
The Best Apple Crumb Cake Recipe
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
The Best Apple Crumb Cake - the apple crumb cake of your dreams! With tons of apples and the best crumb topping ever!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple crumb cake
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 321 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
for the cake:
  • 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
for the topping:
  • 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
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Grease and flour an 8" round springform pan. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
to make the topping:
  1. 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.
to make the cake:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
  4. 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.
  5. Arrange apple slices over the batter.
  6. Sprinkle crumb topping over the apples covering completely.
  7. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
  8. Let cool completely in the pan.
  9. Transfer onto a serving plate or stand. Slice and serve.
  10. Keep in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes

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.

Nutrition Facts
The Best Apple Crumb Cake Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 321 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 51mg17%
Sodium 215mg9%
Potassium 92mg3%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 395IU8%
Calcium 50mg5%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sharon Rosenthal says

    Hi Anna,
    Made this last night. It’s all gone this morning. I followed your recipe using 3 apples. I always use more vanilla. I used 1 tablespoon. I love an oaty nutty topping. I used 1/2 cup less flour and replaced with oats. I found I need more oats and a little more flour and added chopped pecans. I just made sure the topping was moist and not dry. Adding more oats until I got the right consistency. That topping was to die for. Delicious! This is now a new family favorite. I was skeptical about the amount of batter thinking it too little. It was perfect. Only had 9” pan. Everything cooked a little longer. Probably 12 minutes more. – More apples and topping. Thank you! Great recipe.

    Reply

    • Maricar says

      Hi Sharon,
      Can you please share the changes in measurements for the crumble topping? I want to try mine with oats and nuts as well.
      Thank you!
      Maricar

      Reply

  2. Christine says

    Hi Anna

    We made this a few weeks ago and the whole family thought it was delicious – thank you! One question – I found the taste of the apple cider vinegar a bit overpowering. Would the recipe still work if we eliminate the vinegar?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  3. Madeleine Fuchs says

    Dear Anna,

    Thank you for the recipe. I really liked the tip about cooling the butter for the topping.
    Madeleine

    Reply

  4. Mary says

    Hi Anna,
    I’m a pretty skilled baker and home chef, so when I come across a recipe I almost always make a few changes to make it better. I made your apple cake as written (no changes) and it is the most delicious cake. I’m excited to play around with it and make a berry cake or use peaches!

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Mary! Yay! That’s absolutely wonderful! I am so glad the cake was a success. The berry and peach versions sound amazing. Thank you for giving my recipe a try!

      Reply

  6. Rozann says

    This looks fabulous! I would like to try single serving cheese cake pans 4×2″. How many do you think I would need with this recipe? Thank you.

    Reply

  7. Adele says

    I made this recipe as written and it came out perfect. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard to many mmmmm’s and ahhhhh’s. Winner! I did increase the recipe to a little over 1 1/2 to accommodate my 10” springform and cooked about an hour. I used 4 apples total: 2 Granny Smith, and 2 Honeycrisp.

    Reply

  10. Nancy says

    Sorry to ask about a change, but my granddaughter is vegan and I was wondering if you think I could replace the butter with coconut oil or maybe???
    Thank you, Nancy

    Reply

  11. Michelle says

    Hi Anna, I’m so happy I stumbled across your recipe! This cake is awesome and the crumb topping is perfect, because really, if the crumble isn’t good then the whole recipr is a waste. Thank you for sharing!

    Michelle

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Michelle! That’s fantastic! I am so glad the cake was a hit. I totally agree, the crumb topping is very important. 😀 Thank you for trying my recipe!

      Reply

  12. FJ says

    I rarely comment but this recipe is wonderful. I used about 10 crab apples from our tree (they are small and tart). I didn’t measure the apples but am estimating there was about a cup and a half. I also added a third cup of chopped nuts to the topping mix just cuz I am a nut and love them. A really nice cake and will definitely keep this recipe for future bakings. Thank you!

    Reply

  13. Sheila says

    DEAR ANNA!

    I just sent an email praising your eggplant lasagna and realized I had addressed you as
    Sara, by mistake, from reading all the comments!
    Please go ahead and correct it, so no one is confused and you get the credit you deserve!
    Your site is SO AMAZINGLY the most perfect site I have ever been to for cooking, baking and probably more, as I cannot wait to explore it MORE!
    Thanks SO MUCH, “Anna!”

    Reply

      • Jesstina says

        can you make it with box cake mix would love to make it but afraid to make homemade also can you use apple pie filling

        Reply

        • Anna says

          Hi Jesstina! I did not test the recipe with a cake mix or apple pie filling. I encourage you to try the recipe as it is written. Good luck!

          Reply

    • Rachel says

      Hi Anna,

      I really want to make this cake but with rhubarb instead. Do you think this will work? If so, how would you advice doing so?

      Thank you.

      Reply

  18. Trieraggie says

    I made this several times, easy to make and it’s delicious. I freeze it in small portions and my husband has a piece for dessert and pops it in microwave for a few seconds. We skip the caramel sauce because of calories. Thanks for recipe.

    Reply

  19. Henny says

    This cake is amazingly delicious. I out did myself when I baked this cake. It reminded me of a wonderful dessert you’d get at a high end restaurant. Thank you so much for sharing. The only difference I would do next time, is cook the caramel sauce over the stop top.

    Reply

  25. James Conroy says

    The name fits the results. I made this for some friends without trying it first they simply loved it! It will be my go to cake!!!

    Reply

  26. Alicia says

    We don’t have all-purpose flour in Australia and so I used plain flour. Even though it tasted amazing, my cake did not rise as well as yours. Should I use self raising flour instead to get that nice rise? Thanks again for your fabulous recipe! I’ll definitely be makig it again.

    Reply

  31. Hermum says

    Hi!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I want to try to make this beautiful cake but I don’t have apple cider vinegar. Can I replace it? Thank you very much

    Reply

  32. Amalia says

    Wow this really is the best apple crumb cake!
    I m fairly new to baking and i still nailed it. It tastes amazing and looks so good!!!!
    My crumbs though don’t come out as good looking as yours even though i follow the measurements to the letter. They dont all stick together and i end up with some big lumps and a lot of tinnier almost powder ones. Maybe more butter?
    Cant thank you enough for sharing Anna, i sent this recipe to pretty much everyone i know.

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Amalia, your comment just made my day! THANK YOU! I am so happy to know you made the recipe and it was such a hit! And thank you for spreading the love! As far as the crumb topping, the butter has to be cooled. If it’s still warm when you mix it with the flour and sugar mixture, it will sort of cook it. It will form big clumps. I hope this helps! I’ve made a lot of crumb toppings over the years and learned that when it comes to melted butter, it just has to be cool. Still liquid so not cold but cooled, not warm to the touch. Have a beautiful day! -Anna

      Reply

  33. Linda says

    I was wondering what went wrong! My batter didn’t cook properly. It was still runny in the middle. I did use pears instead of apples, could this make a difference? I double checked my ingredients before putting together. I even baked it in a 9″ Springform pan since I didn’t have an 8″ and baked at 375 for 30 min. So I would have thought it would have baked through. It was hard to test batter for doneness as the skewer came out clean when I checked it. Maybe the fruit swiped it clean when I tested it. Believe it or not I am an experienced baker. Thanks.

    Reply

    • Gail says

      I had the same problem, mine did not cook in the middle – very runny. Part of the problem was that I doubled the recipe. Next time, and I WILL make it again, I’ll do it in a 9×13 pan, that may cook better. The part that was cooked was delicious. I gave it 5 starts, since I’m sure the part that wasn’t cooked was my fault.

      Reply

  34. ashley says

    I am having trouble finding an 8″ springform pan. I have a 9in x2 5/8in springform. Would this work? I have an 8 in square but I really wanted a round cake.
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Ashley! Thank you for the question. It should be fine. It may bake faster so watch it at the end or maybe shorten the bake time by 5 to 10 minutes. I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes. Also, I think I got a set of three springform pans ( 8″, 9″ and 10″) from Bed Bath and Beyond. -Anna

      Reply

  35. christy says

    hello, i made this once and they were amazing! i am wondering how long should i bake them for if i want to make it in muffin size?

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Christy! One of my friends made it in a muffin pan and she baked it for 18 to 20 minutes. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  36. Krystal Fernandez says

    Hello I made this and it was absolutely delicious!!!! I am going to double the cake recipe but I’m not too sure how much longer I should bake it….any ideas??

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Krystal! I am so glad you tried my cake recipe! If you want to double the cake, I would add about 15 more minutes and maybe cut the apple amount in half. Let me know how it goes! Thank you!

      Reply

  37. Cindy Calland says

    I made this a couple of weeks ago and my husband said it was the best dessert I’ve ever made! I’ll be making one for Thanksgiving and I need another one for the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Have you tried freezing the apple crumb cake? Would be nice to make two at one time and pop one in the freezer.

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Cindy! I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for letting me know! I am getting a lot of questions about freezing this cake. I have not tried it but I will tell you that you can treat it like an apple pie because the apple layer is quite thick here. If you had a success with freezing an apple pie in the past, go ahead with it. If not, I would recommend making the topping in advance and storing in a ziploc bag. Same with apples, you can prepare them ahead. Just make sure they are well coated with the lemon juice or vinegar so they won’t turn brown. You can make the cake layer and bake everything together on the day of serving. I hope this helps! Please, let me know what you end up doing and how it goes! Have a wonderful holiday week!

      Reply

  40. Randa says

    Oh my…this was delicious. I didn’t have any Apple cider vinegar so I substituted lemon juice, it turned out amazing. My husband, who rarely eats any sweets, helped himself to two big pieces. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  41. Jiveney says

    Hi there,

    I am making this today. Just wondering where the 2tbsp of granulated sugar comes in for the cake? Do I sprinkle it over the apples once they are placed on the batter or does it just go in with the 1/4 cup of sugar?

    Thanks so much!!

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi! Sprinkle the sugar over the apples (see photo of apple slices in the bowl) and toss them together. Sorry if it’s not clear in the recipe. Hope this helps! Let me know how you like the cake! Thank you!

      Reply

  43. Heidi says

    I found this on pinterest and made this today for a dinner party! I doubled the cake part and instead of using a caramel drizzle, I used a confectioners sugar drizzle. It was FANTASTIC! I will be making this over and over again. Thanks!

    Reply

  46. Elise says

    This looks delicious! Can’t wait to use my apple orchard apples for it! Would I be able to use a bundt pan instead?

    Reply

    • tammy says

      I just made this cake and it is fabulous. It has a crumb topping so a bundt pan is not ideal. I would suggest a tube pan instead.

      Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Elise! I wouldn’t recommend a bundt pan. Like Tammy said, the crumb topping won’t bake properly. Try 8″ square pan instead. Hope this helps!

      Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Katie! It’s just like with an apple pie – it’s the best fresh. I wouldn’t make it days in advance, maybe one day ahead. Keep if covered until serving. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  55. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says

    I am loving the heavy crumb to cake ratio! The cake looks beautiful too. My friend just gave me a bunch of apples from her tree and I think this might be the perfect way to use them!

    Reply

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