Apple Crumb Cake
Updated Sept. 19, 2025
- Total Time
- About 1¼ hours, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¾cup/150 grams dark brown sugar
- 2large eggs
- 1cup/230 grams sour cream
- ½cup/115 grams vegetable or canola oil, plus more for the pan
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼cups/160 grams all-purpose flour
- 2large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Mutsu)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ½cup/65 grams all-purpose flour
- ¼packed cup/50 grams dark brown sugar
- ¼cup/26 grams rolled oats
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ¼cup/57 grams unsalted butter, softened
For the Cake
For the Apples
For the Crumb Topping
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the center. Oil a 8-by-8-inch square metal baking pan and line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over two sides.
- Step 2
Cook the apples: In a medium skillet over medium heat, combine the apples, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften and the juices release and start to caramelize, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside while you prepare the rest of the cake.
- Step 3
Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, oats and salt. Add the butter and pinch it together with your fingertips until the mixture is evenly moistened and pebble-size crumbs form. Set aside.
- Step 4
Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until light and foamy. Add the sour cream, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the baking powder and baking soda, then use a flexible spatula to fold in the flour.
- Step 5
Assemble the cake: Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the apple mixture over the top of the batter in an even layer. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples.
- Step 6
Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until puffed and golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The cake can be stored, loosely wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
Private Notes
Comments
- When I baked this today, the ingredient list had the oil twice. Hopefully that will get fixed to prevent any confusion. - I used a 9 in springform pan bc I think it makes for a prettier presentation for a cake like this. I used cooking spray (not oil) and lined the bottom with parchment paper. - There is a lot of batter. A 9” round is mighty close to an 8” square but if using the latter, I’d be sure it’s a deep square pan. Springform pans are obviously deep. - My three apples = 9 oz of slices. Seemed about right though another oz or two would have been fine. - I didn’t have sour cream so I subbed plain yogurt. - I was a little leery of the directions to fold in the flour because there were little clumps of flour in the batter. So, I folded it a little more vigorously than perhaps intended. Regardless, it came out very tender and with no flour pockets. - My spouse is on his second slice of the morning. It was a tasty hit. Will make it again.
Maybe I'm being too nitpicky, but I wish the ingredients had been listed in the order of preparation. The apples are to be made first but the ingredients are listed at the bottom of the list. The cake batter is made last (could be in the middle as well) but is listed at the top of the ingredient list. I get it...it's not difficult to figure out if the ingredient list/directions are out of order but it makes for a recipe that's easier to follow along.
I made a double recipe in a 9 by 13 pan substituted Greek yoghurt for the sour cream and unsweetened applesauce for half of the oil. I thought it was great.
I didn't use all the oil it called for and it was fine. I don't like cake that drips with oil. I also substituted yogurt that was too sour to eat for the sour cream. Believe it or not sour milk is great in baked goods. I used Granny Smith apples and they were fantastic. I made a cream topping with 50:50 mix of yogurt, sour cream and added a bit of maple syrup and grated tonka bean. Perfect on top of the cake.
I didn’t make this as written because I wanted something that leans a little more breakfast than dessert and because I know how I like my crumb topping. With the following changes, came out perfectly and a day later, is already almost gone: - cut sugar to 100 grams and a squeeze of molasses because I only had light brown sugar - added (at the recommendation of another) a dash of cardamom - subbed Greek yogurt for sour cream - used 80 grams whole wheat and 80 grams white flour - cut flour in crumb topping to 40 grams - used cold butter for crumb topping YUM. May make this again today! For apples: I used 10 oz/~280 grams slices, skin on, but will use a little more next time.
It's like having apple crumb pie on top of spice cake, and it is fabulous, made just as written. Took me more than twice as long as the stated prep time to get it in the oven, but well worth every minute. This is a keeper!