Make this amazing Apple Crumb Cake! Topped with delicious apples, crunchy cinnamon crumbs and vanilla glaze, this moist and fluffy coffee cake will be a great easy recipe for breakfast or dessert!
What can be better than a warm and fluffy coffee cake? Loaded with your favorite apples and aromatic crispy cinnamon streusel, this delicious Apple Crumb Cake is drizzled with vanilla glaze and will be a recipe that you’ll keep coming back to time and time again.
Similar to my Vanilla Strawberry Cake, Apple Coffee Cake, the base of this recipe is made with sour cream. This ingredient is the key to a soft and fluffy cake that stays moist for days (although, I doubt that this cake will last so long!).
Ingredients and Substitution
- Unsalted Butter. Make sure that the butter is room temperature, so it can easily be blended with other ingredients.
- Sugar. I use regular granulated sugar for the cake base and a mix of granulated and light brown sugar for the crumble topping.
- Eggs. Similar to butter, you want the eggs to be room temperature. It will help them easily blend with other ingredients.
- Sour Cream. I would highly suggest to use full fat sour cream in this recipe, which will make the cake perfectly moist and flavorful. If you substitute it with some low fat Greek yogurt, you won’t get the same texture in the cake and it might come out a bit dry.
- Milk. Similar to sour cream, full fat milk will make a big difference in making the cake base and the vanilla glaze.
- Vanilla extract. Good quality vanilla extract will help to elevate the flavor.
- Cinnamon. Don’t be afraid to add some extra ground cinnamon. It will add delicious aroma for the cake.
- Apples. Granny Smith are my to-go apples for baking. Although, you can easily substitute them with any other variety.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make. The recipe is very simple and can be easily assembled even if you are a beginner baker.
- Moist cake base. Thanks to sour cream, the base of the cake come out perfectly soft and moist.
- Use your favorite apples. While I prefer to use Granny Smith, any apple variety will work well in this recipe.
- Loaded with your favorite Crumbs! It is all about the crumbs, right?! So, I made sure that this dessert is well covered with an aromatic cinnamon streusel!
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease an 8×8-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Then set aside.
To make the crumb topping: In a mixing bowl, add together 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp salt. Stir everything together and add ½ cup melted butter. Stir again until you have the crumbs.
To make the cake: In a mixing bowl whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Then set aside.
In a separate large bowl, add ½ cup room temperature butter and ⅔ cup granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer or a spatula, cream it for a couple of minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix again.
Add ⅔ cup sour cream and 1 tbsp milk, mix until well incorporated.
Add dry ingredients, and using a spatula, fold it in until combined but don’t overmix.
In a separate mixing bowl, add peeled, cored, and diced apples, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon and mix well.
Transfer the batter into a pre-greased baking pan and spread it evenly.
Add the mixed apples evenly on top of the cake batter.
Top with the crumb topping.
Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
When done, take it out of the oven and let it cool off for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle with vanilla glaze before serving.
Expert Tips
- Apples. I think that Granny Smith apples work best in the recipe. Because they are tart, they balance well with the sweetness of the dessert. Although, you can use any other variety you have on hand.
- Baking Time. Because of the heavy topping, this cake takes a bit longer to bake than other similar cakes. To make sure it’s done, insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake and make sure it comes out clean.
- Mixing. Don’t mix the apples into the batter, just layer them on top. If you mix it in, the apples will release too much juice and the cake will come out soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can keep this Apple Crumb Cake covered in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. If you decide to freeze it, make sure it’s not drizzled with glaze.
Pretty much any apples you have on hand will work in this recipe. My personal favorite variety are tart Granny Smith apples, as they are great to balance the sweetness of any dessert. You also can use Honey Crisp, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, or any other variety.
Sour cream is a star ingredient in making this apple crumb cake, that helps to make the dessert perfectly moist and fluffy. Substituting it with lower fat alternatives may result is dry and flat cake. So, I would highly suggest to use sour cream in this recipe.
If you see some separation in the batter, most likely not all of the ingredients were the room temperature. This is not a big problem; the dessert still will come out well!
More Dessert Ideas:
- Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Chocolate Cake from Scratch
- Cheesecake Brownies Recipe
- Easy Tiramisu Recipe
- Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
- Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
- Classic Apple Pie Recipe
- Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake
- Apple Pie with Puff Pastry
- Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Apple Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk room temperature
- 2 apples peeled, core, and diced
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Ingredients for Topping:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Ingredients for Vanilla Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease an 8×8-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Then set aside.
- To make the crumb topping: In a mixing bowl, add together 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp salt. Stir everything together and add ½ cup melted butter. Stir again until you have the crumbs.
- To make the cake: In a mixing bowl whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Then set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, add ½ cup room temperature butter and ⅔ cup granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer or a spatula, cream it for a couple of minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix again.
- Add ⅔ cup sour cream and 1 tbsp milk, mix until well incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients, and using a spatula, fold it in until combined but don’t overmix.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add peeled, cored, and diced apples, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon and mix well.
- Transfer the batter into a pre-greased baking pan and spread it evenly.
- Add the mixed apples evenly on top of the cake batter.
- Top with the crumb topping.
- Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- When done, take it out of the oven and let it cool off for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle with vanilla glaze before serving.
This was such a delicious coffee cake thanks for this recipe. It went down a treat!
This apple crumb cake is fantastic! I love the simple and quick procedure to prepare this awesome recipe! 🙂
This is one delicious cake! It was full of apple flavor with the perfect soft crumb, and the topping is just divine.
This comes out moist and delicious. The flavors are perfect for fall!
This apple cake looks gorgeous and so delicious. It will be perfect for the fall season. I am saving it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
This apple cake is so moist and has a great texture! Love that crumb topping too.
This cake reminds me of one my dad used to make for us in the fall, he always used Granny Smith apples! Delicious apple crumb cake, I will be making this one again.
Mmm I’m so ready for apple picking, fall weather, and falling leaves. This cake would be PERFECT after a day spent out in the orchard! It looks absolutely fantastic!
This apple cake is so perfect for fall! Apple picking starts in just a couple of weeks here and I’m so excited to make this!
With apple season just around the corner, this cake looks fantastic. What a great addition to the weekend brunch menu. I would even eat it for breakfast LOL.