Apple Crumb Cake

Amethyst · October 7, 2025, 12:56am

Apple Crumb Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Cinnamon sponge cake:

½ cups Vegetable oil
1 cup Granulated sugar
½ cup Brown sugar
3 Eggs at room temperature
¾ cups Yogurt, thick Greek or Turkish style yogurt at room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
0.5 teaspoon Salt

Apple Topping:

4 cups of Apples. Core the apples, then cut them into small chunks. Apples can be peeled, but not necessary.
1 tablespoon Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
¼ cups Granulated sugar, can also be potentially left out, as the crumb topping will provide enough sweetness
1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder

Crumb:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cups Granulated sugar
¼ cup Brown sugar
½ cups Unsalted butter at room temperature
pinch of salt

Glaze:

¾ cups Powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons Apple juice

Directions:

Start with the crumb:

Cut butter into small chunks and let it come to room temperature.
Whisk together flour, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, then add the room temperature butter chunks to the mixture and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are coated with the butter.
You can make sand-like crumbs or larger crumbs by simply pressing the mixture together using your fingers. Place the crumble into the fridge while preparing the cake batter and apple topping.

Make the apple topping:

Cut the apples into small chunks and sprinkle with the lemon juice to avoid browning while preparing the sponge layer.
Then, mix the granulated sugar with the cinnamon powder and set it aside.

Make the cinnamon cake batter:

Heat oven to 175°C / 347°F and line a 23cm / 9-inch round pan with parchment paper.

Whisk together the room temperature yogurt, eggs, sugar, and oil. Then, add the vanilla extract.

Sift the flour, cinnamon powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a separate bowl.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula. Mix just until combined.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Place the apple chunks on top of the cake batter and gently press some of the apples into the cake batter.
Then, finish with a thick layer of crumble on top.

Bake:

Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If the cake is browning too much, cover the top with aluminum foil.

Let the cake come to room temperature before glazing.

For the glaze, mix the apple juice with the powdered sugar, and glaze the top of the cake with the help of a spoon.

Store any leftover cake refrigerated or at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Notes:

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
For the cake batter, make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature.
For the crumb topping, do not skip the salt; it will balance the flavor. Use good-quality 82% unsalted butter. Feel free to add nuts or oats to this mixture in place of some of the flour.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

Bake the cake until the toothpick test; the toothpick should come out dry. However, do not overbake the cake after this, as an overbaked cake can become dry.
Make sure to place parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan - it is very handy later to move the cake around.
Cut the apples into rather small chunks and press them into the batter properly. It is a better technique than mixing the apples into the batter beforehand, as that often results in all the apples ending up at the bottom of the cake.
For the crumb, some recipes recommend using melted butter or cold butter. With cold butter, you would have to work the mixture a bit longer, as the butter slightly needs to be warmed up to coat the dry ingredients, but eventually, the same result can be achieved. With melted butter, you would have to chill the mixture for the butter to somewhat set and being able to form the crumbs. Therefore, I suggest working with room-temperature butter, which is just perfect for creating the crumbs.

Expert Tips For Making Apple Crumb Cake:

Always use the highest quality ingredients for the best flavor and texture. I recommend using 82% fat, European-style butter for the crumble and thick, plain Greek yogurt or Turkish-style yogurt for the muffin batter.
Room-temperature eggs, butter, and yogurt are required for the ingredients to blend properly. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of hot water for approximately five minutes.
Use firm, sweet apples such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples when making your cinnamon apple crumble cake. You can also use Granny Smith apples if you prefer a tart flavor. Avoid soft apple varieties, which only become mushy during baking.
Use light brown sugar for a lighter caramel flavor when making the crumble. For a bolder flavor, use dark brown sugar.

Ingredient Substitutions:

When making ingredient substitutions, it may be necessary to adjust the ratios of the other ingredients in the recipe to achieve the proper balance between flavor and texture. While I cannot provide specific instructions to accommodate every diet, feel free to try your cinnamon crumble apple cake with the following ingredient alternatives:

Different Flour: You can substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Or, for a gluten-free cake, use a gluten-free flour.

Without Yogurt: If you do not have Greek or Turkish-style yogurt, you can use sour cream with a similar consistency and tangy flavor.

Egg-Free: To make this recipe eggless, you can try one of these egg substitutes. Applesauce is a popular substitute in eggless apple crumb cake recipes!

Storing & Freezing:

If you have leftovers of your apple crumb cake, you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. You can also preserve its freshness by placing the container in the refrigerator.

To freeze, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, then store it in the freezer for up to three months.

Flavor Variations:

One of the best parts about this apple crumble cake recipe is that you can customize it with several variations!

For the crumble:

Spices: Enhance the warm flavor with pumpkin spice, ginger, or cardamom.

Different Sugar: For a more caramel-like flavor, omit the white sugar and use only brown sugar. Add coconut sugar for a tropical taste. You can also use all white sugar!

Other Add-Ins: Mix in chopped nuts, raisins, or coconut to give your crumble additional texture and flavor!

For the cake and topping:

Different base flavor: Instead of an apple cinnamon crumble cake, you can skip the cinnamon and make a vanilla sponge.

Spices: Similar to the crumble, you can replace (or add to) the cinnamon powder with pumpkin pie spice, ginger, or cardamom. Add a pinch of espresso powder to create a tasty apple crumb coffee cake!

Chopped Nuts: To add some crunch to the center of the cake, add finely chopped nuts to the muffin batter before baking. Pecans and walnuts pair perfectly with apples!

Different Fruit Topping: Instead of an apple topping, try other fresh fruits such as pears, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries.

With Different Glaze: You can swap out the apple glaze for my homemade caramel, walnut butter, or pecan butter, or top it with my homemade cream cheese frosting instead!

Nutritional Facts:

Recipe courtesy of Spatula Desserts.com