Apple Crumb Cake

Good Monday morning to you! We had our first spell of fall-like weather a few days ago and fickle girl that I am, suddenly all those summer fruits that I just couldn’t do without, have suddenly been replaced a passion for things Fall, hence this wonderful Apple Crumb Cake. It just screams autumn and I think you’re going to scream with joy after taking a bite!

That’s because there’s so much to love all. If apple crumb pie makes you swoon, you are going to fall head over heels for this homey cake!

First off, there a moist and tender sour cream/butter cake that’s not overly sweet and even has a lovely sort of fluffiness to it. Plus, it comes together easily.

Next up, there’s a thin layer of sweet, honey and cinnamon apple slices. YUM!

But what really makes this cake irresistible, is the crumb topping—rich, buttery and full of brown sugar and cinnamon flavor, you’ll have to keep a close watch for people (and yourself) from picking off every little crunchy, streusel-y bump!

Heaven!

If you’re looking for something to usher in the new season or serve for Rosh Hashanah, aka the jewish new year, I can’t think of anything better (it’s even got that apple/honey thing going on)!

With all the craziness in the world right now, it’s nice to know we can still get excited about the little things! Here’s to fall baking!!

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Apple Crumb Cake

Makes 10-12 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Bake Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the apples

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 2 medium sweet apples (I used Gala), peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch slices

• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon

• Pinch of salt

For the crumb topping

• 1 ⅓ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• ⅓ cup lightly packed light brown sugar

• ⅓ cup lightly packed dark brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the cake

• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream

• 3 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• ¾ teaspoon baking powder

• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

The Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line with a round of parchment paper and butter the parchment too. Set aside

2. To make the apples: Melt the butter and honey in a large skillet over medium heat and stir to combine. Add in the apples, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon and salt and sauté until apples are tender and slightly caramelized, 7-8 minutes. You don’t want them to be mushy. Remove from the pan into a bowl and let cool.

3. To make the crumb topping: Whisk the flour, both sugars, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir well until crumbs form. Set aside.

4. To make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla and set aside. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda and salt to the bowl of an electric mixer and mix together to combine. Add in the butter and mix on low speed briefly to combine. Add in the egg mixture and beat well until mostly smooth (if it looks a little lumpy—like some of the butter isn’t perfectly mixed in, that’s ok). Pour into the prepared pan and top with the apple slices in a single layer. Scatter the crumb mixture evenly across the top.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for a couple of hours, then invert, remove pan and parchment round, turn right side up, let cake finish cooling completely on the rack and eat and of the crumb topping that happens to fall off the cake when you invert it—those of course, are fair game! Slice into wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from The New York Times via Melissa Clark. I subbed in apples for the pears, cut the nutmeg and allspice and added a little more cinnamon. I also caramelized the apples in the butter and honey. If you want this more apple-y, I would double the apples and butter and honey part.