Apple Crumb Cake

The crumb topping used here is also available as a standalone recipe: Apple Crumb Cake Crumb Topping.

Ingredients

PREPARE THE APPLES

• 1 pound (450 g) apples (3 medium or 2 large), peeled , cored, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) wedges
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) granulated sugar

CRUMB MIXTURE

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) kosher salt
• 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) all-purpose flour

CAKE

• 6 tablespoons (90 ml) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon (6 ml) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (4 ml) kosher salt
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Lightly coat an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with butter or nonstick spray.
2. To prepare the apples, toss them with the lemon juice, then with the cinnamon and sugar, and set aside.
3. To make the crumbs, whisk the butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt together until evenly mixed. Add the flour and mix until it disappears. It’s going to be very thick; set it it aside.
4. To make the cake, beat the butter with the sugar until lightened and fluffy. Add the egg, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until combined.
5. Sprinkle the surface of the batter with with the baking powder and salt, and beat well to combine. Add the flour and mix only until it disappears.
6. To assemble, scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth it flat. Arrange the apples on the cake, slightly overlapped. I usually fit all but 2 wedges; those are cook’s snacks.
7. Pour any cinnamon-apple juices in the bottom of the bowl over the apples. Sprinkle the crumbs over the apple slices. For bigger crumbs, squeeze the crumbs into small fistfuls and break these up into a couple of bigger chunks over the cake.
8. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the apples doesn’t hit any crisp spots and, if you look closely, you’ll see juices bubbling around some apples, about 50 to 55 minutes.
9. Cool to room temperature, if you can bear it, before cutting into squares or wedges. Dust generously with powdered sugar.
10. The cake keeps at room temperature loosely covered (in an airtight container, the crumbs eventually soften) for 3 days, or in the fridge, well-wrapped, for 6 days.