The Ultimate Moist Apple Crumb Cake with Buttery Cinnamon Streusel
I am happy you found this recipe. This Apple Crumb Cake is moist, packed with tender apples, and topped with a buttery, crunchy cinnamon streusel. It is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a cozy dessert.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Total Time: 70 min
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cake: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 2 medium apples (like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced
- For the Buttery Crumb Topping: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- For the Optional Cinnamon Drizzle: 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
- Prepare the cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the diced apples. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly.
- Prepare the crumb topping: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the cake batter.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the optional drizzle: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon until smooth. If the drizzle is too thick, add milk a few drops at a time.
- Drizzle the glaze over the slightly warm cake before serving.
Notes
- For the moistest cake, use room temperature eggs and sour cream.
- If you do not have sour cream, plain Greek yogurt works well in this recipe.
- Toss your diced apples with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice before folding them into the batter to prevent browning.
- This cake is excellent served warm with vanilla ice cream for a comforting dessert.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 75mg