Fresh Apple Crumble Cake
This cozy Apple Crumble Cake is full of warming spices, fresh apple chunks, and Greek yogurt, making it super moist. The crumble topping is thick, buttery, and makes for the perfect finishing touch.
I get asked all the time what my favorite dessert is. It seems like a natural question for people to ask, considering dessert is what I do, but what most people don’t realize is that being constantly surrounded by new and exciting desserts makes it so much harder to choose one to hail as your favorite.
When the question comes up, as it inevitably does, my answer usually has something to do with apples (unless it’s a chocoholic sort of day – you know the ones). Apple crisp is a pretty standard answer, but sometimes it’s an apple crumble pie, or this amazing apple berry crisp. It almost certainly includes apples, cinnamon, and a crumble of some sort. I included a bunch of apple recipes in my cookbook, so you know I love them!
So, considering this apple crumb cake has a whole lot of apples, cinnamon, and crumb, it’s not a surprise that this became one of my favorites as soon as I tried it. I couldn’t resist stealing a bite as soon as I could…even before the cake was entirely cooled. I was immediately swooning. If you love apples and cinnamon and crumbles the way I do, I think you’ll love this one.
The recipe is inspired by the two other crumb cakes I’ve posted on Bakerita – Pumpkin Crumb Cake and this Banana Crumb Cake. Both of them turned out to be big hits, and I knew an apple iteration would turn out just as delicious as the previous flavors.
What makes this apple crumble cake so great?!
The cake itself is kept super moist from the Greek yogurt and apples, yet fluffy and also sturdy enough to hold up all the crumb topping! To make it, you’ll chop the apples into small chunks, as well as thin half slices. This gives a variety of textures to the cake that is so lovely! You can chop up the apples however you like, but if you do slices, make them thin, and if you make chunks, make them small. You want the apples to get nice and tender.
This cake is also super flavorful. You’ll spice the cake with cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, and allspice. It’ll make your house smell like the best of fall when it’s baking!
The crumb topping has big, thick crumbles of butter and brown sugar. This crumble topping isn’t joking around. It forms a pretty thick layer on top of the cake. The crumb adds a crunchy texture that works so nicely with the flavors and texture of the cake. All together, it makes for a cake that is irresistible for dessert or as an afternoon snack cake. It would be absolutely perfect served with tea on a cold fall afternoon. Bonus points if it’s raining!
What types of apples are best to bake with?
For baking, I always prefer to use firm apples that have a good balance of tartness and sweetness, like Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Jonagold, or Gala. Avoid any apples that are softer or mealy, like Red Delicious.
Does this cake need a frosting or glaze?
You could drizzle a glaze on top of the cake, but I found a sprinkle of powdered sugar was enough to pretty up the cake and give it that finishing touch. You could also do a drizzle of maple butter or a simple powdered sugar + apple juice glaze if you want something more frosting-like.
This is a quick and simple cake with a big-time flavor. This is definitely a new favorite of mine – I hope you’ll give it a try. Enjoy!
Want more fantastic apple recipes?
PrintFresh Apple Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 80 minutes
- Yield: 1 9-inch cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This cozy Apple Crumb Cake is full of warming spices, fresh apple chunks, and Greek yogurt, making it super moist. The crumble topping is thick, buttery, and makes the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 cups peeled & diced apples
For the crumb topping
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan or a 9-inch cake pan with 3-inch sides.
- Prepare the crumb topping: Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough. Set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the Greek yogurt and mix. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the chopped apples. The batter will be quite thick.
- Spread batter in the prepared pan. Top with the crumb topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the sides from the pan and slide the cake onto the rack.
This apple cake looks so beautiful. I have a two apple trees in the garden and they have been very generous to us this year. Delicious. Sammie
Thanks, Sammie :) I’m so jealous of your apple tree! I live in an apartment, but as soon as I’m in a house with my own property I WILL have fruit trees!
This looks delicious! My dad loves any desert with apple. I will have to make this for him soon. ♡♡
xoxoBella | http://xoxobella.com
Gah! Crumb cake is one of my all time favorite desserts and this one sounds and looks amazing!
So many reasons I love this cake! The moist crumbs, that topping, the overall prettiness of it….Ahhh
What a beautiful cake! I wouldn’t be able to resist sampling before it had cooled either!
This cake looks fabulous! love that crumb topping and how festive this is :) Pinning!
Looks fantastic!!
Just one question – the ingredients it says Greek yogurt and in the instructions says stir in sour cream?
Which yields better results to keeping it moist?
Hi Chauntel – sorry, my mistake! I made this cake using Greek yogurt but I’ve used sour cream in a similar cake and it works wonderfully. Both will result in a moist cake, so use whichever you prefer or have on hand.
Rachel this cake looks gorgeous! Love cakes like this that are so simple (like no frosting or layering required!) yet taste absolutely amazing, perfect with coffee for morning tea. The crumb topping and greek yogurt make it particularly special! <3
Gorgeous photography Rachel!! I love that first shot. And this cake…gahhhh
Thank you so much, Kristi!
Hi Rachel, I was wondering what type of apples did you use? There are so many out there and I never know which to choose. Thanks. I would like to make this very soon, as it looks amazingly delicious!!!
Hi Shari. I used Pink Lady apples in this cake specifically, but I also love baking with Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisps! Just make sure to use an apple that’s on the firm, tart side and you should be good. Enjoy!
Oh man, this cake looks SO good!
Hi Rachel! I made this cake last week and it was incredibly delicious. Really met with rave reviews, too. Thanks so much for your fabulous blog! It is beautiful and entertaining and your recipes are terrific!
I remember when you were in my reading group in Mrs. Crowley’s second grade class and you were such a cutie. I just love what you are doing now and definitely share your passion for delicious home baked goods. I’ve shared your blog with so many friends and family and everyone loves it. Keep up the awesome work!!
Hi Rose. This comment put the biggest smile on my face!! I’m so glad that you like my site and that you enjoyed the cake – it’s one of my favorites. I can’t believe I was in your reading group all those years back! You must have helped foster my love of reading and writing :) Thank you so much for supporting my site, I truly appreciate it! :)
Could I substitute something else for the yogurt? I dislike yogurt and sour cream. Would buttermilk work?? :) thanks
Hi Diana – you definitely don’t notice the flavor of the yogurt in this cake at all. It’s just there to provide moisture. Buttermilk may work, but I can’t guarantee it since buttermilk is more liquid than yogurt is. Enjoy!
Are you sure the 1 3/4 c. flour is correct for the crumb topping? It is more flour than is in the whole cake part and my cake is almost done and there is still a lot of just raw flour on top of the cake. Do you mean to say 3/4 c flour maybe?
Hi Aron. The measurement is correct (and I’ve made this cake and variations of it many times), but there should definitely not be flour on top of the cake. All of the flour should have been incorporated into the crumble before being put on top of the cake. Be careful you’re measuring your flour correctly too, by spooning it into measuring cups and leveling instead of scooping it out of the bag. Hope this helps!
Hi Rachel,
I see you wrote here there should not be any flour on top of the cake, but in the ingredients it does say 1 3/4 c under the topping…should it be there? Just confirming before I make it, ,can’t wait!!!!
Hi Courtney. That comment was in response to another reviewer’s experience where she said it seemed like there was raw flour on top of the cake, which shouldn’t be the case. There is flour is the crumble topping though, as the recipe describes. Hope you love the cake!!
This is my second try on your recipe n am super glad of the results. Last time I made the whole cake with crumb n dribbled it with plain white icing….this time I left the crumb out as I found it too sweet…but yet the cake tastes awesome….delicate fragrant cinnamony with chunks of soft apple…my six yr old simply loved it! Thank u for a winner recipe!
I’m so glad you loved the cake Arshia!! I’m also happy to hear it’s just as delicious without the crumble. Thanks for your comment!
Great recipe! I just can’t seem to find a 9 inch pan with 3 inch sides. Will 1 1/2 inch sides work?
Or have u made them in muffin form?
Hi Lindsay, the cake would probably overflow in a shallow pan. I use a springform pan, if you have one of those for cheesecake! They would also work in muffin form, though I haven’t tried it.
I made it today, it is so yummy!! Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Fanfan!
Hi rachel, would normal yogurt work instead of greek yogurt? Greek is hard to find where I am!
Regular yogurt should work fine, Minahil!
Hi, Rachel,
I found your recipe in BigOven. I substituted with the yogurt I had in the fridge – a very high fat Lebanese yogurt. As you said, the cake stayed wonderfully moist. Since it’s my favorite part, I doubled the crumble crust, so I was really disappointed when the crust became unpleasantly dry and hard with 60 minutes of baking. Any advice?
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I think it’s a good one.
Hi Laura, glad you enjoyed the cake! I’m not sure why the crust would have become so hard, but perhaps next time you could try tenting some foil on top to keep some of the moisture in the topping so it doesn’t dry out so much. Hope this helps!
Hi Rachel
I need to make this about 2 days ahead of time- any tips for keeping it moist and fresh? Should I freeze it?
Thanks for your help!
Hi there, hmm I haven’t frozen this one, but that would probably work! You could also just store tightly wrapped in plastic and placed in an airtight container to keep the moisture in, and it should be fine. Enjoy!
I made this cake and added 4 tablespoons of maple liqueur to the butter mix in the cake, it was fantastic!
I made this today for my friend’s birthday. I used two medium granny smith apples and reduced the cinnamon in the cake to 1.5 tsp. It’s really hot here in Sydney at the moment so I kept the diced apple, crumb topping mixture and buttered pan in the fridge till 5 mins before using. The topping mixture was a bit hard out of the fridge, so I broke it up with a butter knife till it was a bit more ‘crumbly’ and it turned out great. Cooked for 65 mins, covered with foil at 45 mins to stop from over-browning. Next time I’ll add chopped pecans or walnuts to the topping.
Thanks for the great recipe, the cake was a hit :)
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed it, Ramila! Thanks for sharing your feedback :D
Hi Rachel! I was wondering if I could use almond or coconut or oat flour for this recipe? Excited to try this recipe!
Hi Amanda, I haven’t ever tested this with gluten-free flours so I can’t recommend any with confidence, unfortunately!