Ultra soft apple crumb cake is loaded with warm cinnamon apples and extra crumb topping. A homemade version of classic New York-style crumb cake, this breakfast cake is buttery and moist, deliciously tender, and drizzled with sweet maple icing.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
If crumb topping is your love language, you’ve come to the right place. And if warm cinnamon apples make your mouth water, today’s your day. Finally, if soft buttery cake is your ideal indulgence, I’m your baker.
Today’s homemade apple crumb cake is like my apple cinnamon crumb muffins, apple cake, and apple cinnamon bread… but in breakfast/coffee cake form. Those are favorite seasonal recipes to make (along with pumpkin crumb cake muffins), so a cake version is a no-brainer. Readers have loved it:
One reader, Jean, commented: “One of the best crumb cakes I have ever made. The crumb topping adhered beautifully and made the cake. I also like the addition of sour cream to the cake which helped to make the cake moist, not dry like so many crumb cakes. ★★★★★“
One reader, Les, commented: “There is no other word to describe this cake than PERFECT! Tried many recipes from your site and this one is now in our top 3 best cakes… ★★★★★“
One reader, Martha, commented: “There are not enough superlatives to adequately describe this cake. Perfection. This is a keeper recipe. ★★★★★“
One reader, Sarah, commented: “THIS CAKE DESERVES WAY MORE THAN 5 STARS. Absolutely marvelous recipe… this will forever be my ‘go-to’ coffee cake recipe… the crumb topping is delightfully crunchy and is easily the best streusel I have ever had. ★★★★★“
Ingredients You Need & Why
Like my traditional coffee cake recipe, this is a butter- and sour cream-based cake, AKA the best kind of cake, and here’s what you need to make it:
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides the structure of this cake. It’s sturdy enough to support the thick batter and multiple layers of this crumb cake.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: Baking soda and baking powder help the cake rise.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake, and you need brown sugar for the crumb topping.
- Butter: Butter adds flavor and creates structure in the creaming process.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream gives us an extremely moist crumb cake that’s a little denser than, say, a fluffy vanilla cake. Tight crumbs, like pound cake, but with a much softer texture. Don’t remove the fat from this cake by using a lower-fat alternative. Fat = flavor! We don’t want to skimp there. This is cake!
- Eggs: 3 eggs add richness and bind the ingredients together.
- Salt + Vanilla Extract: Use both for flavor.
- Cinnamon: We can’t have crumb cake without cinnamon!
- Apples: The star of apple crumb cake, of course.
Best Apples for This Cake
Use any variety of apples you enjoy! You need about 2-3 large apples for this recipe. Personally, I love tart Granny Smith apples paired with the sweet crumb cake. If you enjoy a certain type of apple in your apple pie or apple cinnamon scones, you’ll love it here, too.
- Tart apples I love: Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, and Pacific Rose
- Sweet apples I love: Jazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, and Fuji
And here’s a full list of the best apples for baking.
Overview: How to Make Apple Crumb Cake
When I first tested this recipe, I mixed the apples into the cake batter (just like we do in my apple cinnamon muffins recipe). This was tasty, of course, but the pieces of apples each held a soggy outline inside the baked cake. It just… didn’t look appetizing. I found that layering the apples on top of the cake batter was best.
This gives us 3 delectable layers: a soft and buttery cake, topped with tender cinnamon-spiced apples, and then a TRUCK LOAD of crumb topping.
This apple crumb cake comes together easily.
Make the crumb topping first. Place that in the refrigerator or freezer until you need it. The colder the crumbs, the more they will hold shape in the oven.
Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until combined—the mixture may look curdled, and that’s perfectly fine. Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Toss the apple chunks with cinnamon, then spread the thick batter into a 9×13-inch pan (this size is just right for the amount of batter). I am using this pan in the photos. Scatter the apples and crumb topping evenly over the batter, pressing the crumbs down firmly so they stick.
Bake until golden and set. If the top or edges begin browning too quickly, loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent over-baking.
Crumb Cake with Extra Crumbs
You’ll notice A LOT of ingredients in the crumb topping. Not in the number of ingredients, but in terms of the volume of ingredients… like more butter, sugar, and just as much flour as in the cake itself. Why? Because the crumb topping is the BEST PART of a CRUMB CAKE!
You’re using the same ingredients in the crumb topping as you are in the cake, so it’s an extremely convenient recipe. The gang’s all here: granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, melted butter, and flour, plus brown sugar. Make sure some crumbles stay in larger chunks because those are the best bites.
The crumb layer is literally half the cake and I see zero problem with this! Otherwise, you might as well just make a regular apple cake (also delicious, by the way)!
Icing Options
This apple crumb cake truly doesn’t need anything on top, but if the opportunity for sweet maple icing presents itself, we’d be fools to say no. Here are some wonderful icing options for this cake:
- Maple icing from my maple cinnamon rolls (what I use)
- Vanilla icing (my go-to topping for classic coffee cake and crumb cake muffins)
- Caramel icing from my apple cinnamon rolls
- Brown butter icing from my brown butter apple blondies
And if you are looking for more fall dessert inspiration, here is a list of 30+ fall cake recipes.
Apple Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Crumb Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Delicious New York-style crumb cake with warm cinnamon apples and DOUBLE the buttery crumb topping! Make the crumb topping first, and then place it in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Cold crumbs hold their shape in the oven.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
Cake
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375g) peeled chopped apples (about 2–3 large apples, see Note)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- optional: maple icing, vanilla icing, or caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a glass or metal 9×13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Using a fork, lightly mix in the flour until crumbles form. Don’t over-mix. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until you need it in step 6. Cold crumbs hold their shape in the oven.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. The mixture will look curdled; that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Toss the chopped apples and cinnamon together.
- Spread the batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Top evenly with cinnamon-coated apples. Top with crumb topping. Using a silicone spatula or the back of a large spoon, press the crumb topping tightly down into the cake so it sticks.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Allow to slightly cool for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Drizzle with optional icing, if desired.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 8. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, add icing if desired, and serve.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Apple Peeler | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is a key ingredient in this cake. I don’t suggest subbing the sour cream with a liquid—plain full-fat yogurt would work though. But don’t remove the fat from this cake by using a lower fat yogurt or sour cream alternative.
- Apples: For depth of flavor, it’s best to bake with a mix of sweet and tart apples. For this cake, I usually use about 2 large Honeycrisp apples and 1/2 of a large Granny Smith apple. For slicing, it’s best to chop the apple into thin pieces. Slice the apple, then cut each of those slices in half so you have smaller, thinner, easy-to-eat pieces. See photo above.
- Room Temperature: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hello there, just curious do you think this would work with pears? Thank you!
Yes, absolutely! I recommend cutting the pears into 1-inch chunks, as explained in my recent pear pie recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cranberry-pear-crumble-pie/
Hi Sally, i want to bake this into two 6 inch pans and layer them. How should i go about in decreasing the ingredients?
Also, i want to put walnuts; should i mix it in crumbs or just sprinkle it on top? Thanks so much.
Hi Mace! Regarding the walnuts– you can just mix them right in with the crumbs. The only ratio of ingredients I’m confident about is what’s listed. Feel free to play around with the recipe to fit your pans. My recommendation is to make the recipe as instructed and use extra batter for muffins.
could you bake this in two 8 inch cake pans?
Yes, absolutely! The bake time will be a little shorter.
I made this today and it took more than the allotted time. I baked it for an hour and around 12 minutes before the toothpick came out clean. It looks and smells delicious though. It is cooling right now on a rack on my island counter. Cannot wait to taste it.
I made this two days ago. I followed directions to a “T” but it was not baked in the middle. 45 to 55 minutes is not long enough. Maybe try it at 325 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. I’m 65 years old and have baked for a long time. Sometimes I see recipes on the Internet and sort of wonder if they will turn out right. Anyway…it sure was delicious, so I will try again.
Hi Judy, I have the same problem as well but I found out that my oven was giving the wrong temperature. It helps to have a thermometer to check the accuracy of the oven. Also, making sure it’s preheated before prepping helps too.
I made this cake a couple of days ago and I can’t stay out of it! I froze it so I would have it to share when guests stopped by but I can’t seem to leave it alone! It’s so good! The cake is so soft and tender and the crumb topping is simply to die for! Yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Sally!
Hi Sally, I made this last night and it was delicious! The only thing I would change next time is the amount of apples. I couldn’t personally taste them at all, or see them, so next time I was thinking of doubling them. But I do wonder if that will make the cake below too moist? Any thoughts? Thanks again for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Melissa! Go for it. Let me know how it is with more apples and if the cake is too moist/wet.
Hi Sally,
I made this, today and it’s fabulous!!! I used King Arthurs Flour, as you mentioned in your blog, and this recipe is perfection!!!
Loving all of your delicious recipes!!
Hi Sally. Made this cake. OMG it’s so good. We had a piece last night and it was so good!! But, I refrigerated it. but it’s a little hard this morning. It’s covered tightly. Am i doing st wrong? Maybe before serving it.. just leave it out or heat it up? thanks!
I would either let it sit at room temperature for awhile before serving or you can heat it up in the microwave or oven.
Hi Sally! I want to make this tomorrow-would whole
Milk plain Greek yogurt be an okay substitute for the sour cream?
Yep, whole milk yogurt works!
Another great recipe @sallysbakingaddiction. It was a hit at family dinner- my husband ate half of the pan!
Fall temperatures finally arrived and I went to the mountains yesterday to buy big bags of fresh, crisp apples. I made this cake today and it is absolutely amazing! The soft apple layer is such a great addition to the crumbs and gives a lovely texture and flavor addition. A definite winner!
I made this today, and it was so delicious. I used Golden Delicious apples. I did not put the icing on it. Does it still have to be stored in the refrigerator? I plan to make this cake again for Thanksgiving.
Glad you tried and loved it! See step 9 🙂
Would it be possible to add oats to the crumble topping?
It would be more like a streusel topping that way! Let me know if you try it!
Hi Sally,
I have a question concerning the Apple Crumb Cake recipe. I make the desserts for all the birthdays at my husband’s business. I would love to make this cake, but I use a 15x10x2 pan to accommodate the number of employees. I’m always a little nervous doubling a scratch recipe. Is it possible with this one? Or would you have another suggestion?
Thank you so much!
Cheri
Hi Cheri! I do NOT recommend doubling this recipe. Make the batter/crumb topping twice (separately) then use to fill 2 9×13 pans. Unfortunately, this is an extremely tall cake and the 15x10x2 won’t be tall enough.
Hi Sally! Just made this last night. I only have a toaster oven so trying out new recipes is a little risky, but this one was well worth it! Turned out absolutely fantastic. I’ll definitely be making this one again! Thanks so much for sharing!
Made this yesterday and it was a huge hit. I could not believe how fast it went. The crumbs made the cake and mine turned out to look just like your pictures. Definitely will make again. Thank you for all the effort you put into giving us these recipes.
Hi Sally! Quick question: is the topping more on the chewy side of crunchy side. If it’s on the crunchy side, is there a way to make it more chewy like a crisp topping that has oats?
Neither– it’s super soft and crumbly 🙂
Sally what type of apples are you using in this apple cake?
I’ve made the cake with Granny Smith, Fuji, and Pink Lady– any variety you love best is great.
I made it last night and it was loved by all. Thank you!
Hi Sally. Can this cake be made into a bundt pan?
I’m sure it could!
Im sitting on the couch right now waiting for this to be done in my oven! My home smells like buttery cinnamon goodness! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the beautiful recipe!
Hi Sally! Could I cut this recipe in half? What size pan would I use and how would I adjust the cooking time? Thanks!
Sure can! Use a 9×9 pan.
I did use Granny Smith here but you can use your favorite variety!