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
Made this tonight while I was at work, my co-worker was drooling while smelling it baking…I was a little taken back by the amount of crumb topping, but it was awesome. Only change I made was I added walnuts to the crumb topping.
Try using cake flour. ATK uses cake flour in their crumb cake do the crumbs are softer. Always comes out soft when I make it.
I made this cake exactly as the recipe was written and what a hit!!!! Delicious!!! Everyone gave it 5+ stars!
I’ve made this cake many times and it’s a favorite of my soon to be 7 year old. She asked for it for her birthday. I was wondering if you thought it could work as a two layer 9″ round cake, perhaps with vanilla buttercream between the two layers?
Hi Liz, Yes, you can bake this in 9 inch round pans. We’re unsure what the exact bake time would be. Vanilla buttercream would be a delicious addition, too!
I just made this today and it is super yummy! I followed the advice of some of the other comments and doubled the amount of apples (used 4 apples) and used only brown sugar for the crumb mixture. It did not get hard at all and had a perfect texture. Also, I added the icing glaze which I think is a must. It adds a nice touch to an already amazing recipe; kicks it up another notch. Thank you for this amazing recipe. Will definitely make it again!
Hi Sally
Can I sub Blueberries for Apples.
Absolutely! You can use any fresh fruit for different flavors.
Hi. Haven’t made yet. Cream the butter or beat butter and sugar together? Baking is a 2nd language for me. Thanks!
Hi Kat! You’re creaming the butter and sugar together in step 4 – this is the base of the cake batter. Hope you love it!
Big hit at work! I was looking for a way to use apples and make something that was enough for a crowd. I made this and it was gone within minutes. Per reviews I doubled the apples. The amount of crumb topping was perfect. I reduced apple cider, mixed it into powered sugar and drizzled over the top. Yummmmy
Hi! I love love love this recipe and can’t wait to make it again! Quick question, can you make this in a spring form pan?
Hi Geri, If you have a 10-inch springform pan, this cake would definitely fit. The bake time will be about the same or a little longer.
Hi Sally, I accidentally put the apples in the cake batter instead of on top. How will that effect the cake?
Hi Brenda, the apple chunks may leave a bit of a soggy outline when dispersed among the cake. The taste should still be wonderful, though!
Delicious cake. I would not change a single ingredient or cooking procedure. However, the prep time is about 40 minutes even with all ingredients already laid out on the counter.
I love this cake. This is my third time making it. It’s absolutely delicious! Thank you, for yet another great recipe. I’m going through this site and making tons of your baked goods. You make everything very easy to follow. Thanks, so much!
Hi Linda, We are so glad that you love this cake!
Hi I’ve just made it and didn’t use baking paper to line how do I get the cake out without losing the crumble
Hi Jennifer! The first piece will be a little tricky to get out and may not be perfect, but after that, it will be much easier to get under the cake to get the pieces out in tact (crumble and all)!
I just made this cake and made the whole neighborhood happy! So yummy. I’ll definitely make it again and again and again!
Best Crumb Cake recipe ever. Have made it 17 times, always perfect. Surprised at the negative comments on here. Fantastic!!!
Hi I made this today, the crumble was really nice and so were the apple but for some reason the cake it self tasted of banana which was of putting I was wondering where I might of gone wrong I swapped the sour cream for Greek yoghurt
Hi Amelia, Your Greek yogurt swap shouldn’t have been a problem. We can’t think of why this cake would have tasted like banana without any banana in it, but thank you for giving it a try!
I just made this recipe and it turned out well. I took a commenter’s advice and added more apples (i doubled the recipe amount and used four apples, which was just the right amount). One thing I would do differently is to mix the apples in with the cake batter, rather than layering them on top of the batter.
Yet another Sally success! This is my fourth recipe from this website, and I gotta say I am absolutely loving the consistency and accuracy of the recipes! I am constantly getting balanced results with perfect ratios, and the taste is phenomenal. I agree with other when they say the apple taste is a bit underwhelming, however I feel like putting more apples would make the cake soggy. I will experiment with more apples the next time to see if that’s the case. Thanks Sally!
This cake will get you engaged, get you friends, and get you promoted. It’s perfect every time and simply magical. I’ve got people thinking I’m Julia Child because of Miss Sally’s recipes. Sally, you are a genius and a savior. The crumbs are perfect, there’s ALOT and I love that. The inside is so flavorful, and the apples don’t make the cake soggy, perfectly moist; never tasteless or boring. God Bless Sally, and God Bless this cake.
Love the recipe, love the amount of crumble and added as much apples as I liked. Delicious, my family said it was restaurant standard . Thank you, love your recipes.
Rose
Loved this recipe, thank you! I halved all the ingredients for my 7×7 baking pan, added reeses peanut butter chocolate chips and added apple pie spice with the cinnamon. Had to cook 20-25 minutes longer. Will be making this again!
Tried this recipe and it turned out good except for two things: really dont like the EXCESSIVE crumble shouldve put half of the written amount or at most 2/3 of that And omit the salt .
Secondly needs wayyy more apples can barely taste them in there. (Id add atleast 2 cups)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you found ways to improve it for next time!
This one’s become a family favorite. My. husband just requested it as his birthday cake!
You should at least have mentioned in your recipe to GRADUALLY add flour to make the crumbles. As a first timer, all I got was a liquid topping. What a waste of ingredients.
Hi June, gradually adding the flour could certainly be helpful, but if you stop mixing the ingredients once crumbles form, it will never reach the paste consistency. Thanks for trying the recipe and the feedback.
Some people just either never fully read the instructions (skimming over), or they simply overlook some things. The latter is an honest mistake for some.
Anywho, as with most recipes, the option always stands that the recipe could be tweeked to fit ones liking. In other words, you can essentially make them your own.
1st time making
very delicious next time going to add raisins and use more apples.
very moist and delicious
my sister and I made it this morning
Made one for the office and it was gone within the hour. I bake anew recipe of yours each week for home and office – the crowd said this was a favorite so far – probably until this week 🙂
The cake sounds delicious. Can I bake it, cool it and freeze it for Thanksgiving? I want something different instead of a pie this year. Thanks!!
Hi Jane, absolutely! See recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Hi Sally! Can this recipe made in a loaf pan? 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5
Hi Tania, This recipe could work in a loaf pan, but you’d need to divide it between 2 or 3 loaf pans.
Delicious, I made it for work and they’re still begging for it! Perfect just as it is.
I can’t decide which one should bake!! cake style or muffin style? Is there any differences between? Is texture same?
Hi Kake! The cake is a little denser (think of a tight crumbed cake), while the apple crumb muffins are a little fluffier.
yuuuuum! i made this recipe following my new-to-baking brother’s recommendation (it turns out one of his newfound super powers is how to read a recipe and know if it will be good). and my transplanted-from-manhattan husband was very eager to try this cake, but he wanted it without apples. so, omitting the apples and their 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon was the only change. this is a fabulous, tasty creamed cake. yes, it has a lot of topping.
i am going to try making it with a thin layer of applesauce between the batter and the topping. question: how to make the topping a little softer? given the brown sugar, the topping was a teensy softer on each successive day after baking, but we would like it softer still. my initial instinct is to change the ratio of sugar to flour to butter, but upon further reflection i wonder if the answer is cutting in cold butter instead of fork-mixing in melted butter. your thoughts would be helpful. thanx!
I’m so glad you made and enjoyed this recipe! Happy to help for next time. For a softer topping, try leaving out the white granulated sugar (and only using brown sugar) in the crumb topping. The crumb topping will still be plenty sweet, but the reduced sugar may help keep the topping on the softer side.