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
I had bought some granny apples not planning on baking pie but they were beauties and cheap. Had sour cream I needed to use. Google me sour cream apple cake and the rest is history. There are not enough superlatives to adequately describe this cake. Perfection. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you Sally.
I made this in a Bundt pan and increased the cooking time. The crumb ended up on the bottom, so I sprinkled some of the extra on the top. Really yummy! And beautiful. Wish I could upload a photo to show you how it turned out!
Hi Rachel, sounds amazing! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try. If you’d like, feel free to send a photo to sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com — we love to see readers’ bakes!
I made this and it turned out very heavy and dense. Any ideas what I did wrong?
Hi Traci, you didn’t necessarily do anything wrong. The cake is a little denser (think of a tight crumbed cake), while our apple crumb muffins are a little fluffier.
THIS CAKE DESERVES WAY MORE THAN 5 STARS. Absolutely marvelous recipe.
I did make some tweaks and this will forever be my “go-to” coffee cake recipe. These edits include: coarsely grating the apples instead of chopping. I successfully incorporate them into the batter at the very end without any issues. I also halve the crumb topping as I find it still makes quite a bit to generously top the cake.
I must say, the crumb topping is delightfully crunchy and is easily the best streusel I have ever had.
Thank you for the incredible recipe!
Hi Sarah, we’re so glad you love the cake! Happy Baking!
Wonderful! Moist cake with the perfect amount of crumb topping. If you want a more pronounced apple flavor, I’d double the apples because they are just barely detectable as is (for me at least). I added the maple icing. This is better than a bakery and one of the more successful recipes from here. Thank you!
Can I make this cake without fruit? And if I want to put the maple glaze on in advance, how do I store the cake? Room temperature or does it still need refrigeration?
Hi Marcy, for a plain crumb cake, we recommend following this recipe for New York-Style Crumb Cake instead. You can still use the glaze from this recipe. It will be fine covered at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator after that.
Can I use half butter and half olive oil? Thanks
Hi Sandy, butter adds flavor and provides structure in the creaming process. Oil cannot be creamed with sugars, so we recommend sticking with butter in this recipe.
Made this over the weekend and distributed today to my colleagues. My colleagues loved it. I loved the crumb and cake—I realized I’m not a big fan of fruit in my cake (taste was fine, just didn’t like the apple texture—personal preference). But the maple glaze—EPIC!!! I will definitely make this again, just omit the apples. Thank you!
Thanks so much for giving it a try, Marcy! We’re glad it was a hit. You may also enjoy this NY Style Crumb Cake — no added fruit there. Let us know if you try it!
Hi Sally and thanks for this amazing recipe. I’ve made it as is many times but tonight I had to wing it for unexpected out of town guests. So I doubled the recipe only had a can of apple pie filling no fresh ones sadly and I spiced it up a little more (made your suggested apple cider glaze too) greased and floured an old 9″ round crackpot and mixed it all up and prayed? Well it cooked on high about 4 1/2 hours smelling heavenly I waited till cake cooked a bit like 2 hours to add the crumble I was worried it’ might sink to the bottom otherwise? Added some chopped pecans to the top . Let cool down had to loosen it first the did a double flip added the glaze and it looked like it came from a bakery. Excellence as usual you’re my go to guru of recipes. Thanks again try it yourself maybe?
This cake looks amazing! Can this cake be stored in an airtight container for three days? Or does it have to be in the refrigerator or freezer?
Hi Marcy! Because of the moisture in the apples we recommend storing it in the fridge.
Nice cake, easy & quick to make. My suggestion to half the crump as whole amount made the cake too sweet.
Could you make this in two 8×8 pans? or a 9×13 glass baking dish (rather than a metal pan)?
Hi Christine, you can absolutely use a 9×13 glass dish — that would be the better option. If halving the recipe into two pans, a 2 9×9 pans would be best.
If you do 2 9×9 pans, is the cooking time still the same? Thanks!
Hi Diane, we are unsure of the exact bake time, but it would be less than it is when using the 9×13 pan. Start checking for doneness around the 30-minute mark. Please report back and let everyone know what works for you!
I haven’t actually tried it yet (still baking) but it looks and smells ahhhhhhhhhmazing.
I cant fathom wanting LESS crumb, but I accidentally made more than the prescribed amount…the butter/sugar mixture was a little wet, so I thought I must have added half the brown sugar by accident. I weigh everything, but you never know, and it did seem really wet.
So I added an extra half cup of brown sugar.
Spoiler alert: I had measured right the first time!! The extra sugar gave me the consistency I was looking for until I added the flour…I basically had one giant crumb! 2 sticks of butter wasted, right? Right…?
Nope! I did some quick math and did something I rarely do while baking….wing it. I figured if I added 20-ish% extra wet, then 20-ish% more flour should even things out?
I dont know if it was luck or science but it definitely worked! Bonus crumb!
Awesome recipe although I doubled the apples. 2 cups is nowhere near enough apples in an *apple* crumb cake (for a 9×13 dish). Perfect instructions and it came together like a dream.
CAN I MIX WITHOUT AN ELECTRIC MIXER? ALL I HAVE IS SPATULAS AND MY HANDS LOL
Hi Dancia! You can certainly mix it by hand if necessary, but it will take quite a bit of arm muscle! Particularly when it comes to properly creaming the butter and sugars. We find a sturdy wooden spoon works best. Let us know how it turn out for you.
You have 2.5 cups of flour listed in the crumb topping ingredients, but it doesn’t appear in your photos and your topping instructions don’t mention it. I’m in the middle of making this and just mixed the topping ingredients with the flour. Please advise as to whether 2.5 cups of all purpose flour is in the topping and you might want to correct the recipe. Confusing.
Hi Andi, there are 2.5 cups of flour in the crumb topping. In step 2 after stirring in the melted butter, using a fork, lightly mix in the flour until crumbles form. Hope these are a hit!
I doubled this recipe and it made 4x 8 inch cake rounds!! Everyone loved it. I ran out of AP Flour, so had to substitute some cake flour but it still came out amazing. Everyone loved it. I also left one without apples, because my kids complained about the fruit. That one came out awesome too. They were still moist the second day. I only sprinkled them with powdered sugar, and they really reminded me of the Entemann’s coffee cakes I grew up with on the East Coast. Many people asked where I bought it and were shocked to hear it was homemade. The point of this review is not to make any changes, but to show how versatile Sally’s recipes are. They are my go-to! Thanks again for sharing this one. It’s a keeper.
Hi, can I get the quantities to make in a 9 inch springform? It’s for a birthday celebration and I need to impress my MIL!
Hi Marnie, 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.
I made this tonight for my mom’s birthday, apple desserts are her favorite. It did not disappoint! So delicious. I was worried I may have over mixed the batter as it looked much thicker than it does in the video here, but I think it was maybe because I used a really thick sour cream. I think the only thing I would do different next time is add more apples. Thank you Sally for an excellent recipe!
Love it! Moist delicious cake, more apples next time and the best crumbs! Sooo good!! I’m giving it out to family and friends to share the Love. Thank You for all you do and I love baking with you ❤️
Fast, easy and delicious!
I made this tonight. Added an extra Granny Smith apple and it was delicious! We didn’t wait for it to cool. Ate it right out of the oven! Can’t wait to have it with coffee tomorrow morning
I made a bit of changes like adding more apples , cinnamon and nutmeg . This is definitely my favorite coffee cake ❤️
Perfectly moist and delicious! From the cake to the apples to the topping, everything is great. I did use extra apples, but that’s a personal preference. The crumb topping is a lot, but it’s my favorite part so I didn’t mind one bit! Will definitely be making again.
I was looking for ideas to use up the leftover homemade Strawberry and blueberry sauces I had from making crepes. I made 2 batches separately and after spreading the cake out I poured the strawberry sauce (about 1.5 cups) on one and the blueberry (about 2 cups) on top of the other. I put the crumbs on top and baked. They were wonderful… sooo good!
I think this recipe would be awesome without the fruit too.
Its crumb cake, the crumbs are right on target!
I have made several of your recipes and they never disappoint. You are my new go-to recipe place!
Can I add raisins and walnuts or pecans? Do you recommend one over the other ?
If yes, what proportions ? Thank you!!
You can absolutely add raisins or nuts to the cake batter. I recommend 3/4 cup (110g) raisins or 1 cup (about 120g) chopped walnuts or pecans. Any of those would be great!
I have no idea how anyone could have anything bad to say about this cake, or why on earth someone would want to decrease the amount of crumbs. I made it as written but I doubled the amount of apples and added a little more spices (upped the cinnamon, added a smidge of nutmeg, ginger, and allspice). Otherwise I followed the recipe to a T and it was perfection!! I bake for my family all the time and even though they’re used to it by now they still had a hard time accepting the fact that this wasn’t from a bakery. I’ll be making it every chance I get. Thank you Sally for another winner!
PS I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8” springform
Hey Melissa, could i ask how tall the cake ended up being when you halved the recipe and used an 8″ spring form? I do cakes for cafes and have been looking for an apple crumble style one. I usually use 2 x 9″ x 2″ cake pans so i end up with 2 x 1.5″ layers. I’m thinking of trying the full recipe and splitting it between the two to test it.
Hi Sally,
I am looking to make this recipe and wanted to know if you ever tried the 8″ inch springform pans.
My regular oven needs repairs and have to use my Breville oven.
It will not hold a 9 by 13 pan.
Hello,
OMG!!!!! I made this last night, and it was phenomenal! I had no idea a simple apple crumb cake could taste this amazing! Since I did not have any sour cream (and it’s a couple hour round trip to the nearest store) I used buttermilk, and it was still beyond amazing! Thank you for this receipe, sorry no pictures, only a couple crumbs left 🙂
This is the best recipe I have found for crumb cake – ever! I’m not looking anymore. This will forever be my go to. I made it exactly as the recipe calls. No modifications needed. It’s perfect.
I was a little hesitant to try this given the reviews, but decided to go for it because I needed a new way to use up some apples and crumb cake is one of my favorite things on this planet. Also, I have a lot of trust in Sally as I’ve tried countless recipes from her and they always turn out great.
Based on the reviews I made a couple modifications. I used 3 granny smith apples instead of 2, and I cut the crumb topping in half. It turned out perfect. It was so delicious and well-balanced. The cake itself isn’t too sweet but has good flavor, and combined with the apples and crumb topping it is just amazing. I felt that cutting the crumb topping in half made the perfect amount. It was still a little more topping than your average crumb cake, but not too much. I also have never used melted butter for crumb topping, I always cut in cold butter. So I was skeptical at first but it actually turned out really nice. It was more crumbly and crisped up slightly and I think I’ll try this method for other recipes that utilize crumb topping.
Can you use some of the reduced apple cider
In the cake or the glaze
Hi Joanna, in the glaze would be delicious!
I think that would be spectacular in the glaze!
I want to make this for breakfast tomorrow mornin. I do not like sour cream so I’m going to give it a try with a low fat plain yogurt I have on hand. I know you said not to use low fat yogurt, but it’s what I have. It will still be tasty, right??
Hi Katie, There will be more flavor with a full-fat yogurt, but let us know how they turn out!
Hi Katie, how did the yogurt turn out, if you remember? I live in Costa Rica and sour cream is commonly used here, so I’m looking for an alternative.
I used Mayo as a substitute and it works great since it’s made out of eggs and oil!