Apple Crumb Cake with a Warm Cinnamon Brown-Sugar Drizzle (Print-Friendly Version)

This nine-inch-square apple crumb cake has three components: butter cake with diced apples, a cold-butter crumb topping and a warm brown-sugar drizzle. The drizzle contains cinnamon but no apple juice or puree. Keeping the components separate makes the ingredient list easier to follow and prevents the topping’s flour or butter from accidentally entering the cake batter.

in-article · In-Article — 336x280 / 300x250 desktop · 300x250 / 320x50 mobile

House placeholder — AdSense units launch here

# Ingredients You’ll Need:

→ Cake Batter

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

05 - 1 cup granulated sugar

06 - 2 large eggs

07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

08 - 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced

→ Crumb Topping

09 - 1 cup all-purpose flour

10 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

12 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

13 - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

14 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar

→ Cinnamon Apple Drizzle

15 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

16 - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

17 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

18 - 2 tablespoons milk

19 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 9-by-9-inch square pan, and separate the cake, topping and drizzle ingredients.

02 - Cream the cake’s softened butter and granulated sugar until visibly lighter. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Separately combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt; mix into the butter mixture just until combined, then fold in evenly diced apples.

03 - Spread the thick batter across the prepared pan, reaching the corners without leaving a mound in the middle.

04 - Combine topping flour, cinnamon, salt and both topping sugars. Work in the cold cubed butter with a cutter or fingertips until coarse crumbs form; avoid warming it into a paste.

05 - Scatter crumbs evenly. Bake about 30–45 minutes, checking the center in several places for set cake rather than raw batter. Shield the topping if it darkens first; continue as needed.

06 - Gently heat the drizzle butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk and salt in a small saucepan, stirring until smooth. The sauce contains no apple ingredient.

07 - Let the cake cool enough to hold together before cutting. Spoon warm drizzle over portions, keeping any remaining sauce separate for later serving.

# Extra Suggestions:

01 - They belong to the cake, crumb topping and drizzle. Their temperatures and uses differ.

02 - No. It is a cinnamon brown-sugar drizzle; apples are folded into the cake.

03 - Not without revising capacity and baking expectations. Its base is about 21% smaller, making the same batter deeper.

04 - A probe can hit moist fruit rather than cake. Several center checks help distinguish apple moisture from raw batter.

05 - Yes. It is a serving finish rather than part of the cake’s structure.

Return