Moist Apple Crumb Cake for Fall

This Apple Crumb Cake is incredibly soft and moist, filled with tender pieces of fresh apple and topped with a thick layer of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel. I love using a combination of butter, oil, and sour cream in the cake batter because it creates such a rich, tender crumb that stays moist for days. The cinnamon crumble is generously piled on top, giving you a little crunch with every bite of soft apple cake. 

I love a good coffee cake, especially one with a generous crumb topping! After developing this apple crumb cake, I went on to make my Banana Coffee Cake because I couldn't get enough of that soft cake and buttery crumble combination. And when fall rolls around, my Pumpkin Coffee Cake is another favorite. Clearly, I have a thing for coffee cakes, and I'm not complaining!

Apples + Streusel = Comfort in Cake Form

• Fresh Apples: I use 2 cups of diced apples in this cake because I love getting little pockets of tender apple in every slice. You can leave the skin on like I do or peel them if you prefer.
• Butter + Oil: After developing so many cake recipes over the years, I've found that combining butter and oil gives you the best of both worlds. Butter adds that delicious rich flavor, while a little oil helps keep the cake soft and moist.
• Sour Cream: I love using full-fat sour cream in coffee cakes. It adds richness and moisture without making the cake heavy. Make sure it's at room temperature so it incorporates evenly into the batter.
• Cinnamon Brown Sugar Crumble: This is my favorite part! I use both granulated and brown sugar with melted salted butter to create thick, buttery crumbs. I recommend keeping the crumble in the freezer while you make the batter so it's ready to sprinkle over the cake before baking.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Let's Get Ready to Crumble!

What I've Learned About Baking Coffee Cakes

• Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature, this helps ensure all of the ingredients combine together properly.
• Don't skip chilling the crumble topping.
• Make sure the butter and sugars cream together for long enough.
• When adding the dry ingredients just mix to combine, over mixing will develop the gluten which will create a tougher cake crumb.

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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Recipe Card

Moist Apple Crumb Cake for Fall

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5 from 2 reviews

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This Apple Crumb Cake is incredibly soft and moist, filled with tender pieces of fresh apple and topped with a thick layer of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel. I love using a combination of butter, oil, and sour cream in the cake batter because it creates such a rich, tender crumb that stays moist for days. The cinnamon crumble is generously piled on top, giving you a little crunch with every bite of soft apple cake. 

• Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
• Yield: 9-12 Slices 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Crumb Topping

• 188 grams (1 ½ Cups) All-Purpose Flour
• 100 grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar 
• 150 grams (¾ Cup) Light Brown Sugar 
• ¾ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 4oz (½ Cup) Salted Butter 

Apple Cake

• 250 grams (2 Cups) All-Purpose Flour 
• ¾ Teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 4oz (½ Cup) Salted Butter, at room temperature 
• 1oz (2 Tablespoons) Neutral Oil ( I prefer Avocado Oil but Vegetable Oil works)
• 200 grams (1 Cup) Granulated Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 8oz (1 Cup) Sour Cream, at room temperature 
• 290 grams (2 Cups) Diced Apples, I left the skin on but you can peel if you prefer

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Instructions

Crumb Topping

1. Preheat the oven to 325F/163C and line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper and grease with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour in melted butter and use a spatula to mix it all together to moisten everything, this will take a couple of minutes, you want a thick sand texture, thick clumps are good. Set aside in the freezer while you prepare the cake.

Apple Cake

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld electric whisk beat the sugar, oil, and butter together for 2-3 minutes, scrape down the bowl after the first minute then continue mixing. You want a light fluffy mixture, don't cut corners here!
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition and making sure the egg is fully combined, there should be no trace of egg yolk. Add in the last egg and mix for at least two minutes.
4. In a separate bowl or measuring jug mix together the sour cream and vanilla extract. 
5. Gently fold in ⅓ of the dry ingredients until just almost combined, then gently fold in ½ of the sour cream until just combined, then repeat with ⅓ of the dry, the rest of the sour cream, and finish with the remaining flour. Just before the last bit of flour is fully mixed in add the chopped apples and mix to just combine, do not over-mix. Pour into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
6. Sprinkle all of the crumble on top of the cake batter into an even layer. Bake for 50-60 minutes, since the cake is covered in a crumble it is best to check by using a toothpick test, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, moist crumbs are okay but if there is any wet batter the cake will need to cook longer.
7. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before using the parchment overhang to gently and quickly remove it from the pan. Best served the day it is made but leftovers will last in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Equipment

9-inch square pan

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Cordless Hand Mixer

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KitchenAid Stand Mixer

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OXO Kitchen Scale

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• Author: Elizabeth Waterson
• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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