Apple Crumb Cake

Happy New Years, everyone!

I can't believe 2019 is already over! It felt like it was just yesterday when Kyong and I graduated from Nicholls. And here we are starring in our own "Roaring Twenties!" Ya know what that means - booming prosperity!

When I say booming prosperity, I mean my tummy and yours will be happily indulging in yumminess while your brain gets over saturated with culinary knowledge from yours truly. 😉

Well, since it's a new year, we can't neglect our New Year Resolutions!

On our list:

1. Work out more (ha...always the top contender)
2. Bake more bread!
3. Cook/ bake more of the things we have not tried before...because we are missing out!

Talk about missing out - can you believe that both Kyong and I have not had apple crumb cakes before?!

Yeah. That's absurd.

So I thought, what's better than starting our resolution than making some bomb apple crumb cake?

Well here's to the AMAZING apple crumb cake we were deprived of for twenty something years:

Ingredients for an Amazing Apple Crumb Cake:

• All-purpose flour: we want our cake to have some gluten for structure and be able to hold up to the weight of the apples and crumb topping
• Brown and regular sugar: brown sugar helps to keep the cake moist and adds flavor that pairs amazingly with cinnamon and apple, but we don't want it to overpower the apple and cinnamon, thus the regular sugar
• Butter: for a denser crumb structure
• Baking powder and baking soda: to leaven our cake so that it's not too dense
• Buttermilk: to keep our cake extra moist...no dry cake for us!
• Apple: any of your favorite apple variety will do.
• Cinnamon: because apples and cinnamon are a match from heaven!
• Salt and vanilla: gives the cake an extra layer of depth

For the Apples:

Use your favorite varieties of apples because they will be the star of this cake! I used Gala if you're curious. 😊

• Peel and cut about 3 medium apples into bite size slices, roughly ¼ inch thick. Toss them with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Set aside.

For the Crumb Topping:

I prefer using a fork for the crumb mixing because it naturally crumbles up everything, but you can use a spatula to mix and simply crumble the crumb dough with your hands when sprinkling. Keep some of the crumbs larger to have some extra crunch!

• Combine the brown and regular sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter with a fork. Add the flour and cinnamon and mix with fork until combined. Set aside.

For the Cake:

This cake is a butter cake base. We want to use butter for this cake because we want a cake with small crumb structure. We want a cake that will hold up to the weight of the apples and crumb topping while staying moist.

• Whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and the sugars until fluffy and light in color.
• Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating thoroughly before adding the next.
  • At this point, the batter may look like it's breaking, but don't worry, it'll come together once the flour is added.
• Alternately, add the buttermilk and dry ingredients.
  • So add half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed or by hand. Then add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed or by hand until just combined.
  • Repeat the step.
• Pour the batter into a parchment lined 9x13 pan. Spread the batter evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
  • I recommend having some excess parchment extending above the cake batter so when removing the cake from the pan, it'll be painless.
• Sprinkle the sliced apples and crumb topping evenly on top of the batter and gently pat the toppings down just slightly so it will stick to the cake after it's baked.
• Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
  • Optional: to make the top of the cake more colored and the crumb toppings crunchier, you can turn the oven to 400 degrees broil for 2 minutes right before the cake is done.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until comfortable to handle. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely before cutting.
• Enjoy the cake slightly warmed with a glass of milk just as is or with a drizzle of our easy, buttery caramel sauce!

Bake with love! ❤️
Mei

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Apple Crumb Cake

This cake is so deliciously tender and moist, layered with warm cinnamon and apple in each bite, topped with crunchy crumb toppings and an easy caramel sauce that completes it all!

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Yield: 12 squares

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

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For the Apples:

• ▢ 3 medium apples (any variety)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Crumb Topping:

• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 6 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (or ¾ stick)
• ▢ 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Cake Batter:

• ▢ 2½ cups all-purpose flour (or about 11 ounces)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup unsalted butter, soften (or 1½ sticks)
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup buttermilk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• For the apples:

  Peel and cut the apples to bite size slices, roughly about ¼ inch thick. Toss together sliced apples, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• For the crumb topping:

  Mix together granulate sugar, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter with a fork. Add the flour and cinnamon. Crumble with fork until no more flour is visible. Set aside.
• For the Cake:

  Preheat oven to 350°F.

  Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until fluffy and lighter in color.
• Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition.
• Add buttermilk and dry ingredients alternately.

  Combine vanilla extract and buttermilk.

  Add half of the buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Mix till combined. Add half of the dry ingredients (flour mixture). Mix until just combined (by hand or on low speed if by mixer).

  Repeat until all ingredients are combined and no more flour is visible. ***Cake batter will be thick.
• Assemble. Pour batter into a parchment lined 9x13 cake pan. Spread evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon. ***Have excess parchment flap to remove the cake painlessly.

  Sprinkle prepared apples and crumb topping over the top of the batter. Keep some of the crumbs larger to have more crunch.

  Pat the toppings down slightly to keep it adhered to the cake after baking.
• Bake the cake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.

  *Optional (for additional color and caramelization):

  Right before the cake is finished, turn the oven to 400°F broil for 2 minutes.
• Cool. Remove cake from oven and cool on a wire rack until comfortable for handling. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely before cutting.
• Serve. Enjoy the cake at room temperature or slightly warmed with a glass of milk and/ or a perfect drizzle of buttery caramel sauce!

Equipments Recommended

• 9x13 Cake Pan
• Hand Mixer
• Mixing Bowl

Nutrition

Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 402mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 630IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg

Keywords: apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, crumbles

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