Savor Fall Flavors With the Perfect Apple Crumble Cake

Did you know that an apple crumble cake — when made correctly — can be accurately described as a symphony of textures? “This cake comprises three layers of deliciousness,” writes Katarina Cermelj in her book, The Elements of Baking. “A cinnamon sponge with a plush, buttery crumb, a thick layer of generously spiced, perfectly tender sliced apples, and a crisp, golden crumble on top.” Sounds like the ideal sweater weather treat.

If you’re a novice baker, however, don’t be intimidated by that intricate description of this stunning dessert. Cermelj adds that it’s a pretty simple affair: “It’s incredibly easy to whip up.” In other words, it’s low effort, high reward — you’ll simply throw together a batter covered with sliced apples. Then, you’ll sprinkle on the crunchy crumble and bake for about an hour.

Be mindful of the consistency of those apples as they bake, but don’t stress. “The apples get nicely soft (but not mushy) during baking,” Cermelj writes. “Don’t worry if they feel firm when you take them out of the oven because they’ll keep cooking in the residual heat. Just make sure they’re not crisp: A toothpick or cake tester should be able to easily pass through them.” After tossing the toothpick, you’ll have to face the genuinely most difficult step: Waiting on the cake to cool down enough to eat.

Katarina Cermelj’s Apple Crumble Cake Recipe

Serves: 12–16 / Prep time: 1 hour / Bake time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Crumble topping
1 ⅓ cups (160g) plain, all-purpose flour
½ cup (100g) light brown soft sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
¾ cup (90g) walnut halves, roughly chopped
Icing (powdered) sugar, to serve

Apple layer
1 ¾ lb (800g) sweet-tart, firm eating apples (about 5 apples)
2 tablespoons (30g) lemon juice
¼ cup (50g) caster (superfine) or granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cake layer
2 cups (240g) plain, all-purpose flour
¾ cup (150g) caster (superfine) or granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ stick (85g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
2 tablespoons (25g) sunflower or vegetable oil
½ cup (120g) whole milk, room temperature
⅓ cup (75g) full-fat plain or Greek-style yogurt, room temperature
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Instructions

Crumble topping

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC and line a 9-inch (23 cm) square baking tin, at least 2¼ inches (6 cm) deep, with baking paper, leaving some overhang (this will help you with removing the cake from the tin later on).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, light brown sugar and salt.
3. Add the cold butter and, using your fingertips, work it into the dry ingredients until you get a crumbly mixture that clumps together. (You can use a food processor for this step.)
4. Add the chopped walnuts and mix well, using a wooden spoon or spatula, until they’re evenly distributed throughout the crumble. Store in the fridge until needed.

Apple layer

1. Peel and core the apples, then cut them into ⅛–¼ inch (4–6 mm ) slices.
2. Add the sliced apples and the lemon juice to a large bowl, and toss them together to ensure that the apple slices are evenly coated with the lemon juice. Set aside until needed.

Cake layer

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the melted butter, oil, milk, yogurt, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and, using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, mix everything together into a fairly thick, smooth batter with no flour clumps. [See note #1 below.]
4. Transfer the batter into the lined baking tin and smooth it out into an even layer.

Assembling the cake

1. Add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to the sliced apples and toss well until all the apple slices are evenly coated.
2. Arrange the apples in an even layer on top of the batter. [See note #2 below.]
3. Sprinkle over the crumble topping, so that it forms an even layer on top of the apple. Don’t worry if the cake looks very tall or thick at this point. As the apples soften during baking, the apple layer will become more compacted.
4. Bake the crumble cake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown, there are juices visibly bubbling around the edges of the cake, and an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean and doesn’t hit any crisp apple pieces. If the top of the cake starts browning too quickly, cover with a sheet of foil (shiny side up) and continue baking until done.
5. Cool the cake in the baking tin until warm, then carefully remove it from the tin (with the help of the overhanging baking paper) on to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with some icing (powdered) sugar, slice and serve.

Notes: [1] The batter is fairly thick to ensure that the apple layer won’t sink. The relatively low proportion of wet ingredients also means that the batter can handle the moisture that the apples release during baking.

[2] It’s best to toss the apples with the sugar and spices just before you arrange them on top of the batter so that they don’t release too much of their juice, which could make the cake layer below and the crumble above slightly too soggy.

Excerpted from The Elements of Baking, by Katarina Cermelj, published by Mobius (part of Hachette Book Group).