Saturday, October 7, 2023

Apple Crumb Cake

The best part of this cake from Sally's baking is the crumb topping, a lot of it! 

Ingredients

[CRUMB TOPPING]
Brown sugar - 1 cup  packed
Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup 
Ground cinnamon - 1 TBSP
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter - 1 cup, melted
All purpose flour - 2 and 1/2 cups 
[CAKE]
All purpose flour - 2 and 1/2 cups
Baking soda -1 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup, softened to room temperature
Granulated sugar - 1 and 1/4 cups
Eggs - 3 large, at room temperature (used egg replacer)
Sour cream - 1 cup, full-fat, at room temperature
Pure vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Peeled chopped apples - 2 cups, about 2-3 medium apples
Ground cinnamon - 1/4 tsp

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. 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 overmix.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients for cake - flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
4. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. 
5. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
6. Toss the chopped apples and cinnamon together.
7. Spread the batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Top evenly with cinnamon apples. Top with crumb topping. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon, press the crumb topping tightly down into the cake so it sticks.
8. Bake for 50-60 minutes. 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, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
9. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to slightly cool for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing and serving. Fresh and warm cake taste great.
10. Top with icing, if desired. (I did not because the cake is already very sweet) Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.