This Caramel Apple Crumb Cake is a soft, moist cake topped with spiced, tender apples and a buttery cinnamon crumb topping, all drizzled with caramel. It makes me want to head to the apple orchard and pick some apples for this dessert—it’s a perfect way to enjoy the season’s best flavors! While it’s a delicious fall treat, I’d enjoy it any time of the year. If you love this Caramel Apple Crumb Cake, you might also enjoy my Caramel Apple Cheesecake. It combines the same rich, apple-caramel flavor with a creamy cheesecake. Yum!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Apples: Honeycrisp apples are a type of apple known for their sweet and slightly tangy flavor. They are crunchy and juicy, making them great for snacking and baking! (They are one of my favorite kinds of apples!) They are called “Honeycrisp” because they have a honey-like sweetness and a crisp texture. If you can’t find Honeycrisp apples, use an apple that is firm like Granny Smith, Fuji, or Gala apples. The apples are cooked with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until they are soft and tasty before adding them to the cake.
- Crumb Topping: The extra thick crumb topping is what a crumb cake, also known as Streuselkuchen, is known for!
- Butter: I prefer using unsalted butter for each part of this cake. It gives you, the baker, more control over the amount of salt in a recipe. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen the amount of salt.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is needed for both the crumb topping and the cake. I do not recommend substituting all-purpose flour. It will make the cake tough and dry (not at all what we are going for)! If you don’t have any on hand, you can make homemade cake flour to use.
- Buttermilk: Adding room-temperature buttermilk to the cake batter results in a moist, tender, flavorful cake. If you don’t have any on hand, make your own!
- Eggs: You will need two large eggs for the cake–one whole egg and one egg yolk. Be sure the eggs are at room temperature before starting the recipe. Save the egg white from the second egg to use for other recipes like my almond paste!
- Caramel Sauce: Either storebought or homemade caramel sauce will work to drizzle over the cake.
Why Line The Pan With Aluminum Foil? (Can I Use Parchment Paper?)
It is better to line the pan with aluminum foil instead of parchment paper. We tried using both and found that the foil reflects more heat, which helps the crumb topping get nicely browned and crispy! With parchment paper, the topping didn’t brown or crisp up as well.
What’s the Best Stand Mixer?
I use a stand mixer a lot in my kitchen and recommend my 5-quart Kenmore Elite mixer which comes with a whisk attachment, a beater, and a dough hook. The bowl also has a lid to help contain any splatters. It is an investment though, and sells for around $400 at Walmart. If you’re on a budget, another good option is the 5.3-quart Beautiful by Drew Barrymore stand mixer, which costs around $100.
Delicious Ways To Serve Caramel Apple Crumb Cake
I love a piece of this caramel apple crumb cake with a cup of coffee. In fact, I just had a piece of it! But, there are other ways to enjoy the crumb cake, too. Here are a few delicious options:
- Serve with a scoop of no-churn vanilla ice cream. (I would try it with salted caramel ice cream!)
- Add a dollop of whipped cream.
- Drizzle extra caramel sauce on top.
- Sprinkle a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar on top.
- Top with caramelized or candied pecans or walnuts.
- Warm up a piece and pour a little heavy cream over it.
How To Store Caramel Apple Crumb Cake
This crumb cake is best enjoyed within a few days. Keep it stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can refrigerate it for up to 5 days, but I do not recommend that–refrigeration dries out the cake faster. For longer storage, freeze the cake.
Freezing Caramel Apple Crumb Cake
To freeze this crumb cake, first, let it cool completely. Then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil (I usually add a second layer of wrapping, too), and place it in an airtight container or freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight and warm it up before serving. I like to add a fresh drizzle of caramel sauce on top!
Caramel Apple Crumb Cake
Equipment
- Medium saucepan I like this one from Kitchenaid!
- Stand mixer I recommend this stand mixer!
- Kitchen scale (optional)
Ingredients
Apples
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large Honeycrisp apples, diced
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (67 g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups (199.5 g) cake flour
Cake
- 1 ¼ cups (142 g) cake flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (82 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- caramel topping, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, including up the sides, leaving extra hanging over the edges. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Apples
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the apples have softened slightly. Set aside.
Topping
- To a medium bowl, add butter, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the flour and stir until the mixture is completely combined. Be careful not to overmix or it can become like a paste.
Cake
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix on low speed to combine.
- Add butter pieces one at a time, mixing until there are no visible butter pieces and it has a very fine crumb, about 1 minute.
- Add buttermilk, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed.
Assembly
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan, spreading with a spatula if needed.
- Top with apple mixture.
- Using your hands or a fork, break up the crumb topping into pieces. Spread the topping in an even layer on top of the apples.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until crumbs are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs, but no wet batter.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then, using the excess aluminum foil, lift the cake out of the pan to continue cooling.
- When ready to serve, drizzle with caramel topping.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Delicious! The Honeycrisp apples are tender and sweet, and the crumb topping is perfectly crunchy. The caramel drizzle is the perfect finishing touch. A fantastic fall dessert.
Elizabeth
This cake was good! I think I would drizzle a little more caramel over mine for a more caramel apple effect.
Bella
Yum! Soft apples, crunchy topping, and a moist cake with a delicious caramel drizzle.
Annabelle
This cake definitely gives me fall season vibes. It is really good! I like the crumble topping.
Selena
Loved it! Spiced apples, great crumb texture, and a rich caramel drizzle make this cake a delightful fall dessert.
Can I use zucchini instead of apples? Where can I find the recipe for homemade cake flour and for the Carmel sauce please?
Hi Teri! Just click on the words “cake flour” and “caramel” in the recipe card. It goes right to the recipe.
I have not tested this with zucchini.