Elise Jesse Elise Jesse

Apple Crumble Cake

Warm spiced apples in a tender vanilla cake with a brown butter cinnamon cruble and apple cider glaze.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Bake Time: 45- 50 minutes

Serves 8 | 8-inch round or square pan

Elise’s Brown Butter Apple Crumble Cake

Brown Sugar Apple Filling

  • 225–250g (2-3 apples) Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples

  • 20 g light brown sugar

  • 5 g unsalted butter

  • ¾ tsp apple pie spice

  • 1 tsp lemon juice

  • Pinch of kosher salt

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 2–3 g cornstarch

Directions for the Apples:

  1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

  2. Add the apples, brown sugar, apple pie spice, lemon juice, and salt.

  3. Cook for 3–4 minutes, just until the apples begin to soften and release some juice. Keep them fairly firm (they'll continue cooking in the cake).

  4. Sprinkle with cornstarch and cook for another 30 seconds, until the juices lightly thicken.

  5. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.

  6. Cool completely before adding to the cake.

Brown Butter Cinnamon Crumble

  • 113 g unsalted butter

  • 125 g light brown sugar

  • 120 g all-purpose flour

  • 2.7 g ground cinnamon (about 1 tsp)

  • 1 g kosher salt

  • Pinch nutmeg

Directions for the Crumble

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

  2. Continue cooking until the milk solids are deeply golden and the butter smells nutty.

  3. Remove from heat.

  4. Let cool until thickened but still stirrable.

  5. Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

  6. Add the cooled brown butter and mix until large, irregular crumbs form.

  7. Refrigerate while finishing the cake batter.


For the Cake:

  • 113 g unsalted butter, softened

  • 100 g granulated sugar

  • 53 g light brown sugar

  • 1 large egg, room temperature

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 180 g all-purpose flour

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • ½ tsp kosher salt

  • 180 g whole milk, room temperature

  • Prepared brown sugar apples from above

Make the Cake

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and parchment-line an 8-inch round or square pan.

  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

  3. Cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 3–4 minutes, until noticeably pale and fluffy.

  4. Beat in the egg until incorporated.

  5. Add vanilla.

  6. Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk:

    Dry → Milk → Dry → Milk → Dry

  7. Mix only until combined.

Assemble

  1. Spread half of the cake batter into the prepared pan.

  2. Sprinkle approximately 40% of the brown butter crumble over the batter.

  3. Dollop the remaining cake batter over the crumble and gently spread.

  4. Top with prepared apples.

  5. Gently scatter the remaining 60% of the crumble generously over the top.

  6. Bake at 350°F for approximately 40–50 minutes.

  7. Start checking around 38–40 minutes. A tester inserted into an area of cake rather than directly into the crumble should come out with moist crumbs but no wet batter.

  8. If the crumble is getting too dark before the center is finished, loosely tent with foil.

  9. Cool completely before glazing.

    Apple Cider Glaze

  • 160 g apple cider

  • 80–100 g powdered sugar

  • ⅛ tsp vanilla extract

  • Pinch kosher salt

Directions for the Glaze

  1. Bring the apple cider to a gentle simmer.

  2. Reduce until you have approximately 40 g (2½–3 Tbsp) remaining.

  3. Cool completely.

  4. Place 80 g powdered sugar in a bowl.

  5. Whisk in the cider reduction a little at a time until you have a thick but easily drizzled glaze. You may not need all of the cider.

  6. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Add additional powdered sugar if you want a thicker, more visible glaze.

  7. Generously drizzle over the completely cooled cake.

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