Featured Recipe
Apple Crumble Cake Twist
By Kate
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A layered apple cake with oat crumble, cinnamon, and tangy sour cream. Uses fresh tart apples drenched in lemon juice and brown sugar. Crumble topping swaps quick oats for rolled oats for texture. Buttermilk replaces sour cream for moist crumb. Bicarbonate reacts with acidity for lift. Caramel drizzle adds richness. Bake until edges brown and skewer tests clean. Dust powdered sugar last for balance. A homey vibe, no flour shockers. Easy swaps within reach, timing relies on sight and touch more than clocks.
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Prep:
35 min
Cook:
55 min
Total:
Serves:
8 servings
dessert
cake
baking
fall recipes
apple recipes
Introduction
Forget waiting for perfect ovens; watch bubbles, color, and crumble texture. Oat topping changed up for crunch, apples kept tart, sour cream out replaced by buttermilk—milk acidity builds better rise with baking powder. Brown sugar swapped for lighter, subtler flavor. Step away from counting time blindly; tactile cues win every time. Batter whipped enough to trap air, but not whipped out of shape. Crisp tops, tender interior, fruit with bite. Stir and mix like you mean it, not like a robot. You can rescue dense crumbs by slight toast; caramel drizzle saved a soggy top once. Kitchen wins counting on your senses. Told you the basics, now execute.
Ingredients
Crumble
- 60 g rolled oats (approx ½ cup packed)
- 30 g (3 tbsp) whole wheat flour
- 40 g light brown sugar
- 50 g unsalted butter, softened
- 330 g (2⅔ cups) tart apples like Granny Smith, peeled or not, cored, diced
- 40 g light brown sugar
- 20 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
- 180 g (1 ¼ cup) all-purpose flour
- 3 g (½ tsp) ground cinnamon
- 3 g (½ tsp) baking powder
- 100 g unsalted butter, softened
- 140 g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 60 ml (¼ cup) buttermilk
- vanilla extract, 1 tsp optional
- powdered sugar for dusting
- 50 ml salted caramel sauce, store-bought or homemade
Apple Filling
Cake
Garnish
About the ingredients
Flours swapped to bring extra texture and fiber; whole wheat adds depth in crumble while main cake flour stays to keep tenderness. Rolled oats give identifiable chew versus quick oats that dissolve too fast into topping. Buttermilk’s acid reacts with baking powder, vital for lift and moist crumb—don’t skip or substitute with water. Apples balance sweet-sour with lemon juice to keep them lively in baking, no mushiness. Brown sugar choices impact caramelization; light brown gives more subtle flavor, less molasses bite. Butter temp is key; softened for creaminess in batter but cold for crumble. Caramel sauce can be homemade, salted butter caramel preferred, store-bought ok in pinch. Powdered sugar dusting not just appearance—adds light sweetness, cuts caramel intensity.
Method
Preparation
- 1 Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Position rack in the middle. Grease 20 cm (8 inch) springform pan, line bottom with parchment. Butter sides lightly to prevent sticking.
- 2 Combine rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and brown sugar in bowl. Add softened butter. Using fingertips or pastry cutter, blend until mixture looks clumpy, slightly moist but with visible oat flakes intact. Set aside refrigerated to keep cold; cold butter gives crumbly texture, prevents melting into batter.
- 3 Toss diced apples with brown sugar and lemon juice in a separate bowl. The acid keeps apple flesh firm, stops browning, and heightens tartness. Drain off excess juice lightly before layering to avoid soggy cake.
- 4 Whisk together flour, cinnamon, and baking powder in small bowl. Baking powder chosen over baking soda for even rise without metallic aftertaste, especially with buttermilk providing mild acidity.
- 5 In larger bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy—about 3-4 minutes. This aerates batter, ensures tender crumb.
- 6 Add eggs one at a time, beating just until incorporated to avoid overmixing which toughens gluten. Stir in vanilla if using.
- 7 Reduce mixer speed. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk in thirds, beginning and ending with dry. Mix just until lumps disappear. Batter will be thick but soft. Over-mixing toughens.
- 8 Spread cake batter evenly in prepared pan. Drain apple mixture lightly using a sieve or slotted spoon, arrange evenly atop batter.
- 9 Scatter crumble evenly on top. Resist pressing down — leave airy for crisp top.
- 10 Bake 50-60 minutes. Visual cues critical: edges turn golden, crumble tops dry and crackled, apples might bubble faintly through gaps. Insert skewer near center—should come out clean or with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- 11 Remove from oven; cool 20 minutes in pan on rack. Run a knife around edges before releasing springform to avoid tears.
- 12 Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely—warm cake holds moisture and collapses if unmolded too early.
- 13 When cold, sift powdered sugar generously. Drizzle salted caramel in thin stream over top. Serve slices at room temp or slightly warmed. Caramel melts smoothly, balances tart apples and crumb crunch.
- 14 If no buttermilk: use 60 ml milk + 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar, let sit 5 min, then proceed.
- 15 Whole wheat flour in crumble ups fiber, adds nuttiness. Rolled oats preferred over quick oats for chew and crisp contrast.
- 16 Apples should be firm, tart. McIntosh or Granny Smith; softer varieties turn mushy.
- 17 If crumble softens after storage, toast in oven briefly to refresh crunch.
- 18 Use cold butter in crumble; warm butter causes dense topping.
- 19 Avoid overbaking which dries cake and toughens fruit filling.
- 20 Taste tests: if apple juice runs excessively into batter, apple slice size might be too small or juicing too much.
- 21 Swap salted caramel drizzle with bourbon caramel for adult touch.
Crumble
Apple Filling
Cake Batter
Assembly
Baking and Finishing
Notes and Tips
Technique Tips
Observe batter texture: thick yet pipeable, not stiff dough. Aerate butter and sugar well—skip this and cake becomes heavy. Eggs added slowly so batter doesn’t break. Dry-to-wet ingredient alternations maintain emulsification. Cake pan prepped properly keeps edges clean. Apple juice drainage prevents runny batter; too juicy and cake wets. Crumble mixed cold, sprinkled loosely for light crisp. Bake timing variable—a little earlier/later depending on oven hot spots—judge doneness by skewer and look; golden brown edges are telltale. Cool fully for firm slices. Dust powdered sugar only once completely chilled to avoid melting. Drizzle caramel right before serving unless you want it to soak in. If crumble gets soggy, give a quick broil or toast blast to restore crunch. Patience and attention trump timers here.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Make sure the apples are tart, Granny Smith works well; avoid soft types. Drain excess juice from apples carefully to prevent a soggy batter. Mix until just combined—grittiness collects flavor.
- 💡 Light brown sugar in both cake and crumble gives nice sweetness without too much molasses taste. Cold butter for crumble is key—keep it firm for a proper texture. Resist the urge to press down—keep it airy for crisp.
- 💡 If buttermilk isn’t available, mix regular milk with lemon juice—let sit. Always aim for thick batter; if too thin, don’t fret. Add extra flour cautiously to regain consistency.
- 💡 Chill crumble before baking. If edges brown too quickly, cover with foil—stops burning but continue cooking through. Watch that skewer doesn’t bring back wet batter—better with a few moist crumbs.
- 💡 For extra crunch, toast the crumble after storage if it softens. Pressure testing is smart—watch for golden edges, and bubbly apples—those are your indicators for doneness.
