Name: Spiced Apple Crumb Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 cup granulated sugar; ½ cup vegetable oil; ½ cup milk (whole, 2%, or almond milk); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 large eggs (beaten); 2 cups Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and chopped,, about 2 medium-sized apples); ½ cup dark brown sugar; ¾ cup flour; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

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Moist, tender cake baked with lots of warm, cozy spices and diced apples, and topped with a buttery crumb topping. This cake makes the perfect fall dessert or breakfast!

Apple recipes are my favorite when the weather starts to cool a bit and this warm, moist, spiced apple crumb cake is my current obsession! For more fall desserts, check out our Southern Pecan Pie and Best Ever Bread Pudding recipes next!

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What Is a Crumb Cake?
Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
How To Make This Cake
Variations of This Recipe
Storing This Cake
Important Tips For Making This Apple Crumb Cake
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
Check Out These Other Fall-Ready Recipes Before You Go!
📖 Recipe

side shot of two slices of spiced apple crumb cake stacked on a brown plate with apples, cinnamon stick and star anise pods in the perimeter of shot.

What Is a Crumb Cake?

A crumb cake is basically just a basic cake batter, typically yellow cake, topped with a buttery crumble topping that's baked together until golden. New York-style crumb cake recipes are extremely popular and typically feature ground cinnamon and a dusting of powdered sugar as well.

overhead shot of spiced apple crumb cake on parchment paper on top of wooden surface with apples and cinnamon sticks in the perimeter of the shot.

Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe

Cake Ingredients

All-purpose flour. All-purpose flour gives this cake a nice, fluffy texture. There is no need to use cake flour for this cake as we are not looking for a very delicate crumb.

Baking powder. This is one of the leavening agents used that will help the cake rise. Be sure your baking powder is no more than six months old! Old baking powder can completely ruin the texture of your cake, causing it to be dense and not rise properly.

Baking soda. This is the second leavening agent used to help the cake rise. Just like with the baking powder, be sure your baking soda is no more than six months old! Old baking soda can completely ruin the texture of your cake, causing it to be dense and not rise properly

Ground cinnamon. This ingredient adds a nice warmth and slight spice and sweetness to the cake.

Ground nutmeg. This ingredient adds a nuttiness and nice spice as well.

Ground ginger. This spice also adds warmth and a subtle spiciness.

Ground cardamom. The complex flavor of this spice adds a slight citrus flavor along with subtle mintiness, sweetness, and spice.

Ground cloves. This spice adds subtle sweetness along with spice.

Salt. A little salt always brings out the flavors of the other ingredients in sweet recipes.

Granulated Sugar. This sweetens the cake and brings out the spices used.

Vegetable oil. Oil is used in this cake batter instead of butter and gives it a very moist, fluffy texture.

Milk. Whole, 2%, or almond milk work great in this cake batter. If you use buttermilk, start with a ¼ cup more as it is much thicker than other types of milk.

Vanilla extract. A good quality vanilla extract provides great depth and delicious flavor enhancement to the cake.

Eggs. Large eggs act as our binder in this cake recipe.

Granny smith apples. You can also use any other variety of apple you prefer. I find that the tartness of the granny smith apples is absolutely delicious in this cake. Be sure to peel, core, and chop your apples. We will use two medium-sized apples for this cake.

Crumb Topping Ingredients

Dark brown sugar

All-purpose flour

Ground cinnamon

Unsalted butter

close up side shot of two slices of spiced apple crumb cake stacked on a brown plate with apples, cinnamon stick and star anise pods in the perimeter of shot.

How To Make This Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with baking spray and set aside.

To a small mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter for the crumble topping. Using a fork, mix all ingredients until combined and all of the flour has been moistened with butter. Set aside.

overhead shot of crumb topping in mixing bowl.

To a separate large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, cloves, salt, and sugar. Whisk everything until combined. Set aside.

overhead shot of dry cake ingredients in mixing bowl.

To a separate medium bowl, add oil, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Whisk ingredients until thoroughly combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour egg mixture into the well. Use a rubber spatula to mix the egg mixture with the flour mixture until just combined and no more dry flour is visible.

overhead shot of egg mixture for cake batter in a mixing bowl.

overhead shot of spiced apple crumb cake batter.

Add the chopped apples to the cake batter and fold in with a rubber spatula until evenly mixed into the batter. Transfer batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth out evenly. Using your fingers, top the cake batter evenly with the crumble topping, breaking up any large clumps as you go.

Bake cake for 40-50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean aside from a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan then remove the cake from the pan by gently turning it out upside down onto parchment paper.

Gently turn the cake back over onto a wire rack lined with parchment to cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle a simple powdered sugar vanilla glaze over top and enjoy!

side shot of spiced apple crumb cake on wooden suface wiht an apple in the background.

Variations of This Recipe

This crumb cake batter and topping can serve as the base for a number of different variations to this recipe. Feel free to adjust the spices used and to add any of the following ingredients:

Canned pumpkin
Blueberries
Bananas
Raspberries
Strawberries
Pears
Peaches
Chocolate chips
Cranberries

Storing This Cake

This cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3-4 days.

You can also freeze this cake by wrapping leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, then in tin foil, and placing the wrapped cake in a freezer bag. The cake will keep up to three months in the freezer and can be thawed in the microwave.

side shot of slice of apple crumb cake on a brown plate with apples and more cake in the background.

Important Tips For Making This Apple Crumb Cake

As mentioned earlier, be sure that your baking powder and baking soda are no more than six months old. Old leavening agents can ruin the texture of your baked goods and cause them to turn out dense.

I recommend chopping the apples into pretty small pieces. They do not have to be perfect but I find that smaller chunks yield the best texture.

You can line your baking pan with parchment paper if you prefer to make the removal of the cake easier. Just be sure and leave some parchment paper hanging over the edges so that you use it as handles to help remove the cake.

close up overhead shot of spiced apple crumb cake on parchment paper on top of wooden surface with apples and cinnamon sticks in the perimeter of the shot.

Recommended Tools for This Recipe

Spiced Apple Crumb Cake