Today we’ve partnered with In The Raw® to bring you an elevated classic fall recipe, destined to become a cherished favorite in your home.

The Ultimate Apple Crumb Cake: A Fall Baking Essential with Double the Delight

There’s an unparalleled joy in baking for your loved ones, especially as the crisp air of autumn ushers in the holiday season. The act of creating something delicious, often from time-honored recipes passed down through generations, transforms simple ingredients into an expression of love and warmth. Today, we’re diving into that very spirit with a truly spectacular Apple Crumb Cake recipe. What began as a classic crumb cake, shared years ago by a dear family friend, has been lovingly enhanced to create an extraordinary experience. We’ve elevated this traditional treat by incorporating abundant chunks of fresh, juicy apples, infusing it with the comforting warmth of cinnamon, and crowning it with an utterly irresistible double crumb topping. Yes, you read that correctly – double the crumb topping for double the pleasure!

Effortless Elegance: A Crumb Cake Designed for Joyful Baking

One of the many charms of this Apple Crumb Cake is its remarkable simplicity. There’s nothing overly complicated or demanding about this recipe; it comes together with ease and bakes into an absolute masterpiece, making it an ideal candidate for your fall baking repertoire. Seriously, the most challenging part of the entire process is the waiting game! Once the intoxicating aroma of apples and cinnamon begins to waft through your kitchen, filling every corner with its promise of sweet delight, you’ll be counting down the minutes until you can savor a slice. Good luck trying to let it cool completely before your family dives in – if they’re anything like mine, slices will be claimed and devoured while still wonderfully warm.

Thankfully, this recipe is designed to produce two delightful loaf cakes, meaning you can both indulge in your freshly baked treat and generously share the joy. Imagine wrapping up one of these exquisite loaves to offer as a thoughtful thank-you to a special neighbor, a cherished friend, or a deserving colleague. It’s a delicious way to spread kindness and share the heartwarming taste of homemade goodness.

The Secret to Perfection: Embracing the Double Crumb Topping

When developing this recipe, I momentarily questioned if I might have gone a bit overboard with the crumble topping. So, I turned to my trusty taste-tester, Mr. Sellman, for his expert opinion. His immediate and emphatic response? “You can never have too much crumble!” And honestly, I couldn’t agree more. Who could possibly resist a generous, crunchy-sweet streusel topping, subtly spiced with cinnamon, perfectly complementing a cake that remains incredibly moist and tender thanks to those delightful chunks of fresh apple? It’s a match made in heaven, much like how Mr. Sellman is my perfect companion – I bake it, and he enthusiastically eats it!

I am truly grateful for my husband and all his dedicated taste-testing efforts over the years. It’s a demanding job, tasting countless treats, but somebody has to do it, and I’m incredibly glad it’s him. This double crumb topping isn’t just an addition; it’s a signature feature that elevates this Apple Crumb Cake from merely good to absolutely unforgettable. Each bite offers a delightful textural contrast: the soft, spiced cake, the tender apple pieces, and the irresistible crunch of that glorious streusel.

Sweetening the Deal: Introducing In The Raw® Organic White Sugar

Beyond the luscious apple chunks and the indulgent double crumble, I introduced another exciting element to this already fantastic crumb cake: a swap from traditional sugar to In The Raw®’s superb new Organic White Sugar. Sugar In The Raw Organic White® is the latest addition to the esteemed In The Raw® family of products, renowned for their commitment to natural sweetness. This organic white sugar beautifully retains that signature unbleached color that fans of the original Sugar In The Raw® have come to know and love. What sets it apart for baking, however, are its finer crystals. This characteristic makes it remarkably versatile and ideal for both cooking and baking, as it blends effortlessly into any recipe, ensuring a smooth, consistent texture.

I first put this fantastic sugar to the test in my Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, where it performed beautifully, delivering a perfectly balanced sweetness. Inspired by that success, I decided to give it another whirl in today’s Apple Crumb Cake recipe. Once again, it incorporated flawlessly into both the cake batter and, most notably, in the crumb topping. The subtle caramel notes inherent in its natural state truly enhanced the overall flavor profile, making this cake even more delightful.

Baking Tips for Your Best Apple Crumb Cake

• Choose the Right Apples: For baking, firm, slightly tart apples work best. Varieties like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, or Granny Smith hold their shape well and provide a lovely counterpoint to the sweetness of the cake.
• Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and eggs are at room temperature. This allows them to cream together properly, creating a smooth, emulsified batter that results in a tender, well-textured cake.
• Don’t Overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to a tough cake.
• Prepare Your Pans: Buttering, flouring, and lining your loaf pans with parchment paper is crucial for easy removal. This cake is too beautiful to get stuck!
• Cooling is Key: While it’s tempting to dig in immediately, allowing the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack ensures it sets properly and prevents it from breaking. Cooling completely before glazing is also important for the glaze to set beautifully without melting away.

Now, with these tips and the delightful recipe below, go forth and bake up this incredible Apple Crumb Cake. Fill someone’s day – or your own – with the pure joy, comfort, and undeniable deliciousness of a homemade treat that truly embodies the spirit of fall!

The Recipe: Ultimate Apple Crumb Cake

APPLE CRUMB CAKE
A recipe by Carrie Sellman

For the Double Crumb Topping:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Sugar In The Raw Organic White®
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter, diced into small cubes
3/4 cup apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced (petite diced)

1. In a spacious mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, Sugar In The Raw Organic White®, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or even your fingertips, work the cold, diced butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout.
3. Gently stir in the finely diced apples. Once combined, refrigerate the crumble mixture until you are ready to use it. This helps keep the butter cold and the topping crisp.

For the Moist Apple Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup Sugar In The Raw Organic White®
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and petite diced

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare two standard 9×5-inch loaf pans by greasing them thoroughly with butter, dusting with flour, and then lining the bottoms with parchment paper, allowing some overhang for easy removal. Set the prepared pans aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients for the cake: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Ensure they are well combined. Set this bowl aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and Sugar In The Raw Organic White® on medium-high speed. Cream them together until the mixture is visibly pale and fluffy, a process that usually takes about 4 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
4. Add the eggs to the butter-sugar mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated before adding the next.
5. Stir in the vanilla extract and blend until just combined.
6. With the mixer set to low speed, gradually add approximately one-third of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until just barely combined. Then, add one-half of the sour cream and mix until smooth.
7. Continue by adding another third of the dry ingredients, mixing briefly. Follow this with the remaining sour cream, and finally, the last portion of the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed only until the ingredients are just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
8. Gently fold in the petite diced apple chunks using a spatula until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
9. Divide the cake batter evenly between your two prepared loaf pans. Spread the batter gently to level it.
10. Generously top each pan of batter with the chilled crumble mixture, ensuring an even layer over both cakes.
11. Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, indicating it is fully baked.
12. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about 15 minutes before carefully removing them. Transfer the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Simple Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
2 tablespoons milk (any type)

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk. Whisk with a fork until the mixture is completely smooth and free of lumps. Once the apple crumb cakes have cooled completely, use a fork to artfully drizzle the glaze over the tops of the cakes. Allow the glaze to set for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving. This cake pairs perfectly with a steaming cup of coffee or a comforting mug of hot tea.

In The Raw®, where sweetness runs in the family.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by In The Raw®, via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of In The Raw®. Recipe and photography by Carrie Sellman for The Cake Blog.