Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake

This is the BEST cinnamon apple crumb cake recipe! Ultra moist and loaded with warm cinnamon, sweet apples, and a buttery crumb topping. It's perfect for fall baking and apple picking season!

If crumb topping is your love language, you will love this cinnamon apple crumb cake. 

A crumb cake is a great recipe for minimal effort baking while still being super impressive. I have found true love in crumb cakes, which is why I have so many varieties like strawberry and blueberry!

This apple cake has been a coveted secret recipe in my family for years and gets rave reviews every single time I make it. It's a great way to use fresh fall apples and packs apple cinnamon flavor in every single bite. It's one of my favorite recipes for fall baking!

This quick and easy recipe comes together in one bowl with minimal prep time and no complicated steps or stand mixer needed, so you can spend less time baking and more time enjoying all the fall smells coming from your oven.

Top it with vanilla ice cream for an indulgent fall dessert or enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner...I won't tell! 😉

For more fall recipes, try Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, Apple Butter Cookies, Plum Bars, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake, and Apple Cider Donut Cake.

why you'll love this recipe

• Moist apple cake: No dry cakes here! This cake is packed with freshly grated apples and apple juice which keeps the cake ultra tender and moist, and it stays that way for days!!
• Cinnamon apple: This cake is packed with a warm cinnamon apple flavor that you can taste in every single bite!
• Apple lovers: If you're not a big fan of pumpkin-flavored treats you must try this recipe.
• Easy recipe: This apple streusel cake requires no special equipment and the steps are very simple and straightforward.
• Streusel crumb topping: The best part of a crumb cake is obviously the crumb topping!

ingredient notes

Find the full ingredient measurements and instructions in the recipe card below!

• Red apples: This recipe is best with red apples. I recommend Gala apples because they can be found in any grocery store and give this cake the perfect amount of sweetness!
• Oil: I use canola oil in this recipe but it can be substituted with any other flavorless oil like a vegetable.
• Brown sugar: This cake uses both dark brown and light brown sugar. The dark brown sugar makes the cake extra tender and the light brown sugar is used for the crumb topping.
• Large eggs: Room temperature eggs must be used. I recommend taking the eggs out of the fridge and placing them in a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes to bring them to room temperature.
• Unsalted butter: The butter will be used to make the buttery crumb topping!

recipe instructions

Here is how to make this apple crumb cake! You will need one large mixing bowl for the batter and a smaller bowl for the crumb topping. Before you start, line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 325 F/165 C.

STEP ONE: Make the crumb topping. Mix the flour, light brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Dice the cold butter into cubes and add it to the bowl. Use a pastry cutter or fork to combine the butter into the dries until it starts to form crumbs and clump together when squeezed in your hand. Set aside.

STEP TWO: Cream the oil and sugar. In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil and dark brown sugar until combined.

STEP THREE: Mix in the wet ingredients. Whisk in the room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, grated apples, and apple juice until combined.

STEP FOUR: Mix in the dry ingredients. Whisk in the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda until combined.

STEP FIVE: Bake! Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the crumb mixture, then bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out covered with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes then pull the parchment up to lift it out of the pan and let it cool completely on the cooling rack. Then whisk together the icing and drizzle over the top. Cut into slices and enjoy!

expert baking tips

• Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card.
• Use fresh apples. Fresher apples are easier to grate. If they are older they will be too mushy!
• Skip the crumb topping. Not a fan of crumb topping? Another delicious variation is topping the batter with cinnamon sugar before baking!
• Baking times may vary. All ovens are different and your cake may bake quicker or take longer than the baking time on the recipe card. I recommend keeping an eye on it and testing for doneness occasionally!

variations

• Instead of the crumb topping, mix together ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle it over the top before baking.
• Skip the crumb topping and frost it with vanilla buttercream.

storage & freezing

• Room temperature: To keep the cake from drying out, slice it as needed. Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also keep it in the baking pan and cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
• Freezer: Cut the cake into slices then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the freezer. You can also wrap it whole before slicing!

faq's

more fall recipes to try

If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you're there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

Recipe 📖

5 from 14 votes

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Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake

This is the BEST cinnamon apple crumb cake recipe! Ultra moist and loaded with warm cinnamon, sweet apples, and a buttery crumb topping. It's perfect for fall baking and apple picking season!

Servings 16 slices

Prep 10 mins

Cook 40 mins

Total 50 mins

Course : Dessert

Cuisine : American

Author : Cambrea Gordon

Equipment

• square 8x8 baking pan

Need Metric Measurements?Use the button options below to toggle between US cups and Metric grams!

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the Crumb Topping

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 4 tablespoon cold unsalted butter cubed
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the Apple Cake

• 2 small red Gala apples
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the Glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 F/ 165 C. Line a square 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and diced butter with a pastry cutter or fork until combined and crumbs form. Set it aside.
  ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup light brown sugar, 4 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• Use the large holes of a cheese grater to grate two red apples into a medium bowl.
• Squeeze out all of the juice from the apples into the bowl and measure out 1 packed cup (188 grams) of grated apples. Then measure out ½ cup + 2 tablespoon (130 grams) of the juice from the bowl. Discard any extra juice and grated apples. Set them aside until ready to use.
  2 small red Gala apples
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil and dark brown sugar.
  1 cup canola oil, 2 cups dark brown sugar
• Whisk in the eggs, vanilla, grated apples, and apple juice until combined.
  2 large eggs, room temperature, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whisk in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
  2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Spread the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the batter.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Cool the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes or until the pan is warm but touchable.
• Remove the cake from the pan and allow it to continue cooling on the rack.
• To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. If you want it thinner add more cream. If you want it thicker, add more powdered sugar.
  ½ cup powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoon heavy cream or milk, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• Drizzle the glaze over the cake then cut into 9-16 slices and enjoy!

Notes

Step-by-step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.

recipe notes

• Should I peel the apples? No need to peel the apples, they will still bake up really tender and you wont even notice they're there.
• Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card.
• Use fresh apples. Fresher apples are easier to grate. If they are older they will be too mushy!
• Skip the crumb topping. Not a fan of crumb topping? Another delicious variation is topping the batter with cinnamon sugar before baking!
• Baking times may vary. All ovens are different and your cake may bake quicker or take longer than the baking time on the recipe card. I recommend keeping an eye on it and testing for doneness occasionally!

 

storage & freezing

• Room temperature: To keep the cake from drying out, slice it as needed. Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. You can also keep it in the baking pan and cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
• Freezer: Cut the cake into slices then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the freezer. You can also wrap it whole before slicing!

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.