Apple Crumble Cake Recipe – perfect pud or coffee morning cake

Beautifully moist spicy apple crumble cake recipe with a filling with af stewed apples and crunchy Crumble topping. A tasty treat for a coffee morning, winters dessert or just because with a brew.

When I cook this cake I’m reminded of the many time I baked with mum when I was little, sitting on the work top and smelling the cake batter as it wafted up for the mixer. It evokes warm memories of spices cooking, apples heating and licking the K beater on mums Kenwood Chef which had its own signature oily aroma as it was put through its paces. The kitchen was wood panel lined like a Swedish sauna (circa 1970s) and there was always a bustle of something good and home-cooked coming from it. Apple Crumble was one of the much loved dishes that came from the oven as well as mums Apple Cake. I’ve blurred a couple of mine and mums recipes here to combine a new family Winner at the table.

Ingredients

Cake batter

200g Butter

200g soft brown sugar

2 eggs

200g  self raising flour

 Apples

50g sultanas

2 rounded tsp ground cinnamon

2 large Bramley apples

 Crumble

100g Plain flour

100g Butter

100g Demerara sugar

50g oats

1 tbsp ground cinnamon (we like a lotta cinnamon although you can half this if you prefer)

Preparation

Apples

Address the Apples first, like ‘Howdy!’

Peel and core the apples, then slice to 2 or 3 mm thickness and place in a large pan

You have 2 choices at this point just to jazz it up

a) Sauté the apples, sultanas and cinnamon on a medium heat until soft but not mushy

Leave to one side to cool, there’s no need to add liquid

b) Slice finely and add a squeeze of lemon to stop them going brown and flatten cling film over them so the air doesn’t turn them

Cake

For the cake batter beat the butter, cinnamon and sugar till smooth and lighter in colour, this is when the air is incorporated to the mix

Lightly whisk the eggs to break up the albumen and add to the mix

Finally sift the flour to keep the mix light and airy

Assembly to oven

Prepare a cake tin by oiling and cutting a greaseproof non stick liner to fit

Carefully add 2/3 of the cake batter to the tin and level slightly

If you have chosen Apples A) gently smooth the apple mix over the batter without using lots of pressure

Or Apples B) layer the sliced apples and scatter sultanas and cinnamon

Add the final 1/3 of cake batter and level again

Bake 180oC for 25-30 minutes

Crumble

When the cake is has been baking for 15 minutes, layer the crumble mix. This will bake and go golden on the top as the cake continues to cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.

Test the batter with a cocktail stick or skewer to ensure the dip is clean, if there is wet batter it needs another 5 minutes (and repeat if necessary as there is a lot of moisture)

Once removed from the oven let it cool at ambient temperature, not near an open window or this will cause condensation and make for a messy turn-out!

Great with clotted cream, custard or on its own with a strong brew.