Apple Crumble Cake

Dessert | American

Prep time: 30 min Cook time: 1 min Servings: 8

This recipe combines two of my favourite things in life; a delicious moist cake and apple crumble. Both which were the highlight of any meal when I was growing up. We really only had them on special occasions but I always looked forward to it.

Now this recipe is from my mate Sarah who was happy to share it with you all so you can make it at home. It is a little more technical than an apple crumble but it's worth the extra steps. It has a buttery base, thin tart apple rounds, and a cinnamon oat crumble that bakes crisp. And we've included fresh ginger to keep the sponge bright and the apples balanced.

I love prepping a cake like this for a dinner party as you can do all the prep before the guests even arrive, so when it's dessert time just slice and serve with some cinnamon cream.

Ingredient Notes

Green apples: Green apples (Granny Smith) are essential here. They hold their structure through two separate oven periods without breaking down into mush, and their tartness keeps the overall flavour in balance against the sweet crumble and butter sponge. Red apples have softer flesh and more sugar: they collapse during baking and make the apple layer too sweet and too soft. Peel and core the apples before slicing (i use a mandolin to get them nice and thin), and toss the rounds immediately in lemon juice to stop oxidation and browning while you arrange them in the tin.

Fresh ginger: Adds a clean, aromatic brightness that ground ginger doesn’t replicate: ground ginger has a drier, spicier character that can taste heavy in a butter cake. Three centimetres of fresh ginger is a moderate amount, enough to be noticeable without turning the cake specifically into a ginger cake. Peel the ginger before grating and grate on a fine microplane or the fine side of a box grater.

Double cream: Double cream has a fat content of around 48%, which is high enough to whip to firm, stable peaks that hold a quenelle cleanly. Thickened cream (35% fat) will also work, but it whips to a slightly softer texture. The icing sugar sweetens the cream lightly rather than making it noticeably sweet, and the ground cinnamon ties it to the spice in the crumble. Whip to firm peaks: the cream should hold its shape when the beaters are lifted and a quenelle formed with two spoons should stay neat on the plate for several minutes without slumping.

Equipment

Chopping board
Peeler
Mandolin (or sharp knife) and microplane
22cm (9-inch) springform cake tin
Baking paper
Food processor
Palette knife
Probe thermometer
Hand beaters or electric whisk
Large mixing bowl

Ingredients

Apple cake
185g unsalted butter, at room temperature
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
150g (1 cup) plain flour
110g (¾ cup) self-raising flour
5 green apples, peeled and cored
Juice of 1 lemon
300ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Crumble
145g (⅔ cup) brown sugar
75g (½ cup) plain flour
45g (½ cup) rolled oats
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
80g unsalted butter, diced and chilled

Directions

Make the base
Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced (355°F). Grease and line the base and sides of a 22cm (9 in) springform pan.
Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and ginger, process again until well combined.
Sift in flours and pulse until mixture just comes together. Spread evenly into the prepared tin, smoothing the surface with a pallet knife.
Bake first layer
Bake cake base for 15-18 minutes, until outside ring is just starting to golden but cake is not fully cooked.
Slice apples thinly on a mandolin in rounds then toss in the lemon juice. Arrange apples in concentric circles, starting around the outside, until completely covered.
Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 90°C (194°F) when probed.
Crumble topping
Combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, and spices in a food processor and process until well combined.
Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the apple layer in an even layer.
Bake for a further 25 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown. Set aside to completely cool in the tin.
Finish and serve
Whip cream, icing sugar and cinnamon to firm peaks.
Serve cake sliced with a quenelle of cinnamon cream on the side.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Use a mandolin and start from the outside

A mandolin set to 2-3mm gives you rounds that are thin enough to become fully tender during the bake without falling apart, and consistent thickness means they cook at the same rate. Uneven hand-cut slices will have some sections still firm while others have gone soft. After slicing, toss them immediately in the lemon juice to prevent browning while you work through all five apples. When arranging in the tin, start at the outside edge and work inward in concentric circles, overlapping slightly so there are no gaps. Cover the base layer completely before the tin goes back in the oven.

Don't have a probe?

If you don’t have a probe thermometer then insert a cake skewer carefully in the centre down to the cake layer and if it comes out with some crumbs (like a brownie texture) then it is ready for the next step.

Cool completely in the tin before releasing

The crumble topping is fragile when hot and will break apart if you try to release the tin too early. The apple layer also needs time to firm up as it cools. Leave the cake in the tin on a wire rack until completely cool, at least 1 to 2 hours, before releasing the springform sides. If you’re making it ahead, run a knife around the edge to loosen it, then cover the top of the tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Release the tin and transfer to a serving plate when you’re ready.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers covered or in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The crumble softens slightly in the fridge. Bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving, or warm individual slices in the oven at 150°C for 8 to 10 minutes to refresh the texture of the crumble topping. This cake doesn’t freeze well: the moisture in the apple layer changes the texture of both the sponge and crumble significantly after defrosting.

FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time? Yes, and it works well. Bake the cake the day before, cool it completely in the tin, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge 30 to 45 minutes before serving so it can come up to room temperature. The crumble stays crisp enough after a night in the fridge and the flavour actually improves slightly the next day as everything settles together.

Do I need a mandolin? No, but it helps a lot. A mandolin gives you consistently thin rounds that cook evenly and lie flat in neat circles. If cutting by hand, use a sharp knife and aim for 2-3mm slices, as uniform as you can make them. Thicker or uneven slices can mean parts of the apple layer are still underdone when the rest of the cake is ready. Take your time with the arrangement in the tin and make sure the base is completely covered with no gaps.