Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake

August 25, 2026
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Apple desserts are my very favorite. Above chocolate, pastries, cakes… even sour patch kids… a good apple dessert will always be at the top of my list, so when it came to developing this apple cinnamon crumb cake… the stakes were high.

This cake had to be moist, tender and absolutely delicious for starters, plus it had to be easy to make because you know it will be on rotation in my own kitchen and I don’t like high maintenance recipes.

After a few trials and some still delicious, but not quite there yet “errors”, this apple cinnamon crumb cake was born and I could not be more happy with how it turned out. It is warm, tender, perfectly sweet and extra apple-y. Enough talking about it, let’s get started…

There are three main elements in this cake – the sponge, the apples and the crumb topping.

I like to start by mixing up the crumb topping and place it in the freezer until everything else is ready. This way the butter firms up a bit and this will help the crumb hold its shape as it bakes. This order is optional and you definitely aren’t going to hurts anything if you don’t freeze the crumb, I just love those big crumbles and freezing helps them out.

Next, I peel and dice 2 large apples (about 2 cups diced) and toss them with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Set them aside until the cake batter is mixed.

Two out of three elements – done.

This batter is very straight forward and can be made with a good whisk, so no need to bring out the stand mixer for this one. You can use an electric hand mixer if you want to safe your biceps for the gym though.

In a large bowl, whisk 8 tablespoons of softened butter with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until creamy. Add 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

Sift 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the bowl and mix until just combined. Like with most cakes, avoid over mixing the batter or the cake may become dense.

Spread the batter evenly into a greased and parchment lined 9″x9″ or 7″x11″ baking dish and top with the cinnamon apples.

Now, start crumbling the cinnamon crumb topping over the apples. We are adding a lot of crumb to this cake. See how the entire cake is covered, but there is still a bunch left in the bowl? We are going to add all of it over the cake… every crumb.

Once all of the crumb is evenly spread over the apples, bake the cake in a 350 degree oven for 45-48 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the middle of the cake clean.

Let the cake cool for an hour before transferring it out of the baking dish.

While it is cooling, whisk a tablespoon of pure maple syrup and 2 teaspoons of milk into a cup of confectioners sugar. You are looking for a good consistency for drizzling, so if it looks thick… add a splash of milk or if it looks too thin… add a little bit more confectioners sugar. Its super flexible!

Drizzle your maple glaze over the top and prepare yourself for one of the best apple desserts you will ever dig into… and that is saying something coming from me…

The cake is so moist and perfectly spiced. The apples are tender and sweet and we didn’t even need to cook them ahead or add any additional sugar to them. The cinnamon crumb is buttery, crumbly and the perfectly textural addition to this cake.

If you love apple desserts then you will have to give this one a try!

If you love apple desserts like me, you may want to give my apple fritter cookies, these apple granola muffins, my apple fritter cake and this apple fritter focaccia a try soon!

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