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Sour cream keeps this apple cake tender beneath a buttery cinnamon crumb topping. Small apple pieces are folded through the batter, so there is no separate fruit filling to prepare.
Ingredients
- 220 g all-purpose flour, divided
- 140 g brown sugar, divided
- 110 g butter, divided
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon, divided
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g peeled diced apple
Method
- Heat oven to 175°C / 350°F. Grease and line a 20 cm square pan. Dice the peeled apple into pieces about 7 mm across. Keep 80 g butter softened and melt the remaining 30 g.
- For the crumb topping, mix 40 g flour, 40 g brown sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in the 30 g melted butter with a fork to make coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Whisk the remaining 180 g flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon. In another bowl, beat the 80 g softened butter with remaining 100 g brown sugar until creamy.
- Beat eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, then add vanilla. Fold in half the dry mixture, the sour cream, then the rest of the dry mixture. Gently fold in all the diced apple.
- Spread batter in the pan and scatter the reserved crumbs evenly on top. Bake 38–45 minutes until the center springs back lightly and a skewer comes out without wet batter. Cover loosely with foil if the crumbs brown too quickly.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 45 minutes before lifting out and cutting into nine squares. Serve without icing; coffee cake means a cake served with coffee, and this recipe contains no coffee.
- Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Bring portions briefly toward room temperature or warm gently before serving. Freeze individual squares for up to two months.
Set aside the topping amounts first
The flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon are divided between the cake and crumbs. Measure the topping before mixing the batter.
Keep the apple pieces small
Pieces around seven millimeters soften during the baking time and distribute easily through the batter.
Check the cake below the crumbs
A crisp topping can form before the center is ready. Test the cake itself near the middle.
FAQs
- How many servings does this make?
Makes 9 servings using the pan or equipment listed.
- What should I check before serving?
Cool in the pan on a rack for 45 minutes before lifting out and cutting into nine squares. Serve without icing; coffee cake means a cake served with coffee, and this recipe contains no coffee.
- How should I store leftovers?
Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Bring portions briefly toward room temperature or warm gently before serving. Freeze individual squares for up to two months.
