Apple crumble cake recipe

This apple crumble cake can be served hot or cold and counts towards one of your 5-a-day

The crumble topping in this apple cake contains a mix of flour and porridge oats for a crunchier finish. If you don’t have oats you can swap in more plain flour or use flaked almonds instead. This is a great bake to make with kids and it’s perfect for afternoon tea, dessert, picnics or parties.

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 150g plain flour
• 1-2tsp baking powder
• 200g butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 med eggs
• 50g ground almonds

For the apple topping:

• 900g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 75g caster sugar
• 100g mixed dried fruit or raisins
• 1tsp cinnamon

For the crumble:

• 10g butter
• 10g sugar
• 20g self-raising flour
• 20g porridge oats

Method

1. Heat oven 180C (160C fan, Gas 4) and line a deep baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, butter, caster sugar, eggs and ground almonds. Once light and creamy, spoon into the baking tray and bake for 20-30 mins until golden.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the apple filling. Cut the apples into cubes and add to a pan with the sugar and 1tbsp water. Warm over a medium heat with the lid on for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Add in the mixed dried fruit and cinnamon and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the mixture is soft. Set aside to cool a little.
4. Make the crumble topping by mixing all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands and sprinkle the mixture with your fingertips to make a breadcrumb type consistency.
5. Grease a baking tray with some butter and pour the crumble mixture onto the baking tray. Cook in the oven at 180C (160C fan, Gas 4) for 10-20 mins until golden and crisp. Make sure you shake the crumble mix every 5 mins so it evenly bakes.
6. Once all of the layers have cooled it’s time to assemble your cake. Put the sponge onto a wooden board and spoon on the apple topping pushing firmly down onto the sponge with the back of a wooden spoon.
7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top, covering the apple evenly. Cut into squares and serve.

Top tips for making apple crumble cake

If you have more apples, double the apple filling quantity and use leftovers as a cake filling or serve with granola and yogurt for a delicious breakfast.

For this recipe you’ll need a few different bowls and containers for all of the ingredients and mixing. If you don’t already have a big set, we like this space saving set from Joseph Joseph. 

Joseph Joseph Nest 9 set - View at Amazon

We like the blue tones of this set from Joseph Joseph but they also have a brighter set if you prefer. The set includes a colander, sieve and a couple of mixing bowls and cup measures which are very useful for baking.

Try our apple crumble recipe next if you want a classic dessert. This Hairy Bikers apple and blackberry crumble is another popular choice or our crumble cake makes a lovely afternoon treat.