I have fond memories of apple crumb cake.
Memories of lazy afternoons spent in my moms teeny, yet preciously cozy kitchen. The two of us squished in the tiny space, side by side, knocking elbows, bumping hips, dancing around each other, and laughing wildly about nothing at all…
It was just us two among numerous open cookbooks, bags of sugar, clouds of flour. and apple peels splashed across the countertop. One of us would be mixing the cake batter, while the other sliced apples, and stirred up a buttery crumble. My brothers would be in the other room playing; one by one they would poke their heads in to see what we were up to, and what was taking so long, and when it would be ready to eat… we were just a mom and daughter lost in a moment of baking bliss.
The kitchen would be an absolute disaster by the time we were through, but it didn’t matter. We made so many beautiful messes in that little kitchen. I remember you could barely open a cupboard without things overflowing out at you, and trying to fit more than two people in the space at once was near impossible. It was tiny. but it had all the room in the world to house all of those treasured moments, and beloved memories.
We no longer have that kitchen to bake in, and having left the nest, my mom is no longer always by my side…
But whenever I bake an apple crumb cake I think of her, and am reminded of that tiny kitchen. The kitchen she taught me how to bake in; the kitchen I stood up on a dining room chair just so I could reach the countertops and watch her making something delicious with just her two hands; the kitchen that saw countless trays of warm chocolate chip cookies, fudgy brownies, vanilla birthday cakes with chocolate frosting, buttery scones, peanut butter cookies, banana breads with butter and jam; the kitchen where we baked the most beautiful blueberry pie, only to drop it right out of the oven and watch is splatter across the floor; the kitchen where we cried, and then laughed over sunken muffin tops and countless other baking fails; the kitchen I grew up in; the kitchen I baked apple crumb cakes like this in with my darling mum by my side.
Apple crumb cake warms my heart in a special way, so all I hope in sharing this recipe, is that it will one day do the same for you. I hope you call up your mum, or maybe your dad, or your sister, or your brother, or your daughter, or a friend to bake this one with. There are times when I love nothing more than to bake alone; but then there are some recipes that I cant help but feel are made even better when baked together with someone you hold dear to your heart.
And then promise me that you will share a slice together. If nothing else, this is a dessert meant for sharing over a cup of steaming tea or hot coffee; A dessert to be enjoyed together.
Happy baking lovelies
Brown Sugar Spiced Apple & Pecan Crumble Cake with Maple Glaze
Things you need…
Brown Sugar Apple Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
Brown Sugar Crumble & Apple Topping
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
3-4 apples, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
Maple Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 -2 tbsp pure maple syrup
How to make…
Brown Sugar Crumble
Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add cold butter, and work it in with your fingers until crumbly. Add in Pecans and work them in until crumbly. Set aside until ready to use.
Core your apples, and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Set aside while you mix your cake batter.
Brown Sugar Apple Cake
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a 10″ round baking dish – one that is at least 3-4 inches deep.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, lemon zest and sugar until pale and fluffy – about 4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing until fluffy and scraping down the sides of your bowl after each addition. Add in vanilla and beat until fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
Turn your mixer to low, and add the flour alternately with the buttermilk in three additions, ending with the flour until everything is added. Turn mixer to medium and beat until smooth and there are no lumps, but don’t over mix. Fold in grated apple, and pour batter into prepared baking pan.
Fan apple slices out on top of the cake batter. Sprinkle all of the the brown sugar crumble over top of the cake batter and apples, leaving some of the apple slices visible (if desired)
Bake cake in the center of your oven for 45-55 minutes or until the center is set and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Maple Glaze
In a bowl, whisk together maple syrup and powdered sugar until smooth.
If your glaze is too thick, add a splash more maple syrup 1/2 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. . Similarly if your glaze is too thin, add a bit more icing sugar, 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is reached. You want it to be nice and thick, and just thin enough to drizzle
Drizzle over the top of the cake. Allow glaze to set for at least fifteen minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
Leave a Reply