Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Cake
A cozy fall dessert featuring tender apples, a buttery brown sugar streusel topping, and a salted caramel drizzle that balances sweet and salty flavors perfectly.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10-20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120ml) whole milk (or almond milk)
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed (for streusel)
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed (for streusel)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
- Pinch of salt (for streusel)
- ½ cup (120ml) store-bought or homemade salted caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round or 8×8-inch square cake pan or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, toss sliced apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Make streusel topping by combining flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Add cold cubed butter and rub with fingertips or pastry cutter until coarse crumbs form.
- In a large bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Pour half the batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Layer apple mixture on top, then pour remaining batter over apples and smooth gently.
- Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and streusel is golden brown. Tent with foil if streusel browns too fast.
- Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. Drizzle salted caramel sauce generously over the top while warm.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
If streusel browns too quickly, tent cake with foil halfway through baking. Use a sharp knife or mandoline to slice apples thinly but evenly to avoid mushiness. Chilling batter for 10 minutes before baking can improve rise but is optional. For dairy-free, substitute butter with coconut oil and use dairy-free caramel. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend instead of all-purpose flour.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of cake
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 30
- Sodium: 220
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 9
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 4
Keywords: apple crumble cake, salted caramel, fall dessert, brown sugar streusel, cozy cake, autumn dessert