This is Sarah's apple crumble cake - buttery base, thin tart apple rounds, and a cinnamon oat crumble that bakes crisp. Fresh ginger keeps the sponge bright and the apples balanced. Make it ahead, serve with cinnamon cream.
Category
Dessert
Servings
8-10
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
1.10 minutes
This is Sarah's apple crumble cake - buttery base, thin tart apple rounds, and a cinnamon oat crumble that bakes crisp. Fresh ginger keeps the sponge bright and the apples balanced. Make it ahead, serve with cinnamon cream.
Ingredients
- 185g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3cm piece fresh ginger, finely grated
- 150g (1 cup) plain flour
- 110g (¾ cup) self-raising flour
- 5 green apples, peeled and cored
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 300ml double cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 145g (⅔ cup) brown sugar
- 75g (½ cup) plain flour
- 45g (½ cup) rolled oats
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- 80g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
Apple cake
Crumble
Directions
Make the base
Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced (355°F). Grease and line the base and sides of a 22cm (9 in) springform pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a food processor until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and ginger, process again until well combined.
- Sift in flours and pulse until mixture just comes together. Spread evenly into the prepared tin, smoothing the surface with a pallet knife.
Bake first layer
Bake cake base for 15-18 minutes, until top is slightly golden.
- Slice apples thinly on a mandolin in rounds then toss in the lemon juice. Arrange apples in concentric circles, starting around the outside, until completely covered.
- Return to the oven and bake for a further 25-28 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 90°C (194°F) when probed.
Crumble topping
Combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, and spices in a food processor and process until well combined.
- Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the apple layer in an even layer.
- Bake for a further 25 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown. Set aside to completely cool in the tin.
Finish and serve
Whip cream, icing sugar and cinnamon to firm peaks.
- Serve cake sliced with a quenelle of cinnamon cream on the side.
Recipe notes
Origins
This cake came about from a love of apple crumble, but also a love of cake, and an easier way to serve dessert for a crowd….so the mash-up of apple crumble cake was born.
Cook support
If you don’t have a probe thermometer then insert a cake skewer carefully in the centre down to the cake layer and if it comes out with some crumbs (like a brownie texture) then it is ready for the next step.
Substitutions
You will need tart cooking apples for this recipe as red apples will be too sweet overall.
Storage
Best to refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.
