This marble apple crumb cake features marbles of tender yellow and cinnamon cake, cinnamon apples, a thick layer of buttery crumbs and a maple glaze.

Two squares of apple crumb cake stacked on top of each other on a white plate.

One of my favorite recipe discoveries of last year was America’s Test Kitchen’s crumb cake from the crumb cake bake off. It balances a finely crumbed cake with a thick layer of perfectly sweet and salty streusel.

For a fall version, we’re adding a layer of cinnamon apples and including a swirl of cinnamon batter to make this a marble crumb cake that’s quickly become one of my favorite apple desserts. It’s the perfect application to use any of your favorite apples!

Why you’ll love this recipe

Marble cake for fall: I LOVE a classic chocolate and vanilla marble cake, but this spiced version is just as fun! The ribbons of cinnamon cake add a fun visual aspect and impart more spices to the cake.
A fine, cakey crumb: This cake gets baked low and slow to set the fine crumb that you’ll achieve with the reverse creaming technique. My recipe tester commented “it’s very fine and cottony, which is pretty different from a more dense and buttery crumb cake that I’m more used to [in a crumb cake].”
Not too many apples: I might be in the minority, but I don’t love an excessive amount of apples in this type of cake. This cake has a modest amount of well-spiced apples that almost blend into the streusel crumb.

How I modified this apple crumb cake recipe

When I envisioned my ideal cinnamon apple crumb cake, I knew it had to fit the following requirements:

Smaller apple chunks that can nearly melt into the cake texture for an apple coffee cake vibe
A thick swath of soft buttery cake (no apples in the cake itself)
A generous amount of buttery crumble, ideally blanketed with glaze to mimic a grocery store crumb cake (and vaguely reminiscent of an apple fritter)

So I used the America’s Test Kitchen recipe as a base with the following tweaks:

Increased the base cake by 30%: This gives you more cake while also allowing you to use 2 whole eggs instead of an egg and an egg yolk. I was worried the extra egg white might affect the tenderness of the cake, but I didn’t find this to be the case!
Added a marble swirl to the cake: While I was very happy with the first test of this cake, my roommate suggested adding a cinnamon swirl and I couldn’t rest until I tried it. While you can definitely skip this step, I think splitting the batter to add in a cinnamon swirl makes for such a fun aesthetic.
Tested the crumb with all-purpose flour: In my opinion, cake flour is crucial for the tender texture of the cake. However, you can swap in all-purpose flour for the crumb on top without sacrificing any texture elements!
Added just two chopped apples under the crumb: I loved the thin layer of cinnamon apples in between the crumble topping and cake. While you might be tempted to add more apples to this cake, the additional moisture may throw off the bake time. You want the cake to be able to bake through under the apples without getting too dry.

A sideways shot of the apple crumb cake to show the close crumb.

Ingredients

Cake flour: The lower protein content of cake flour is crucial for the soft and tender texture of the cake. In a pinch, you can try swapping cake flour for all-purpose flour and cornstarch (at a ratio of 1 cup cake flour = 1 cup of all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons of cornstarch) but I REALLY recommend using cake flour if you can find it.
All-purpose flour: You can use either cake flour or all-purpose flour in the crumbs! I list all-purpose flour first in the recipe because it’s cheaper–I’d rather save the more expensive cake flour for the cake.
Apples: Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Macintosh, Granny Smith and Gala apples all work. I tested this recipe once using one Honeycrisp and one Pink Lady apple and once with a Honeycrisp and a Macintosh. If you like a more tart flavor, try Granny Smith apples. Slicing or dicing the apples thinly is important to allow the smaller apple pieces to cook through with the cake.
Unsalted butter: I always like using unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the cake.
Brown sugar: In both the cake and crumb, you can use either light or brown sugar. I used light brown sugar, but I think dark brown sugar would give a more dramatic color contrast.
Kosher salt: I always use Diamond kosher salt. If you’re using table salt or Morton’s salt, use a bit less than the amounts called for.
Buttermilk: Full-fat buttermilk is preferable to low-fat buttermilk. But you have options for substitutions! You can substitute the buttermilk with half sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt, half water or milk (any kind). OR you can use same amount of whole milk (or half heavy cream, half water) along with 1/2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for acidity. Whichever milk you use, make sure it’s at room temperature before adding to the batter for the best emulsification (I often pop the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds to take the chill off).
Large eggs: It’s also important to use room temperature eggs to prevent the batter from seizing. If you forgot to take your eggs out ahead of time, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes to warm them up.

How to make this apple crumb cake

Step 1: Peel, core and finely slice/chop the apples. Place in a large mixing bowl.

DIced apples, cinnamon and sugar mixed in a bowl.

Step 2: Add the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt to the chopped apples and toss to combine. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the crumb topping by combining the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.

A girl crumbling a brown sugar mixture into a glass bowl.

Step 4: Stir in the flour until you have a cohesive mixture and set aside.

Step 5: To make the cake, mix the cake flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a stand mixer on low until combined. Add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time and mix on medium low until the mixture is crumbly with lots of moistened crumbs, about 3 minutes.

Pouring a milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Step 6: In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, vinegar (if using) and vanilla extract until smooth. Stream into the flour mixture and mix on medium for one full minute.

Step 7: Pour about half the batter back into the wet ingredients bowl (~275g). Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and water and stir until fully incorporated.

A square baking pan holding alternating dollops of brown and white batter.

Step 8: Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, place dollops of plain batter in a checkerboard batter across the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Repeat using the cinnamon batter to fill in the holes.

Step 9: Sprinkle the apple mixture on top of the batter in an even layer.

A square baking pan filled with cake batter topped with apples and crumbs.

Step 10: Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the apples and bake for 45-55 min.

Step 11: While the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, water, vanilla and salt.

Maple glaze being drizzled over a crumb cake.

Step 10: Drizzle over the cake and enjoy!

A slice of apple crumb cake on a white plate with a bite taken out of it to show the close crumb.

Storage and make ahead

This apple crumble cake will keep for 4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I like microwaving the cake for 10-15 seconds to warm it up before eating! You can also freeze the baked cake, wrapped well, for several weeks.

If you’d like to prep this cake ahead of time, the crumbs can be mixed and stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to a week before.

Tip: using a light-colored metal pan for this cake is ideal because metal heats up more quickly and evenly. A glass pan will also work, but may cook the cake slightly less evenly. glass heats up more slowly (and retains heat better than metal), it will take longer to cook all the way through the center of your cake–and once you take it out of the oven, the edges may continue to cook, leading to a tougher outer texture.