Shelly's Recipe

APPLE CRUMB COFFEE CAKE

Category: Coffee Cake

For the crumb topping:
1 cup pecans
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup flour
4 tbsp butter, melted

For the cake:
1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter, at soft room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350.

First, make the crumb topping and filling: Combine the nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse to coarsely chop, then remove about 1/2 cup and set aside. Add the flour and butter to the processor and pulse until it resembles crumbs. Refrigerate while making the cake batter.

Make the cake: Combine the apple and lemon juice. Toss to coat and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, 3 tbsp of applesauce, and vanilla until combined. Set aside.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add both the softened butter and the sour cream and mix for about a minute and a half, until the dry ingredients are really well absorbed. Add the egg mixture in two parts, beating for a minute in between. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix once more.

Scrape most of the batter (about 2/3) into a 9 inch cake pan prepared with a circle of parchment at the bottom and buttered on both sides and bottom. Sprinkle the batter with the 1/2 cup of reserved nuts mixture. Top with overlapping apple slices. Spread the remaining batter across the top.

Bake the cake for 35 minutes. Then, remove the crumb topping from the fridge. Sprinkle it over the top of the cake, pinching the crumbs to form a variety of sizes. Bake for another 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides and cool completely on a rack.