Shelly's Recipe

APPLE NUT MUFFIN CAKE WITH CRUMB TOPPING

Category: Cakes

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup apple cider or juice (or another 1/2 cup milk)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut into small dice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 cup moist, plump raisins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Use an 8-inch square silicone pan, or butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, and tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the milk, cider, egg, vanilla and almond extracts and butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt to combine thoroughly. Toss in the brown sugar, making sure there aren’t any lumps by running it through your fingers, then add the oats and whisk the dry ingredients a few more times to mix. Switch to a large rubber spatula and stir in the liquid ingredients, stirring just until everything is moistened—as with muffins, less mixing is better than more. Gently stir in the apple, nuts and raisins, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for a couple of minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding the cake; invert and cool until warm, or to room temperature.

For the crumbs:
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour

Using your fingers, break the topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2-inch to ¾-inch in size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean of batter, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Storing: The cake is best eaten the day it is made, but it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months; warm in a 350 degree F oven before serving.