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You are here: Home / Breakfast / Caramel Apple Crumb Cake

Caramel Apple Crumb Cake

October 4, 2025 by Stephanie Brubaker 1 Comment

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Caramel Apple Crumb Cake is a scrumptious fall dessert! Filled with cinnamon and apples, loaded with a buttery crumb topping, and a salted caramel drizzle!

Caramel Apple Crumb Cake close up

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There is nothing quite like the experience of baking with apples. Something about the aroma that fills the air just makes you feel so cozy!

This caramel apple crumb cake is a must-make recipe for the fall. Make it for dessert! Make it for brunch! Just make it!

If you happen to love baking with apples as much as I do, be sure to check out some of our other favorite apple recipes, like Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Bars for dessert and The BEST Cinnamon Apple Bread for breakfast – or pretty much any time of day. I can never seem to make enough! And don’t forget the Easy Homemade Caramel Dip for your extra apples!

Caramel Apple Crumb Cake close up overhead

One of my little guys started kindergarten this year, and a couple weeks ago was his very first field trip. I was so happy to get to chaperone and hang out in the apple orchard with him and his friends.

After apple picking, we each came home with lots of apples. Most of them were eaten pretty quickly by the eight of us. Something about picking apples yourself makes them more appealing, I guess, haha!

pan of Caramel Apple Crumb Cake

We did have extras though, and I definitely had the itch to bake something with those beauties. This recipe makes a delicious, moist, flavorful cake, full of cinnamon apples. The brown sugar and cinnamon crumble topping is plentiful – just the way it should be. A generous drizzle of salted caramel elevates this cake to next-level scrumptious!

Step by step photos for how to make an apple crumb cake

How to make Caramel Apple Crumb Cake:

  1. Start with peeled, cored, and chopped apples. Stir them together with some cinnamon and sugar.
  2. Make the crumb topping! Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour until it comes together and forms large crumbs.
  3. Make the cake batter! Follow recipe directions in the recipe card below.
  4. Assemble! Stir the apples into the cake batter and pour into a greased 9×13″ pan. Top evenly with the crumble and bake 40 minutes.
  5. Top generously with caramel and enjoy!

A FEW QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AND PRO TIPS FOR MAKING CARAMEL APPLE CRUMB CAKE:

  • CAN THIS APPLE CRUMB CAKE BE MADE IN ADVANCE? Yes! You can make this cake the day before, if desired. Hold off on topping with caramel until ready to serve.
  • WHAT KIND OF APPLES SHOULD BE USED FOR BAKING? I prefer using Granny Smith apples in baking. They are firm and stand up well in baking. Plus I love the tartness in contrast to all the sweetness in baked goods. You may also use Fuji, Gala, or any other firm apple. Stay away form Red Delicious and Golden Delicious as they are too soft and don’t hold up well in baked goods.
  • SHOULD CARAMEL APPLE CRUMB CAKE BE SERVED WARM OR COLD?   Nothing beats a warm apple cake, in my opinion. Go ahead and serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and extra caramel sauce for an amazing fall dessert! Of course, feel free to use your own personal preference and enjoy cold or at room temperature too!

Caramel Apple Crumb Cake slice on white plate

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Caramel Apple Crumb Cake collage photo

WONDERING WHAT ELSE YOU CAN MAKE WITH APPLES? TRY THESE DELICIOUS APPLE RECIPES:

  • This recipe seriously makes The BEST Cinnamon Apple Bread! It tastes like apple crisp in bread form! It’s moist, flavorful and has a crunchy cinnamon topping!
  • No bake Apple Pie Cheesecake Fluff has all the flavors of apple pie and cheesecake, in one easy dip! A great side dish or dessert for holidays and parties!
  • Caramel Apple Texas Sheet Cake is incredibly moist and flavorful. It’s easy to make and feeds a crowd. The caramel cream cheese icing is out of this world!

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Caramel Apple Crumb Cake close up

Caramel Apple Crumb Cake

Stephanie Brubaker
Caramel Apple Crumb Cake is a scrumptious fall dessert! Filled with cinnamon and apples, loaded with a buttery crumb topping, and a salted caramel drizzle!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

Apples

  • 3 cup apples peeled, cored, and diced
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Crumb Topping

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed

Cake

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 3 cup all purpose flour

Drizzle

  • 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce

Instructions
 

Apples

  • Add apples, cinnamon, and sugar to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Crumb Topping

  • Mix together butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour in a medium sized bowl with a fork until thoroughly combined, and clumps form. Set aside

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
  • Add vanilla, then the eggs, mixing after each one.
  • Add milk and mix to combine.
  • Add baking powder, and slowly add flour, mixing on low until well incorporated.
  • Stir in cinnamon apples, then pour batter into a greased 13x9" pan.
  • Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the cake and bake for 40 minutes or until tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
    Allow to cool at least 15 minutes.

Drizzle

  • Heat the salted caramel sauce until easily pourable. Drizzle generously over the cooled cake.
Keyword caramel apple cake, crumb cake, fall brunch recipe

Originally published on Sep 29, 2019

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644 shares
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Filed Under: Breakfast, Cake, Coffee Cake, Dessert, Fall, Holiday, Thanksgiving Tagged With: apple cake, apple crumb cake, caramel apple cake, what to make with apples

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Comments

  1. Supplement Crunch says

    September 30, 2019 at 3:13 am

    This was very good, and very sweet.

    Reply

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