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Apple Sour Cream Cake

Apple sour cream cake with tender, moist crumb and apple-studded interior, topped with a thick cinnamon-sugar crumble. Baked until golden at 350F, then cooled for clean slices.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 410
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cake:
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cup apples
For cinnamon topping:
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp butter

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prepare and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch springform or 9x13 pan. Set the pan aside so it’s ready for batter.
  2. Make cinnamon topping by combining brown sugar, cinnamon, and all-purpose flour. Cut in cold butter until crumbly, then set aside.
Mix the cake batter
  1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until the dry ingredients are evenly blended.
  2. Beat unsalted butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in sour cream.
  3. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix so the cake stays tender.
  4. Fold in diced apples. Stop mixing once the apples are evenly distributed.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the cinnamon topping evenly over the surface.
  2. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Look for a golden top and set center.
  3. Cool before slicing. Let it rest until warm or fully cool for cleaner, thicker slices.

Notes

For the best crumb, keep the butter for the cinnamon topping cold and cut it in until you see small, even crumbs. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; rewarm slices briefly if you like. Freezing is yes—wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, swap half the sour cream for plain low-fat Greek yogurt to keep the tang and moisture.