This easy apple crumble cake has all the goodness of classic apple pie with the added bonus of a buttery, crumbly topping that is so delicious it will make you cry.
If your main goal in life is to have random, anonymous, paint-splattered people give you a heartfelt and, dare I say, tear-filled hug, then you might want to consider making this apple crumble cake.
This totally happened to me a few months ago.
I made this apple pie as an incentive for people to help with my son’s friend’s Eagle Scout project.
Because nothing says, GET PAINTIN’, TEENS! like the promise of a homemade pie, right?
With the peach pie and this apple crumble pie on the offering table, after devouring them, it was clear that this apple pie was a favorite of some of the dads in attendance.
#awkwardhugsallaround
I can’t say I blame them.
As a food enthusiast, I can honestly say that this Apple Crumb Pie is good enough to make me feel something.
And if you’re wondering why I’m posting a brand new Apple Crumb Pie when I’ve already posted a perfectly good Apple Crumb Pie from years past, right?
Well, you clearly don’t understand my recipe-obsessed mind.
And besides, the apple crumble pie you’re looking at today is simply better.
I know that’s hard to hear sometimes, especially if you love old-fashioned apple pie with crumbs, but I can’t lie to you.
With all the other apple pie recipes out there (and on my blog), this easy apple pie has become one of my favorites.
The filling gets an extra kick from the brown sugar, which creates an almost caramel-like flavor and texture as the pie bakes.
So yeah, it’s a pretty yummy factor.
And that golden, buttery crumble topping?
I mean, I wouldn’t judge if you found a way to steal it from someone else before they realized their pie was bare and alone.
That’s good.
If you’re looking for a pie to add to your Thanksgiving menu, you can’t miss this apple crumble pie.
Served just a little warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, you may have found the only thing I want to eat on the big day.
As noted in the recipe, I use my favorite sour cream pie crust for this pie. The flavor is amazing with those sweet, juicy apples.
You can also use the new, easy recipe I posted last month during Pie Boot Camp.
Or your favorite homemade pie crust recipe.
Or, yes, even a store-bought crust (sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do).
This pie has definitely earned a spot in the Best Pie Recipes category.
It’s really, really good… and pretty easy to make at home.
No offense to my beloved Blue Ribbon apple pie, but I think I’m going to leave it behind in favor of this delicious apple crumble.
At least this time, I’m pretty safe in the knowledge that I’ll be surrounded by my family on Thanksgiving. So… you know, the pie-inducing hugs will probably be a little less awkward.
Apple crumble Pie
Makes: 8 servings (23cm tart)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
Pie + Filling:
- 1 unbaked pie crust, fitted into a 9-inch pie pan, with fluted edges (see note for recipe and tutorial)
- 6 medium to large, crisp, tart or sweet apples (see note for weight), cored, peeled and cut into
- uniform slices about 1/4-inch thick
- ½ cup (106 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (36 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Crumble:
- ⅔ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (106 g) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Refrigerate pie crust (in pan) while you prepare filling/topping.
- For apple filling, in a large bowl, add sliced apples. Incorporate the flour, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt. Stir mixture gently (to avoid breaking up apples) until evenly combined. Set aside.
- For crumble, in a medium bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle melted butter over ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula until mixture is crumbly (sometimes I ditch the spoon and stick my hands right in there to mix).
- Fill chilled pie crust evenly with apple mixture. If the apples have released a lot of liquid, do your best to transfer only the apples and the thick, sugary mixture to the pie dish, leaving most of the liquid in the bowl (once the apples are in the pie dish, I drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of the leftover liquid over the pie and discard the rest; don’t panic if there isn’t much liquid left).
- Pie should be placed on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Spread the crumble topping evenly over the tops of the apples.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes (covering loosely with foil for the last 10-15 minutes if the pie crust or crumble is browning too much) until the filling is hot and bubbly and the crust is evenly browned.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature (or just a little warm) before serving. As it cools, it will solidify and thicken.
Notes:
Pie dough: My favorite homemade pie dough is this one. It includes a tutorial with pictures and a video. I also have another (slightly easier) pie dough recipe here, along with a full tutorial on how to roll out the dough, fit it into the pie pan, and crimp the edges.
For the apples: I prefer to use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, or other crisp, tart apples. A variety works well, too! I didn’t use Granny Smith apples in this recipe (but they’d probably work just fine). As the recipe says, you’ll need about 6 medium or large apples, which will weigh about 40 ounces. Once they’re peeled, cored, and sliced, you’ll end up with about 6-7 cups of sliced apples (about 24 ounces).
