The Most Perfect Cinnamon Fruit Crumble Cake from the Eat In My Kitchen Book
Guest post by Half Baked Harvest / Tieghan Gerard
Who’s up for cake today?
Cool, because I may just have the best cinnamon apple crumble cake in all the land. All you need to decide is whether to eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Because really, when is cake not the most perfect thing ever? Truth… it’s always perfect, any time of day! But especially this cake, it’s loaded with apples, is crazy buttery, and topped with the most cinnamony crumble ever.
I’m not sure if you guys know this or not, but it’s officially fall cookbook season, and well… there are just so many great new cookbooks being released! I’m really excited to share this recipe with you today because it comes from Meike Peters' new cookbook, Eat in My Kitchen.
Ever since embarking on this journey of writing a cookbook, I’ve realized just how much work goes into writing a book. You guys, it’s no joke!! I am currently working through all the edits, and while I am so excited to be getting closer to sharing the book with you all, it’s also crazy scary…and well, my eyes are slightly tired. Basically I am just praying that when the book is released you guys will all love it to pieces! (Tieghan's first cookbook will be published in 2017)
It’s so awesome that I have the opportunity to help others celebrate their cookbook release by sharing a recipe from their book with you guys! It’s fun for me, and such a great way to let you all in on the books I am loving! SO. Today we are talking about Eat in My Kitchen. Oh man, this book is just packed to the brim with recipes I love, so many great ones and so many that I know you will all love. But when I stumbled on this most perfect cinnamon fruit crumble cake, I knew that this was the recipe I needed to make and share with you all.
Let me just start off by saying that this cake is all kinds of incredible, AND that Meike made it really adaptable to all of the seasons by suggesting three types of fruit you can use – plums, rhubarb or apples. Seeing as I am obsessed with all things fall, and all things honeycrisp apples, I went with apples as my fruit… so, so, so good! What I love most about this cake is that while some fruit cakes can be on the dry side, this cake is anything but. It’s moist, buttery and almost even doughy in the center if you cook it for just under and hour…which I did…and it was perfection.
This cake is somewhat broken up into three layers. The base cake layer, the apple layer and then the crumble layer. All three layers are delicious, but together they truly make for the most perfect cake, and all of that cinnamon sugar crumble atop of those crisp apples… beyond amazing!
This is the perfect cake to serve warm, dusted lightly with powdered sugar. And yes, I do think this cake is acceptable, not only for dessert, but also as a very special (i.e. something to look forward to) breakfast or mid-day snack.
Bottom line: cake like this is great anytime, and since weekdays are usually in need of a little pick me up, you should totally be making this cake after work… It’s the right thing to do – trust me.
Pictures and introduction from Tieghan Gerard, recipe from the Eat In My Kitchen book. Tieghan lives in the mountains, in Colorado, she's the 22 year old founder of the popular food blog halfbakedharvest.com. Visit her and find lots of inspiration in her huge recipe archive! She's currently working on her own cookbook, The Harvest Table, which will be published in Fall 2017.
Thank you Tieghan for taking over the Eat In My Kitchen blog for a day!
The Most Perfect Cinnamon Fruit Crumble Cake
from the Eat In My Kitchen book, published by Prestel, October 2016
Serves 8 to 12
For the cake base
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (125 g) granulated sugar
1/4 vanilla pod, split and scraped
3 large eggs
2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Choose one of the fruit fillings
2 1/4 pounds (1 kg) pitted plums, cut in half
or 1 3/4 pounds (800 g) trimmed rhubarb, cut into 1 ½-inch (4 cm) pieces
or 5 large sour apples, peeled, cut in half, and cored, the outside of each apple half scored lengthwise (5 times) Tieghan chose apples for this recipe, unpeeled and thinly sliced
For the crumble
1 1/2 cups (200 g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2/3 cup (125 g) granulated sugar
1/4 vanilla pod, split and scraped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (125 g) unsalted butter, melted, plus more as needed
For the topping
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) (preferably convection setting). Butter a 10-inch (25 ½ cm) springform pan.
For the cake base, in a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla for a few minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next one, and beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until creamy.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter-sugar mixture and mix with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until well combined. Scrape the batter into the buttered springform pan and arrange the fruit of your choice on top. Plums and rhubarb work best arranged vertically; apples should be scored side up. Push the fruit gently into the batter.
For the crumbles, whisk together the flour, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and use the dough hooks of an electric mixer to mix just until it crumbles. If the crumbles are too moist and sticky, add more flour; if they’re too small and don't form large crumbles, add more melted butter. Immediately spread over the fruit, using your fingers to separate any large crumbles.
For the topping, in a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the crumbles. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes (slightly longer if using a conventional oven) or until golden on top. If you insert a skewer in the center, it should come out almost clean. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.
