Apple Crumb Cake

Can you believe it is already October? I still haven't accomplished any of my New Year's resolutions. Well, actually I didn't make any resolutions, but if I had, I would not have done any of them by now. I cannot believe how fast this year is going by. It certainly doesn't feel like October. It's 100 degrees and muggy out, perfect time to bake, right? Well the other day I got the bright idea to do just that. I saw all these gorgeous apples and pomegranates at the two farmers markets I went to this past weekend so I got a couple of things and wanted to try a recipe. There are so many thousands of ways to cook with apples, but lately I have been craving a crumb cake. I based this recipe on one I tried a couple of months ago, but this time I baked them in my mini springform pans. This was so good with apples and cinnamon in every bite. Next time, I would use a little less flour in the crumbs because those were a little too *floury*, but otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised by how this turned out.

PS, Go vote

Apple Crumb Cake
(By Esi)

Makes enough for one 9-inch cake or two 4 1/2 inch cakes

For the filling:
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Crumbs:
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
3/4 cup flour
Pinch salt

For the cake:
1 tablespoon nonfat Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt

To make the filling:
In a small bowl mix the diced apples, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and cinnamon and set aside.

To make the crumbs:
Mix the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter until smooth. Whisk in the flour until the mixture becomes a solid dough, set aside.

To make the cake:
Mix together the yogurt, vanilla and egg in a small bowl. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add the butter to the flour mixture and using an electric mixture, slowly whisk in the yogurt mixture.

To assemble the cakes:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Spoon enough batter to cover the bottom of each pan. Top with the apple mixture, and then the remaining cake batter.

Break the crumbs into 1/2 inch thick pieces (they do not need to be even), and top the cake with the crumbs. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean - it will probably still be a little moist from the apples. Cool before serving.