Applesauce Crumb Cake

5 from 1 vote

This Applesauce Crumb Cake has a soft yet thin layer of apple cinnamon cake topped with mountains of buttery crumbs! Dusted with powdered cinnamon sugar and drizzled with a delicious apple glaze, this apple crumb cake is the perfect treat for autumn! It's everything you love about New York Crumb Cake but cozier with a little woodsy spice for the cooler seasons! Best part is, you would never know it's gluten free, eggless, nut free and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Cool Time30

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: squares

Calories: 262kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Cake

1.5 cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
½ cup granulated sugar
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons applesauce
¾ cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Crumb Topping

2.5 cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
1 cup light brown sugar , packed
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter or vegan baking sticks, melted and cooled

For the Cinnamon Sugar

¼ cup confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Apple Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons apple cider or natural apple juice

Instructions

For the Crumb Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch overhang on either side. Lightly grease the parchment with vegetable oil. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1.5 cups gluten free flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2.5 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl, using a spoon, mix together the ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons apple sauce, ¾ cup milk and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla until combined.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, a little bit at a time. Once the batter gets too thick to whisk, switch to using a spatula.
Using a butter knife or an icing spatula, spread the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth it out. It’s a little difficult because the batter is so thick. The layer will be thin.
Cut the 1 cup butter or vegan baking stick into pieces and place in a heat safe bowl. Microwave in 20 seconds increments, stirring after each time until melted. Set it aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 2.5 cups of gluten free flour, the 1 cup light brown sugar and the other 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Pour in the melted butter and stir with a spatula until large crumbs form. You came also use clean hands to form the crumbs if easier.
Sprinkle the crumbs all over the batter. There are lots of crumbs, make sure to use them all and cover every inch of batter. The crumbs will pile on top of one another; that's normal.
Bake the cake in the center rack of the 325 degree oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan completely before removing from the pan. Once cool, use the parchment overhang to lift the cake out.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup confectioners' sugar and the ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Dust the entire cake with a lot of this cinnamon sugar mixture.
Make sure the cake is completely cool prior to dusting, otherwise the sugar will melt.

For the Apple Glaze

Whisk the 1 cup confectioners' sugar, the 2 tablespoons apple cider and the ¾ tablespoon of ground cinnamon together in a small bowl until combined.
Drizzle the apple glaze over top of the crumb cake squares and let harden prior to cutting into pieces and serving.

Video

Notes

Vegan: Use a dairy free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and a non-dairy milk.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1.5 packed cups of regular flour in the dough (252 grams) and ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk.

Making Ahead: If making the night before, keep the cake in the baking dish and top with foil. The next morning, dust with the cinnamon sugar, top with the glaze and let the glaze harden. Then cut into slices.

Storing: Store the extra squares individually wrapped in foil and then pop them in a zip top bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Do not put them in an airtight container. It makes the bottoms of the cake get very wet.

Freezing: Wrap extra squares individually in foil and then pop them in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 30 days. To defrost, leave the squares wrapped in foil at room temperature until soft. It might take 1-2 hours.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition