Apple Crumb Cake

It's finally beginning to feel like fall here in the Midwest with cooler temperatures and chilly rain. I'm overly anxious to sit, curled up in a blanket, by a crackling fire with a cup of hot chocolate and yummy, baked goodies. When I found this recipe this week, I thought it sounded perfect for my Autumn "mood". My friend, Sarah, had given us quite a few apples that needed to be used before they spoiled, so I had the perfect recipe to use them up. The apples are layered between the cake batter and then sprinkled with a streusel topping....oh my!! This was the moistest (moistest or most moist?-I'm certainly no English Major) cake I've baked in a long time. Since I had such great success with the streusel topping on my apple cobbler, I duplicated it for this cake, YUM! This was like eating apple cobbler in cake form. I couldn't help taking little bites off the edges of the cake as it cooled. Because of the moist texture, I stored this cake in the fridge to keep it from getting yucky at room temperature and then just warmed the pieces up in the microwave when I was craving another piece. No, I won't tell you how often that was. I haven't enjoyed this delicious cake by the fireplace yet (hint: Marty hasn't brought wood up to the house) but am definitely planning to bake this again to savor on a chilly afternoon.

Apple Crumb Cake

Crumb Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used 2 packets Cinnamon Roll Flavor oatmeal)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
5 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. stick butter, softened

Cake
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. each baking powder and baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream at room temperature
3 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, halved, cored and very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9x2 in. baking pan with nonstick foil, letting foil extend 2 in. above ends of pan.
2. Topping: Mix flour, oatmeal and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until large crumbs form.
3. Cake: In a large bowl with mixer on low speed, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt 3 minutes or until creamy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time until blended. With mixer on low speed, add flour alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour and beating just until smooth.
4. Spoon 1/2 into prepared pan; spread evenly. Cover with 1/2 the apples, the remaining batter, then remaining apples. Crumble topping over apples.
5. Bake 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Holding foil ends, lift cake from pan to rack to cool. Cut in squares with a serrated knife and serve warm, or cool before cutting.