This Apple Crumble Tea Cake is packed full of sweet, soft apple chunks, fragrant cinnamon and nutty brown butter. Drizzle or dollop with cream, it makes for the perfect afternoon delight served with a good cup of tea and great company.
The Story of the Tea Cake
Dating back to the early 18th century, tea cakes emerged as a quintessential companion to afternoon tea, weaving themselves into the fabric of English culinary culture. These simple yet indulgent cakes were initially designed to be enjoyed with a piping hot cup of tea, marking a departure from elaborate desserts of the time. As tea became a daily ritual for many households, the tea cake followed suit, becoming an inseparable part of the afternoon respite.
The evolution of tea cakes mirrored the shifts in societal customs and tastes. What started as a humble bite to enjoy with a cuppa, evolved into a canvas for creativity. An opportunity for bakers and home cooks alike to experiment and elevate the tea cake experience.
Apples in Baking
In the realm of baking, apples emerge as a versatile and essential ingredient. A popular fruit for baked goods, they tend to hold their structure quite well. Their balance between sweetness and tartness impart a nuanced flavour profile. Varieties such as Granny Smith and Honeycrisp offer unique dimensions, allowing for a tailored taste experience. Beyond flavour, the natural moisture content in apples plays a pivotal role in maintaining the moist texture of baked items.
Apples combine well with common baking ingredients and flavours such as nuts, brown butter, cinnamon and other spices. For this Apple Crumble Tea Cake I recommend using Granny Smith apples, which will hold their shape throughout the bake, and provide that distinct crisp sweetness.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Greek yoghurt
- Apple cider vinegar
- Self-raising flour
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Granny Smith apples
- Plain (all purpose) flour
- Rolled oats
- Castor sugar
See recipe card below for quantities.
Tips and Variations
- Apple varieties: Granny Smith are my choice for this recipe, however Honeycrisp or Fuji apples will also work well.
- Brown butter: I highly recommend going to the effort to brown your butter for this recipe. It adds yet another dimension to the cake, contributing a wonderful nuttiness that complements the apples and cinnamon beautifully.
- Serving: originally I served this cake drizzled with pouring cream. However a dollop with creme fraiche, lightly whipped cream or even vanilla ice cream works wonderfully.
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Spatula
- Springform cake tin
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Large bowl
- Whisk
Watch the Apple Crumble Tea Cake recipe video to see how to bake this comforting treat step by step. If you make this one, don’t forget to tag me on TikTok or Instagram. I love to see it!
📖 Recipe
Apple Crumble Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 85 g brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 55 g Greek yoghurt
- 10 mL apple cider vinegar
- 230 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Granny Smith apples peeled and cored
Crumble topping
- 60 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 20 g rolled oats
- 65 g castor sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add butter. Allow to melt and swirl the pan around or stir with a spatula until butter takes on a darker brown colour and small specks form in the bottom. Remove and set aside to cool – don't allow to burn!
- Preheat oven to 160ºC. Line an 18cm springform cake tin with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cooled brown butter, brown sugar, eggs, Greek yoghurt and vinegar until well combined.
- To the wet ingredients, add flour, salt and cinnamon and fold through with a spatula until no dry parts remain. Dice apples into chunks (roughly one centimetre pieces). Add to batter and fold in gently.
- To make the crumble: combine all ingredients in a bowl. Using your finger, rub the dry ingredients into the softened butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Some larger chunks are fine.
- Transfer cake batter into prepared tin and sprinkle the crumble mixture on top.
- Bake cake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the cake tin for 5-10 minutes, before removing.
- Serve you Apple Crumble Tea Cake warm or at room temperature, drizzled or dolloped with cream and a sprinkle of icing sugar.
Sarah says
Easy and delicious! I’ll be making this again and again. First time in a long time I’ve made a dessert and there were no leftovers for me to have the next day because people went back for seconds!
Just need to add into the method when to mix in the cooled brown butter 🙂
Andrea Love says
Thanks Sarah, SO happy you liked it! Gosh can’t believe I forgot to write the most important ingredient into the recipe – thanks for letting me know, have added this in now 🙂