Belle's Apple Streusel Crumble

I think someone has done some magic to the apples I picked. It seems as though no matter how many crisps, pies, muffins and cakes I bake, the amount of apples we have will not diminish.

I'm serious. I feel like I've been baking with them non-stop and yet, I still have dozens. 

And since I've already made all the "usual" apple-dishes (I'll post the recipe for my pie later - cause it was that yummy), I decided to get a little creative and experimental. 

Now, let me preface this post with true honesty and say that the end result of this apple-recipe experiment was NOT what I was going for. My intention was to make a apple coffee crumb cake. 

And although the outcome was not the one which I had planned on having - I have to say that I think it was better! Instead of a crumb cake, I ended up with a sort of apple-crumble "mush." And when I say "mush," I mean it in the best way possible. 

"Mush" may actually be the wrong word to use entirely, because it does have some structure to it. But I can't think of a better way to describe it...

Apple Streusel Crumble, maybe?

Anyways, if you're up for it - which you should be, cause it was "ohhh, just one more bite" good - here's my recipe. 

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar, light or dark

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Topping:

2/3 cups granulated sugar

pinch of  salt (if you use unsalted butter)

3/4 cups flour

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Cake:

3/4 cup butter softened

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 1/4 cups milk

3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

3 small/medium apples

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 x 13" pan. 

To start, make the "Topping."

Whisk together the sugar, salt, flour and cinnamon. Then add the melted butter and whisk till well combined. 

 

Once it's mixed and "crumbly" looking, set aside.

Onto the "Filling." 

Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa. Then set aside.

And now for the cake.

In a large bowl, beat butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined and smooth. 

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

In separate bowl, whisk together yogurt and milk till well combined. 

Once done, add flour to the butter mixture alternately with the milk/yogurt mixture, beating gently to combine. 

Then, peel a few apples, chop them into small pieces, and fold them into the one mix.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan.

And spread it out evenly.

Next, take your "filling" and sprinkle it on top.

Spread the remaining batter over top.

And then finish it off with the topping.

Pop it into the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Let it sit and cool.

*This is important - if you cut into it when it's still piping hot, it will be too "mushy." Letting it sit allows it to firm up a bit.

Once cooled, go for it.

My favorite part are the edges-- from the cooking process, they turn into this caramelized, chewy, crust.

A recipe gone wrong = a delicious mistake = a new, yummy apple dessert.

One thing is for sure, this is one mistake I will definitely make twice. 

xo Belle