Restaurant Dropout's The Dessert Menu

No. 1: Apple Crisp Crumb Cake

Welcome to our first-ever edition of The Dessert Menu!

The Dessert Menu Backstory:

Growing up, after retiring my Barbies and American Girl dolls—in what I believe was 3rd or 4th grade—I became increasingly obsessed with baking.

At the time, my mom had enrolled my brother and me in an after-school cooking program with a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook who happened to live in our neighborhood. We’d walk directly from school to her house, where we’d be greeted with a few recipes (typically a couple of dishes and a dessert). We would spend one to two hours working together, in a group of 5-6 kids, making these recipes come to life.

I’d leave these sessions inspired to cook more—extracurricular cooking if you will—and thankfully, I had a friend (also enrolled in the program) who was equally inspired; however, she was more often interested in baking. Given that at the time I liked most desserts but not most savory dishes (I was a picky eater), I agreed to the desserts she suggested we make, and we’d spend our playdates making cookies, cakes, and pies. This was the start of my baking journey.

Unlike Barbies or American Girl dolls, I never got tired of making (or eating) desserts.

In fact, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to increasingly appreciate a little post-dinner sweet treat. To me, a memorable, well-done sweet treat has the ability to increase the overall enjoyment of a dining experience. So, to take our Restaurant Dropout dining experience to that next level, let me introduce you to…

✨The Dessert Menu✨

Hopefully, you’ll save room for dessert. :)

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APPLE CRISP CRUMB CAKE

Makes 16 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes

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Printable Recipe

Apple Crisp Crumb Cake

143KB ∙ PDF file

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Ingredients

Apple Mixture

• 1 large Apple (Fuji, Honeycrisp, Envy, or Granny Smith), cored, thinly sliced and cut into triangles

• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

• 1 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour

Crumb Cake Batter

• 1 cup Apple Cider, reduced

• 3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) Unsalted Butter, melted*

• 1 cup Brown Sugar

• 2 Eggs

• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 1 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour

• 1 tsp Cornstarch

• 1 tsp Cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Oat Topping

• 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour

• 1/4 cup (½ stick) cold Unsalted Butter

• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar

• 1/2 cup Rolled Oats

• Flaky Salt (optional)

*For a depth of flavor, brown your butter; melt unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook while constantly stirring. Once the butter begins to foam and brown specks form on the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat (this will take around 4-5 minutes).

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Instructions

Prepare Sliced Apple Mixture

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF

2. In a small bowl, combine sliced apples, brown sugar, and all-purpose flour. Mix until apples are fully coated in flour and brown sugar. Set aside.

Start Crumb Cake Batter

1. Add apple cider to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until 3 tablespoons of liquid remain (once cooled, it will be syrupy).

2. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, and apple cider syrup. Add eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until fully combined. Stir in flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt.

3. Stir in the sliced apple mixture and mix until well combined.

Create Oat Topping

1. In a bowl, combine flour, butter, brown sugar, and oats. Mix, using your hands, until everything is combined and the butter is fully incorporated.  

Assemble Apple Crisp Crumb Cake

1. Place the batter in a greased or parchment-lined 8×8 pan. Evenly sprinkle over the oat topping and finish with a few pinches of flaky salt.

2. Bake for 34-35 minutes. 

3. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing and slicing into squares.

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