Apple Cognac Crumb Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For the crumb topping: Whisk together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, apple pie spice and salt. Add the cake flour and stir with a wooden spoon until dough-like. Set aside in the fridge to cool for 20 minutes.
• When cool, use your fingers to break apart the mixture into large pea-sized crumbs. Hold in the refrigerator.
• For the sauteed apples: Heat a small saucepot over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until melted. Add the apples, brown sugar, apple pie spice and salt and saute until the apples are slightly browned and al dente, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Using 2 sheets of parchment, create an overlapping cross in the pan to cradle the cake and make it easy to remove once baked.
• Prepare the cake batter according to the instructions on the box. Add the cake batter to the prepared baking dish, then "stud" in a layer of the cooled apples. Bake for about 20 minutes, then remove the baking dish and carefully spread the crumb topping into an even layer over the cake. Bake until the crumbs are golden and a cake tester comes out clean, another 10 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 40 minutes. Once cooled, lift out of the pan using the parchment cradle. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line pan with two pieces of parchment paper, creating a 1-inch overhang on all sides of the pan. Spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
• Make the Apple Topping: In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until butter becomes golden brown and fragrant. Reduce heat to medium and add sugar, 1/4 cup water, and apples. Cook until apples have softened slightly and liquid is thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Cognac, working carefully as alcohol may ignite. Return to heat, and cook until alcohol evaporates, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Make the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and, using your fingers, mix together to form large crumbs; set aside.
• Make the Cake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add creme fraiche, egg, yolk, and Cognac; mix until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Pour cake mixture into prepared baking pan. Top with apples and their liquid to cover; sprinkle evenly with crumb topping. Transfer to oven and bake until a tester inserted into the center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x12-inch baking dish generously.
• Whisk flour, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Combine walnuts, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, cinnamon, and melted butter in a bowl. Mix until walnuts and sugar are thoroughly coated with butter.
• Cream butter and sugar together in another bowl with a spatula until well blended. Add 1 egg and whisk until mixture is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in second egg until thoroughly incorporated. Add vanilla extract and yogurt; whisk together. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; whisk just until flour disappears. Do not overmix.
• Remove cores from apples. Cut across into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. Stack up a few slices, make 1 cut down the center, and dice across into cubes. Add to cake batter, folding in with a spatula until just combined.
• Spread 1/2 of the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Scatter 1/2 of the crumble mixture evenly over the top. Top with the rest of the batter in dollops. Spread carefully to evenly distribute, trying not to disturb the crumbs. Top with the rest of the crumb mixture. Press crumbs into the batter very gently.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until a toothpick or bamboo skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving.