French Apple Cake with Walnut Crumble

This charming treat is so much simpler to make than an apple pie, but it delivers similar cozy flavors when made in the Enameled Cast Iron Apple Baker. The batter comes together easily, with a bit of brown sugar for sweetness, and a splash of rum for depth – it’s topped with a nutty, cinnamon-flecked crumble for good measure. The snack cake is lovely with tea, and certainly would welcome a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of ice cream as an unfussy dessert.

Walnut Crumble

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Apple Cake

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup spiced rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 medium sweet-tart apples, such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Jonagold, peeled, cored and diced

Powdered sugar

For the crumble:

For the crumble, place melted butter, 1/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator to chill while making the cake batter.

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 2 qt. baking dish with butter and set aside. Melt remaining 8 tablespoons butter and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder and salt together. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk eggs until light and fluffy. Add melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, spiced rum and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Gently fold in apples. Transfer batter to the prepared pan, and crumble chilled walnut mixture evenly over the batter.

Place in preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for serving.