This chai apple crumb cake is made with a super moist butter cake, and is loaded with apple butter, chai-spiced apples, and a chai streusel.

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chai apple crumb cake

Crumb cakes are one of my absolute favorite things to bake – they’re perfect for bringing over to people to share and the flavor possibilities are truly endless with the cake, jam, and streusel layers. This chai apple crumb cake is the perfect transition into fall baking. Light, buttery & moist cake gets topped with chai spiced sliced apples, and is finished off with a simple chai streusel. It’s super easy, perfect for sharing & is sure to be a hit!

why you’ll love this chai apple crumb cake:

It’s perfectly spiced. Adding a mix of chai spices rather than just using cinnamon adds depth to the flavor of this cake.
It’s loaded with delicious layers. I mean, you’ve got layers of buttery moist cake, apple butter, chai apple slices, and chai streusel.
Perfect fall treat: this cake is truly the perfect fall treat to make and share over a cup of coffee (or a cup of chai!)

Overlooking the chai apple crumb cake stylized on a tray, before being sliced.

expert baking tips

Weigh your ingredients:

My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.

Use room temperature ingredients:

It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your butter, milk, and sour cream about an hour before starting the cake.

Mix the cake batter carefully:

It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. When alternating between adding the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to only mix just until the ingredient is fully combined and no more.

line your pan tall with parchment paper

This cake is not one that you want to flip upside down to get it out of the pan. Butter your pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan. This will give you a way to lift the cake out of the pan (plus I happen to enjoy the little crinkles it puts in the sides – it’s a little rustic almost!)

A note on oven temperature:

Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.

Close up cross-section of the chai apple crumb cake.

ingredients for chai apple crumb cake:

chai apples:

Apples: use your favorite baking apple here! I used pink lady (since they are typically the least expensive!) but you can use fuji, gala, jonathan, granny smith, honey gold, or braeburn!
Chai spice: for flavor! It can be found in stores or online. If you are interested in making your own at home, I have a recipe for it later in this blog post.
Light brown sugar: for a touch of sweetness.

chai streusel:

Unsalted butter: the base of the streusel, really what makes it buttery and delicious. You can use salted butter here as well!
Light brown sugar: sweetens and adds flavor to the streusel. In a pinch granulated sugar will work here as well.
All purpose flour: adds structure to the streusel.
Chai spice: for flavor!

butter cake:

All purpose flour: the structure of the cake.
Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cake.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and giving it that classic buttery taste. You can substitute in salted butter, just omit the extra salt from the recipe.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The sugar also helps aerate the butter to give this cake it’s rise and keep it light and fluffy.
Eggs: for moisture, structure, and binding the batter together.
Vanilla: I use and love this vanilla extract. We will use some vanilla in the bundt, and some in the glaze.
Sour cream & whole milk: for moisture, texture, and tenderizing the cake. I recommend full-fat here for both for the best texture.
Apple butter: optional, but adds more apple flavor to the cake and creates a beautiful layer when sliced!

chai glaze:

Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze.
Macerated chai apple juice: When you mix together the apples, sugar, and chai spice and let it sit at the start of the recipe, the apples are being macerated and will release some juices. Keep those juices behind and use them for the glaze!

how to make chai apple crumb cake

Here are just some photos of what the cake looks like at various stages of making it. The full recipe is at the end of the blog post!

Apples sliced thinly on a cutting board.

Chai-spiced apple slices in a small mixing bowl.

Thinly slice up the apples, then coat them in chai spice and brown sugar.

The cake batter after beating together the sugar, butter, and eggs.

Combine all the streusel ingredients and set the mixture aside.
Beat together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.

Alternate between folding in the dry ingredients and the sour cream/milk.
Layer the cake with: 1/2 of the cake batter, all of the apple butter, the remaining cake batter, the spiced apples, and the chai streusel. Bake, serve, and enjoy!