Apple Streusel Cake

This is a fairly basic but tasty coffee cake. A fluffy white cake base is topped with sweet apples and then finished with a crunchy, nutty streusel topping. It's a fast and easy one to whip up when company is coming or for those times when you have a few apples on their last legs that are begging to be baked into something.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

pinch salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

2-3 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices

Ingredients for Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray an 8x8" cake pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

For streusel topping: In a large bowl, mix together the flour and ground cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the brown sugar and chopped nuts. Set aside while you make the cake batter.

For cake batter: In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

Add in the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat only until combined. Spread the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Evenly arrange the apple slices on top of the cake batter and then sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

*Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking