Cinnamon Apple Crumble Pancake (Printable)

A layered bake of fluffy pancakes topped with cinnamon-spiced apples and a golden oat crumble.

# Components:

→ Pancake Layer

01 - 1½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - ¼ teaspoon salt
06 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
07 - 1¼ cups buttermilk
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Cinnamon Apple Layer

11 - 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
12 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
13 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
14 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
15 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

→ Crumble Topping

16 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
17 - ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
18 - ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
19 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
20 - ¼ teaspoon salt
21 - ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir gently until just combined; batter should remain slightly lumpy.
05 - Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
06 - Toss diced apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice until evenly coated.
07 - Distribute the spiced apples evenly over the pancake batter.
08 - Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or fingers until mixture is crumbly.
09 - Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the apples.
10 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until topping is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11 - Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, optionally with maple syrup.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • This bake is secretly the easiest brunch crowd-pleaser you can make in advance—just assemble and slide into the oven while you make coffee.
  • The apple-cinnamon flavor and soft pancake base have converted even my most skeptical brunch friends.
02 -
  • Rushing and overmixing the pancake batter once taught me that less stirring truly makes softer layers.
  • The crumble browns fast near the edges, so tenting with foil midway prevents burning—a small trick I wish I’d tried sooner.
03 -
  • Always use cold butter for the crumble; it creates irresistible pockets of crispness on top.
  • If you notice apples releasing a lot of juice, simply blot before layering to avoid a soggy base.
Return