i can’t take credit for this recipe, it belongs to my pastry chef from girl & the goat, mathew rice. when he first told me about it, i said “what the heck is a buckle?”
turns out it tastes like the best apple pie meets crumb cake you’ll ever have.
we top it with sour cream gelato from black dog to serve it “a la mode”. but you can grab some vanilla or caramel swirl or whatever else you can find!
holiday apple buckle 
yield: 6-8 servings
filling
3 pounds tart apples, peeled and sliced (about 8 cups)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon rub #2
3 tablespoons cornstarch
- filling: in a large bowl, toss the apples with the sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch and let it mascerate for about 30 minutes. pour the fruit filling into a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
streusel topping
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- streusel topping: in a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients with your fingers until combined. refrigerate until needed.
cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon rub #2
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
- cake: in a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, salt, and rub #2. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. scrape down the sides of the bowl. add the dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the milk.
- spoon the batter over the fruit filling, spreading it to the edge. sprinkle with the streusel topping. bake in the center of the oven at 350° for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the filling is bubbling, the crumb topping is golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. serve warm with ice cream.