Sour Cream Apple Cake

I was looking for a recipe to use up some sour cream left over from Thanksgiving. I finally found one but . . . my husband can't eat nuts and the recipe needed the pecans to work well. It called for using a Bundt pan and mine is ancient and always sticks. I did like the basic cake part of the recipe so improvised! Since it turned out good, I'm sharing it with you! I was the first to make it  and you can now be the second one to enjoy it warm from the oven! The first sour cream cake recipe I posted was good but I might like this one even better.

Sour Cream Apple Cake
1 cup butter (NOT margarine!), softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup full-fat sour cream

Filling
2 large apples, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon brandy
Zest and juice of one lemon

Crumb Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup solid shortening

Prepare the apples and set aside for now. Blend together the ingredients for the Crumb topping. It should be crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Vegetable oil spray an approximately 13x9-inch baking pan or two smaller ones. You could also do this recipe as cupcakes, too.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Beat in the extracts. Add the dry ingredients and the sour cream and blend well without over beating.  Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan(s). Top with the apple mixture. Sprinkle the crumb topping over that. Depending on the size pan(s) you used, bake for approximately 45-60 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. If wet batter sticks to it, give it a few more minutes.

The cake tastes good hot with a scoop of ice cream or at room temperature with a generous serving a freshly whipped cream.

You can add 1/4 cup of ground nuts to the topping mixture, if you wish.