Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 13X9 inch baking pan.
Let's get cracking with the crumble! In a bowl mix together the sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and melted butter. Using a fork stir everything together. Once all of the sugar clumps are gone, pour in flour and mix. Once the flour is incorporated, set aside.
Now, cake time. First the dry ingredients. In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; that’s okay. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
Mix the diced apples, lemon juice, and the cinnamon together.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Top with the cinnamon apples. Now pour on the crumb topping and press it down with the back of a spatula. Really push it down so the crumb sticks to the cake itself.
Place in the oven to cook for 45-55 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake as there is a lot of sugar in the crumb so it could brown quickly. If that starts to happen I would suggest covering the cake with a piece of foil.
After 40 minutes, check the doneness of the cake using a toothpick. If any batter sticks to the toothpick when you pull it out of the cake, it's not ready. Once the toothpick comes out clean remove from oven and let fully cool for 1 hour.
You made it! This isn't an easy recipe and if you made it this far congrats! You earned the corner piece of this soul-warming cake! Enjoy!
