Instructions:
Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×9-inch square baking pan or a similar-sized cake pan.
Prepare the Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Set this aside.
Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Incorporate Dry Ingredients and Sour Cream: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; you want a tender cake.
Fold in Apples: Gently fold in the diced apples into the batter.
Transfer to Baking Pan: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it out evenly.
Make Cinnamon Sugar Topping: In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Sprinkle this evenly over the cake batter in the pan.
Bake: Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
Cool and Serve: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, you can either serve it warm or let it cool completely before slicing and serving.
Optional: You can also drizzle a simple glaze over the cooled cake by mixing powdered sugar and a little milk until you reach your desired consistency. Drizzle it over the cake and let it set before serving.
Enjoy your homemade Cinnamon Apple Cake!