Apple-Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

Classic apple cake with crumb topping is an all-time American favorite, but here are two tricks to make it even better. A talented friend and colleague, Dede Wilson, suggested the first: melting the butter for the topping to make it crisper. I discovered the other: letting the cake set before adding the topping so that no crumbs sink into the batter or overbrown on the top due to baking too long. Soft, moist, and buttery, with a crunchy topping, this is now my idea of coffee cake nirvana.</