Caramelized Apples

1. To make the caramelized apples, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add apples. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown and softened, 3-4 minutes. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and stir well to combine. Continue to cook until tender. If dry, stir in water. Transfer apples to a medium bowl and set aside.

Crumb Topping

1. To make the crumb topping, melt butter in the same skillet used to make the apples (no need to clean out the skillet). Add to a bowl with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and stir with a fork or your fingers until well combined. The mixture should resemble wet sand. Press firmly together into a cohesive mixture and set aside.

Applesauce Cake

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325F and line an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and parchment paper. Melt butter in the skillet until golden brown. Add to a medium bowl or a measuring cup and stir in applesauce, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the applesauce mixture and gently stir to combine, ensuring no flour streaks remain. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Spoon on the prepared caramelized apples evenly over the batter then add the crumb topping, breaking apart large pebble-sized pieces evenly over the apples. Gently press down the topping. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean 35-40 minutes. Cool at room temperature on a wire rack for 30 minutes then remove cake from the pan using the parchment sling and cool on the rack another 30 minutes. Slice and serve.