The swing of autumn: Chocolate Crumb Cake with Whole Apples

Autumn: 5 °C, the sun breaking through the clouds in the sky and a strong wind the leaves off the trees and whirling them through the air, 'til they sink on the ground - silently. The season is in full swing.
I can't stress enough how much I like this season: crisp weather, sweaters and sweatpants symbolizing long comfy afternoons spent with tea and cake - much of it! (Don't get me wrong summer, spring and winter are all awesome too, but the time of autumn is so calming everytime after a rushed summer!)

Today some tiny feral apples meet warming chocolate and a crisp crumb topping - pure comfort for the soul! We have the situation here that everybody likes something different - crumbles and fruit or no fruit and all and just something cakey or everything in between...
Sooo... A hard task to bake a cake that turns a smile onto EVERY face!