How To Make Apple Cake
Apple pie. Dutch apple pie. Caramel apple pie. French apple pie. Okay, I got it, there are about a million different apple pie recipes. (Five million, actually, according to Google.)
But you don’t see apple cake very often. Which doesn’t make any sense to me, because this thing is awesome. It’s my wife’s great-great-grandmother’s recipe. Yes, the same one we got the bread bowl from.
Ingredients
6 medium apples (about 4 cups)
1¼ cups sugar
2 cups flour
3 large eggs
¾ cups oil
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350° and peel the apples.
I’m a bit crazy about getting every possible bit of apple when I chop them. But my wife was making this cake, and she prefers getting it done faster. So I learned a different way to chop them. Just cut quarters off the outside, leaving a square plug with the seeds in it.
Then it’s easy to lay the pieces flat, slice and dice them.
With the apples set aside, combine the oil, vanilla and sugar and mix well.
Then add the eggs one at a time and mix each one in. Or you could beat the eggs together in a separate bowl and add them all at once.
Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in a sifter.
Tap the rim of the sifter until it’s all in, then mix again.
Stir until there are no lumps.
At this point the batter is already delicious. And you’ve got some diced apples standing by. So …
Now add half the diced apple and half the chopped nuts.
Mix carefully, so you don’t crush the apples, then pour into a greased and floured 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
Distribute the rest of the apples evenly over the top of the cake and press them into the batter. Then top with the rest of the nuts.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You might have to hunt around to find a spot you can stick it in without hitting an apple.
Let it cool for a couple of minutes, but unlike most cakes you’ll want to try some of this hot from the oven.
Some people like to put a caramel topping on this. I like it straight.
If you don’t eat this all within the first day or two, cut it and wrap individual pieces tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It does not keep for very long. Trust me on this one.
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25 Apple Cakes You Need To Bake This Season
Pie is so last year.
Apple season has arrived, and we’re celebrating with these next-level cakes.
Pin this handy chart for later!
That caramel drizzle, though.
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It has a cheesecake center. enough said.
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The best kinda cake? DUMP.
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Store-bought cream cheese frosting is the perfect shortcut for this fall cake.
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BUY NOW Calphalon Nonstick Bakeware, $30, amazon.com
If fall were a cheesecake.
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The spiraled apples are oh-so elegant.
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The perfect excuse to eat cake for breakfast.
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Apple Cake
This easy apple cake recipe is the perfect autumn treat! Moist, tender, and deliciously spiced, it’s a wonderful dessert, breakfast, or afternoon snack.
I first tried this apple cake recipe on a gray, rainy Monday. I had a mountain of work to plow through, but I managed to carve out enough time to chop the apples, whisk together the batter, and pop the cake in the oven. Like magic, it transformed my day! There’s something about a really simple, really good baking recipe that can brighten my mood in an instant, and this apple cake recipe did just that. It’s a breeze to make, and it yields a moist, tender cake that’s perfect for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon treat. It’s jam-packed with apples, and brown sugar and cinnamon fill it with rich, spiced flavor. If you ever need a way to lift your spirits on a fall day, make this apple cake.
The recipe comes from Yossy Arefi’s new book Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings, which comes out on Tuesday, but you can pre-order it now! It’s a gorgeous collection of 50 snacking cake recipes that are easy to make and acceptable to eat at any time of day. When you get your hands on it, you won’t be able to choose what to make first. Each of Yossy’s cakes looks more fun and delicious than the next. In addition to this apple cake recipe, I have my eye on her Almond Butter Banana Cake, Citrusy Almond Cornmeal Cake, Simple Sesame Cake…I could list the whole book! More than anything, this book will make you want to bake.
In the introduction, Yossy writes, “It’s a simple luxury to bake a snacking cake for yourself or your friends and family. I hope this book inspires you to do it often, and with abandon.” Let’s make apple cake!
Apple Cake Recipe Ingredients
According to Yossy, a snacking cake should be “low stress,” and it shouldn’t “require much besides a reasonably stocked pantry, a bowl, and a whisk.” Living up to the snacking cake standard, this easy apple cake recipe calls for basic pantry ingredients:
- Apples, of course! They fill this cake with autumn flavor, and they make it nice and moist.
- Dark brown sugar – I’m usually not particular about using light or dark brown sugar in baking recipes, but I highly recommend using dark brown sugar here. It gives the cake an extra-rich, molasses-y flavor.
- Eggs – They make the apple cake wonderfully light and puffy.
- Oil – For moisture and richness. I used olive oil here, and it worked perfectly, but a neutral-flavored oil like avocado, canola, sunflower, or grapeseed oil would be great too.
- Vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg – They add warm, spiced flavor to this fresh apple cake.
- Salt – Don’t skip it! It really makes the sweet, spiced flavors pop.
- All-purpose flour – This cake is all about the apples, so you don’t need much flour – just 1 cup.
- Baking powder and baking soda – For lift.
- Walnuts – For crunch! You’ll stir some into the cake batter and sprinkle more on top.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Apple Cake
Because Yossy’s cakes are intended to be simple, everyday treats, almost all of them are made in a single bowl. That includes this easy apple cake recipe! Here’s how it goes:
First, peel and dice the apples. The pieces can vary in size a little based on the natural shape of the apples; aim for 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks.
Second, whisk the brown sugar with the eggs until they’re pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Then, whisk in the oil, spices, vanilla, and salt.
Next, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and whisk until well-combined and smooth.
Use the edge of the whisk to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure your batter is evenly mixed.
Then, add the apples and HALF the walnuts. (I accidentally dumped them all in at first – oops!) Use a rubber spatula to fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan, and use an offset spatula to gently smooth the top. Finally, sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the cake, and bake!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Apple Cake Recipe Tips
- Use good baking apples. You want tart, firm baking apples that will hold their shape in this cake. I used Gala apples, and they were excellent here. Pink Ladies, Mutsu, Jonathan, McIntosh, or Granny Smith apples would be good choices too.
- Spread the apples evenly in the pan. To make sure that you get plenty of apples in every slice of this cake, use a spatula to evenly spread the apples in the pan after you pour in the batter. Yossy writes that they should be “well dispersed and go all the way to the edges of the pan.”
- Tap the pan on the counter before you put it in the oven. This will help the apples settle in the pan, releasing any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter.
- Let the cake cool before slicing and serving. As with all baking recipes, it’s tempting to devour this delicious cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. However, if you allow it to cool, it’ll have a moister, more cohesive texture and stronger spiced apple flavor. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving Suggestions
I’m always happy eating a slice of this cinnamon apple cake plain, with or without a cup of coffee or tea to go with it. However, if you’re craving something a little more decadent, don’t hesitate to dress it up! Yossy recommends serving it with the Crème Fraîche Whip on page 180 or the Maple Coffee Glaze on page 91 of her book. It’d also be fantastic with a dollop of coconut whipped cream or traditional whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
Apple Cake Recipe Variations
Trust me, you’re going to love this fresh apple cake recipe as written, but if you don’t have the right size pan, or if you’re craving another fruit, don’t worry! Here are a few ways you can change it up:
- Give it a flavor boost. In this apple cake recipe, Yossy lists two ingredients as optional: whiskey and instant espresso powder. I omitted both, and the cake came out great, but if you want to intensify the flavor of this cake, go ahead and add them in. You’ll find Yossy’s recommended measurements in the recipe below.
- Use pears. Another great fall treat! Replace the apples with chopped peeled pears, and use hazelnuts or pecans instead of walnuts.
- Use peaches. This variation is at the top of my list to try next summer! Swap the apples for chopped peeled peaches or nectarines, and make sure to skip the espresso powder. This cake softens quickly, so eat it within a day.
- Make a square cake. Yossy offers instructions for baking every cake in the book in different pans! How handy is that? The original recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan, but as you can see, I used a 9-inch round pan instead. The baking time is the same for both pan shapes – 30-40 minutes.
- Make a loaf cake. Another pan option for ya! If you choose to make a loaf cake, the baking time will be longer, 45 to 55 minutes.
Let me know what variations you try!
More Favorite Fall Treats
If you love this cinnamon apple cake recipe, check out Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings! I’m obsessed with this book, and I think you will be too. 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy one of these cozy fall treats next:
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