Apple Cake Recipes

This easy recipe for apple cake is a wonderful way to showcase fresh apples. Soft and tender with a stick-to-your-fork moist crumb and juicy apples in every bite, this cake is delicious plain, topped with buttery brown sugar glaze, or even a quick dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

This apple cake is just the thing to make when you have some freshly picked apples from the orchard (or the grocery store), and you want a simple recipe for a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s ready to eat in the next couple of hours. And will be just as tasty served tomorrow!

The apple flavor is front and center, complemented by the background flavors provided by warm spices and sunny orange juice. If a beautiful fall day were a cake, it would taste like this.

apple cake recipes

Fresh Apple Cake

apple cake recipes

You’ll love this easy sheet cake recipe for tender and moist fresh apple cake. The pictures above include a few photos of the cake with a dusting of 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar and some include a buttery brown sugar glaze. The glaze recipe is included below.

Prep: 30min

Total: 2h

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

  • 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon EACH ground ginger & allspice
  • 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup (180g) unsweetened applesauce
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
  • 3 cups (360g) peeled chopped apples (1/2-inch chunks, about 2–3 large apples)
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 57g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
  • small pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (60g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Instruction:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice together in a large bowl. Set aside.
  3. Whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, and orange juice together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the chopped apples until combined. It will seem like a lot of apples and that’s ok!
  4. Pour and spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on it. Around the 30-minute mark, loosely tent with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  5. Remove the cake from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before topping or serving.
  6. Right before serving, you can top the slightly warm cake with a dusting of 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar or make the brown sugar glaze in the next step.
  7. As the cake cools, prepare the brown sugar glaze. Combine the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter has melted, and then stop stirring and let the mixture come to a rapid boil. Boil for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to low, give it a quick stir, and let simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Allow glaze to cool and slightly thicken for at least 20 minutes. Spoon glaze over the cake right before serving. (Cake can still be warm when glazing.) If your glaze thickened up too much as it cooled, warm in the microwave for 15 seconds and stir until smooth.
  8. The cake (glazed, dusted, or plain) can be served warm or at room temperature. Cover leftovers and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you topped with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, note that the sugar will melt and disappear into the cake after a few hours.

Homemade Apple Cake

apple cake recipes

This delicious Homemade Apple Cake gives you made-from-scratch bragging rights, while you throw it together in three easy steps. Cinnamon, apples and walnuts are brought together for a warm, spiced fall treat served up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This will be a family fall favorite in even less time than it takes to make it.

Prep: 25min

Total: 1h30min

Yield: 8

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 490 , Carbohydrate 60 g, Cholesterol 115 mg, Fat 5 , Fiber 2 g, Protein 7 g, Saturated Fat 13 g, servingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 380 mg, Sugar 39 g, Trans Fat 1/2 g

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded peeled apples (about 2 medium apples)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 quart vanilla or cinnamon ice cream

Instruction:

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour.
  2. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in apples and walnuts. Spoon into pan.
  3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes longer. Serve warm with ice cream.

Delicious & Quick Fluffy Apple Cake / Easy Recipe

About the author

Helen is an author and editor at helenbackcafe.com, who has a passion for writing about recipes. She loves to experiment with different ingredients and cooking techniques to create delicious and unique dishes.

Among all the foods, pizza holds a special place in her heart, and she loves exploring different variations and toppings to create the perfect slice. Through her writing, Helen hopes to inspire others to get creative in the kitchen and share their love for food with the world.

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