Apple Cake Recipe

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.

Fresh Apple Cake

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.

French Apple Cake

With chunks of sweet apples nestled in a tender and buttery rum cake, this French apple cake is the essence of simplicity.

Prep: 20min

Total: 1h

Yield: 6-8

Nutrition Facts: servingSize , calories 279, Fat 13g, Carbohydrate 35g, Protein 3g, Saturated Fat 8g, unSaturated Fat , Sugar 22g, Fiber 2g, Sodium 66mg, Cholesterol 77mg

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons dark rum
• 2 baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes (I like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith) (3½ – 4 cups chopped)
• Confectioners’ sugar (optional), for decorating cake

Instruction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease again.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Don’t worry if the batter looks grainy at this point; that’s okay. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack in the pan. Once cool, run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. If using a springform pan, remove the sides. If using a regular cake pan, carefully invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, then gently flip the cake over and place right-side-up on a platter. Using a fine sieve, dust with confectioners’ sugar (if using). Cake can be served warm or room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
5. Freezer Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

Delicious & Quick Fluffy Apple Cake / Easy Recipe

FAQ

What kind of apples are best for apple cake?

How to make apple cake Mary Berry?

1. 225g/8oz baking spread, straight from the fridge, plus extra for greasing.
2. 225g/8oz caster sugar.
3. 225g/8oz self-raising flour.
4. 1 tsp baking powder.
5. 4 large free-range eggs, beaten.
6. 2 eating apples, peeled, cored and grated (see Recipe Tips)
7. icing sugar, for dusting.

How do you cut apples for apple cake?