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    🏠Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes

    Easy Apple Cake

    Sep 4, 2021 · Modified: Oct 27, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 19 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.44 from 53 votes

    Easy and delicious, this moist apple cake is bursting with cinnamon apple flavor. An old fashion cake like grandma would make with only a few pantry ingredients and your favorite fresh apples.

    apple cake on a white plate.

    Jump To:
    • 👨‍🍳How to make this recipe
    • 🍎What apples to use
    • ❓FAQs
    • 📖Dessert Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    It is apple season in Michigan, and I need to do a few apple recipes. Apple cake sounded great, but I wanted an old fashion apple cake. So, I copied from the best, my wife who pointed me to her own recipe in the "Holmes School Cookbook." It used only things we all have on hand, so I used that as a model.

    This is one of the best desserts ever when combined with a scope of vanilla ice cream.

    the Holmes School Cookbook

    I cooked this cake unsupervised by the author, so I slid in a few minor changes—smaller size, more cinnamon, and shredded some of the apple to release more flavor.

    👨‍🍳How to make this recipe

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
    2. Prep a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and flour. Parchment paper on the bottom is suggested.
    3. Dice or shred two medium apples.
    4. Mix all ingredients well and move to the prepared pan.
    5. Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of sugar.
    6. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean—about 45 minutes.

    🍎What apples to use

    Granny Smith and Gala apples are both excellent choices. I find Cortland, Granny Smith, Gala, Ida Red, Honey Crisp, or Roma also work well. But really, the apples you love and have in the house are usually the best choice for you.

    I would suggest avoiding Red Delicious or Macintosh apples, which don't cook well.

    ❓FAQs

    How to prepare the apples.

    Large chunks of apples release steam when cook and can cause pockets in the cake. Smaller dice will work well.

    I like to shred half the apples. It will keep some apple texture while releasing the juices and a great deal of flavor.

    What size pan to use?

    A 9-inch round or 8-inch square are excellent choices. An 8-inch round is also a good choice, but the cake will be thicker and take a bit longer to cook (not much.)

    The original cake was double of this recipe and bakes in a standard 9X13 cake pan.

    How to prepare the pan.

    This is one of those "sticky" cakes. Even in a non-stick pan with butter and flour, there is some sticking. A piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan helps.

    How to top apple cake.

    A sprinkle of granulated sugar will give a nice crust on top. Some people will add a pinch of cinnamon to the sugar.

    Another good topping is a simple glaze. ⅔ cups of powder sugar, ⅛ teaspoon vanilla, and 3-4 teaspoons of milk.

    How to store apple cake.

    Most people will store it overnight at room temperature. I prefer to keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can also freeze for 3-4 months.

    📖Dessert Recipes

    Smaller Crock Pot Apple Cobbler

    Berry Crisp for Two

    Easy Apple Crisp

    Easy Apple Crumb Pie

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Dessert Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    two apples and cake ingredients.

    Preheat the oven to 350° with the rack in the middle. Prep a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and flour. Parchment paper on the bottom is suggested.

    shredding an apple into a metal bowl.

    Dice or shred two medium apples. I suggest half shredded and half with smaller dice of ¼ inch or less.

    mixing ingredients in a netal bowl.

    Mix all ingredients well and move to the prepared pan.

    sprinkling sugar on the cake.

    Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of sugar.

    using a tooth pick to check for done.

    Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. About 45 minutes.

    apple cake on an orange plate.

    Cool before serving.

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    Recipe

    apple cake on a white plate

    Easy Apple Cake

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Easy and delicious, this moist apple cake is bursting with cinnamon apple flavor. An old fashion cake like grandma would make with only a few pantry ingredients and your favorite fresh apples.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.44 from 53 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 8

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 apples - medium or large, shredded or diced
    • 1 cup flour
    • 1 cup sugar
    • ½ cup oil
    • 1 egg
    • ½ cup walnuts - chopped
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon sugar - optional for sprinkling on top
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350° with the rack in the middle. Prep a 9-inch round cake pan with butter and flour. Parchment paper on the bottom is suggested.
      two apples and cake ingredients
    • Dice or shred two medium apples. I suggest half shredded and half with smaller dice of about ¼ inch.
      shredding an apple into a metal bowl
    • Mix all ingredients well and move to the prepared pan.
      mixing ingredients in a netal bowl
    • Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of sugar.
      sprinkling sugar on the cake
    • Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. About 45 minutes. Cool before serving.
      using a tooth pick to check for done
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. Use the apples you have but, I'm not a fan of delicious or MacEntosh apples in recipes like this.
    2. The apples can be shredded or diced.
    3. I suggest a 9 inch round pan, but an 8 by 8 would work. I believe a 9 by 9 is not a good choice.
    4. Most people will want to double this recipe. Use a 9X13 pan. Cooking time will be about the same or a bit more. Use the toothpick test.
    5. Another good topping is a simple glaze. ⅔ cups of powder sugar, ⅛ teaspoon vanilla, and 3-4 teaspoons of milk. Skip the sprinkle of sugar on top of the cake if doing the glaze.
    6. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for 3-4 months.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Easy Apple Cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 364 Calories from Fat 180
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20g31%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Cholesterol 20mg7%
    Sodium 291mg12%
    Potassium 105mg3%
    Carbohydrates 46g15%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 31g34%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin A 54IU1%
    Vitamin C 2mg2%
    Calcium 18mg2%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Dessert
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's note: Originally Published October 6, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    image of dogs begging for attention at the arm of the chair.

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    1. gail

      May 14, 2022 at 4:34 pm

      Which apples do you recommend for apple recipes?

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        May 14, 2022 at 5:01 pm

        Hi Gail,
        The choice of apples are generally mentioned in the recipe card notes but will be discussed in more details within the post.
        Dan

    2. Barbara

      October 04, 2021 at 3:52 pm

      5 stars
      Fab desert....as a help for peeling and shredding apples: I core the apple first which gives me two places for thumb and finger to grasp. I then peel or shred. I froze leftover cake cut into servings and placed them on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and placed in freezer. When cake was frozen, I used my trusty fold lock top sandwich bags to store each serving of Apple Cake. Then put cake servings in a gallon freezer bag and squeezed the air out and zipped shut.

      Reply
    3. Lily Zandel

      September 07, 2021 at 5:08 pm

      I was getting ready for our Rosh Hashana dinner and decided that needed another dessert. Because I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to try the Easy Apple Cake from Scratch. It was easy, quick, light, moist, and delicious. Not a slice left. Next time I will make it in the 9x13 pan. Thank you for a delicious experience with something so simple.

      Reply
    4. Marco

      January 12, 2021 at 7:24 am

      4 stars
      Yum! Very nice apple-cinnamon flavor. I cut the recipe in half and made two 4-inch cakes. Baking powder instead to make them rise more. Cut the sugar by half and it was plenty sweet because I used a lunchbox container of applesauce plus a pat of butter instead of oil. Each small cake was 300 calories but we only ate half each, so 150 calories for a nice sized piece of cake. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    5. Ann

      October 12, 2020 at 4:34 pm

      5 stars
      I am eating a piece of this cake as I am writing my review. Just delicious and really easy. I like that you can dump all the ingredients together, and loved the sugar sprinkle on top. Thanks!

      Reply
    6. Claudia Matusiak

      October 05, 2019 at 1:00 pm

      5 stars
      Made this apple cake yesterday and it is so moist and delicious. I made one small change; instead of the one tablespoon on sugar on top, I replaced that with sprinkling my jar of cinnamon sugar over the top instead ~ can't ever have enough cinnamon with apple recipes. I do appreciate this recipe as I am not a person that really enjoys sickening sweet icings and this one is right up my alley for sure. Keep up the good work and I'll keep enjoying your recipes!

      Reply
    7. Kelly

      January 11, 2019 at 7:26 pm

      My husband tried this while I was out for the day . He thought it said baking "powder " not baking soda . It was the best apple cake I have ever had !!!! It probably raised more , but it sure did not do anything to the flavor .. Not sure as that is the only way we make it now . Thank you , so easy & sooo good !!!!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 11, 2019 at 7:43 pm

        Hi Kelly,
        Welcome to the blog.
        This recipe is an old one from my wife's family. They tend to use baking soda. I prefer baking powder myself, you probably had a better rise. I will try it next time and see if my wife notices.
        Thanks for the note.
        Dan

    8. Margaret

      October 29, 2018 at 10:57 pm

      This easy Apple Cake gets a five star rating from both my husband and myself. I followed the recipe as is and it turned out so super moist and delicious. It definitely is a keeper, but next time I am going to try and reduce the sugar a bit. Thanks for such a great little cake recipe!

      Reply
    9. Laura Childs

      October 14, 2018 at 10:03 am

      The BEST apple cake ever! So simple and so delish. The cake itself is very moist and full of apple flavor. For the spice , I use apple pie spice according to my taste but that was the only modification I made. Thanks for this recipe is going to become one of my go to’s!

      Laura

      Reply
    10. CharlieCarrah

      November 10, 2016 at 7:28 pm

      A really quick and easy cake -- not to mention delicious! I substituted all of the oil with home-canned cinnamon applesauce and it was fantastic! I diced the apples and I also used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and added 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cloves and ground allspice. It needed an additional 5 minutes of baking and it was baked in an 8" x 8" glass dish. While still warm, we topped it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Definitely a keeper!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        November 12, 2016 at 1:09 pm

        Hi Charlie, thanks for the comment. I have done this one several more times already with various combinations. I'm convinced you can modify this many ways and it will still be excellent.

    11. DrDan

      October 20, 2016 at 11:26 pm

      Hi Angela,

      Thanks for the note and especially the trial of substituting in the applesauce for half the oil. I have been planning a repeat cooking doing that exact substitute. Now I can do the Apple Fritter Bread instead...

      Dan

      Reply
    12. Angela Saver

      October 20, 2016 at 11:14 pm

      This cake is amazing!!!! I doubled the recipe & baked it in a 9x13-inch pan. I also only used 1/2 c. Oil & then substituted 1/2 c. Applesauce for the other 1/2 c. Oil. My family LOVES it! Thank you for an awesome cake that we will make over & over again! Definitely a keeper!

      Reply
    13. Justine

      October 09, 2016 at 9:25 pm

      This cake is delicious and super easy to make!! But just wondering if it's possible to cut the 1cup of sugar by half as well as the amount of oil without much change to the result of this cake? Also wondering if it can be frozen.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        October 10, 2016 at 10:25 pm

        Hi Justine,
        Thanks for the note. It is usually ok to sneak sugar down a little. But cutting in half is a lot unless the apples are very sweet. The oil really is needed, or you will have a marked effect on the texture. You can experiment with substituting applesauce or yogurt but I have not done it with this recipe so proceed at your own risk.
        They should freeze well.
        Dan

    14. John

      October 08, 2016 at 12:10 am

      Would this be good 2 days after baking? I'm looking for a desert to bring to a saturday tailgate, but would have to make it on Thursday.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        October 08, 2016 at 7:01 am

        Almost but not quite as good.
        Dan

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