Is our apple cake recipe easy? Yes—both easy and delicious. It’s a simple one-layer cake made with fresh apples, walnuts, cinnamon, and other common pantry items. Delightful aromas will fill your kitchen as it bakes, and when served with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, the intoxicating flavors warm you from the inside, out.
Our moist apple cake recipe was created 15 years ago for a digest cooking magazine. It’s since appeared on our website and in our most recent cake cookbook.
This is a great recipe to whip up after picking apples at your favorite orchard. But don’t save it just for crisp fall days. It’s an apple cake recipe that will be devoured any time of the year.
Common ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard are used to make this comforting apple cake.
Apples: During testing, we found that shredding apples was the best way to add deliciously moist apple flavor to every bite of the cake. There’s no need to cook them first.
Sugar: For the best fresh apple flavor, we preferred the clean taste of granulated sugar.
Butter: Softened butter gives the best texture and flavor to the homemade apple cake. Refer to our how to soften butter tips to learn how to do it correctly.
Ice Cream: Our taste panel members agree that serving this apple cake recipe with ice cream elevates the flavors even more than adding an icing.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
Here’s a quick peek at the equipment you’ll need to make this fresh apple cake recipe with success.
Electric Mixer: A mixer makes quick work of incorporating air into the batter, for the best cake texture.
Rubber Scraper: Switch to a rubber scraper when stirring in apples and walnuts, to avoid overmixing which can impact the cake texture. It’s also handy to scrape all the batter out of the bowl.
Cake Pan: We prefer a 9-inch round cake pan with a shiny finish—it reflects the heat for a tender and light cake texture. Too small of a pan can cause the cake to overflow; too large and it will result in a shorter cake.
Other Equipment You’ll Need: Dry measuring cups and spoons, bowl, toothpicks, cooling rack.
Here’s a brief look at how to make our apple cake recipe.
Use baking spray that contains flour so the cake will release from the pan easily.
Beat until no lumps remain and the texture is fluffy and light.
For the best textured cake, add eggs one at a time to incorporate the maximum amount of air.
Add the vanilla, flour, baking soda, and salt all at once. Mix on medium-low speed just until no traces of the dry ingredients remain. Then stir in the apples and walnuts with a rubber spatula or spoon.
Test doneness with a toothpick—it should come out clean with no wet batter or crumbs clinging to it. Cool the hot cake in the pan 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool another 10 minutes on a cooling rack before serving. See the section below for how to remove a cake from the pan.
Here's how to remove cake from a pan like a pro.
Cool in Pan: First cool the cake in the pan just 10 minutes to make it sturdier for moving. Any longer and it could be difficult to remove.
Flip Cake Upside Down: Place a cooling rack on top of the cake in the pan. With one hand on top, and the other beneath the cake pan, flip everything over; carefully lift the pan off the cake.
Flip Cake Right-Side Up: Place another cooling rack on top of the cake. Using the same motion as above, flip everything over so the cake is right-side up. Remove the top cooling rack.
We’ve heard that our fresh apple cake recipe is a big hit, and fans love to tweak it to suit their tastes. As SueDav tells us, “I doubled the cinnamon and added some nutmeg. It was delicious.”
Here are even more variations to give it your own spin.
Swap the Sugar: For more of a spice cake flavor (and less apple-forward flavor), substitute 1/2 cup brown sugar for 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. Add 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg with the cinnamon.
Add a Drizzle: Top servings of cake with caramel topping or maple syrup. Dodgegirl28 tells us, “Also great with a peanut butter drizzle!”
Make It Faster: Our 5-Ingredient Apple Dump Cake gets you to sinking your teeth into homemade apple cake even sooner.
Got leftover cake? Lucky you—it’s another opportunity to enjoy a sweet bite of goodness!
Place any remaining apple cake on a plate and wrap tightly with plastic wrap or place in an air tight food storage container. Store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Over time, the cinnamon flavor might diminish, and the top of the cake may become stickier, but it will still taste delicious.
Wrap cake tightly with plastic wrap or foil and place inside resealable freezer food storage bag. (If you want to take out just a piece or two at a time, cut the cake before wrapping.) Freeze up to 4 months. To thaw, loosen wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
Place a piece of apple cake on a microwavable plate. Cover loosely and microwave on Medium (50%) for 45 seconds to 1 minute or just until warm.
Nearly 200 of our fans let us know this apple cake recipe is 5 stars. They tell us it’s easy enough to make, whether you’re new to baking or a dessert-making pro. One fan, Suzybb2 says, “This is the third time this week making this ridiculously super easy recipe.”
Makers tell us this moist apple cake recipe has a sinful flavor and a perfect balance of sweetness. They also note that they got positive feedback from those that enjoyed the apple cake—including requesting the recipe or that it be made again, soon. We’ve heard from users that this cake is great for more than just dessert—it’s also a great choice for breakfast, morning coffee break, or as an afternoon treat on a cold day!
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour.
In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Mix in vanilla, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in apples and walnuts. Spoon into pan.
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.
The cake batter will fill a 9-inch round cake pan perfectly. If you use a square pan, the cake won’t be as tall, as square pans hold more volume.
Use the large holes of a box grater to shred the apple into small pieces that give every bite of cake a fresh apple flavor. No box grater? Chop the apple into 1/4-inch pieces, instead.
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 25g | 39% |
| Saturated Fat | 13g | 63% |
| Trans Fat | ½g | % Value Not Available |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6g | % Value Not Available |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 4&½g | % Value Not Available |
| Omega-3 | 1g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 115mg | 38% |
| Sodium | 380mg | 16% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 60g | 20% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Soluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Insoluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Sugars | 39g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 7g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Potassium | 230mg | 6% |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin E | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Thiamin | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Riboflavin | Value Not Available | 20% |
| Niacin | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Vitamin B6 | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Vitamin B12 | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Pantothenic Acid | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Phosphorus | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Magnesium | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Zinc | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Manganese | Value Not Available | 25% |
| Selenium | Value Not Available | 20% |
| Copper | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Beta-Carotene | Value Not Available | % Value Not Available |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
