This moist Apple Cake recipe is an old-fashioned, easy dessert that has been loved for generations! Studded with bits of fresh apples and chopped pecans, the simple Bundt cake is a perfect fall treat.
Moist Apple Cake Recipe
This is truly the best apple cake recipe! I grew up on apple cake, which my mom would bake each fall when apple season rolled around. While the dessert is delicious enough to serve for the holidays, it's so simple and easy that it's equally appropriate for a regular Sunday supper. In fact, you probably have all of the ingredients that you need in your kitchen right now!
The old-fashioned fresh apple cake recipe (sometimes called "Apple Dapple Cake") stays super-moist thanks to plenty of oil and juicy apples in the batter. It has nice, crisp edges from the Bundt pan, and absorbs a rich caramel glaze as it cools. You'll love the combination of warm autumn spices paired with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's simple, rustic and oh-so-delicious!
Which kind of apples should I use for Apple Cake?
You can use just about any of your favorite apples in this cake. I picked Honey Crisp here because I had a peck from a local farm, but a combination of Honey Crisp and Granny Smith apples is delicious, too. The mix of varieties adds a nice blend of sweet-and-tart flavors to the cake. Gala, Fuji, Braeburn and Jonagold apples are other sweet options that hold up well in the baking process. In general, you want firm (not mushy) apples for baking.
Should you peel apples for Apple Cake?
Yes, peeling the apples helps them blend into the cake and eliminates a potentially unpleasant chewy, tough texture.
How to make Old-Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake
The process for making this fresh apple cake from scratch could not be easier! You simply mix the wet ingredients together, sift the dry ingredients together, and then combine into one batter. It's a lot like making a quick bread such as banana bread -- no fancy techniques necessary!
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon and nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Pecans (or sub with walnuts)
- Apples
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Milk
Step 1: Mix Wet Ingredients
First, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Sift Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Step 3: Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients
Add the flour mixture to the oil and egg mixture, beating until combined. Mix in the vanilla extract and you'll have a nice, thick batter.
Step 4: Fold in Apples and Nuts
Gently fold in the apples and pecans until completely dispersed throughout.
Step 5: Transfer to Bundt Pan
Transfer the batter to a well greased and floured Bundt pan.
Step 6: Bake
Bake the cake in a 350 degree F oven for 70-80 minutes (mine is typically done within 70 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes while you prepare the glaze, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack.
Step 7: Prepare Caramel Glaze
While the cake is hot, make the glaze by boiling brown sugar, butter, milk and vanilla extract for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Whisk frequently while the mixture cooks.
Step 8: Drizzle Glaze on Cake
While the cake is still warm, pour the hot glaze all over the top and sides. A lot of the glaze will run off, but the warm cake will also absorb a lot of it -- adding moisture and flavor to the already very moist cake!
Once the cake is cool, slice and serve!
How to Serve this Easy Apple Cake Recipe
I find that it's easiest to slice the cake cleanly when the cake has cooled to room temperature. It's delicious warm, but the cake may crumble a little bit when you cut into it. The cake is absolutely delicious on its own -- not too sweet, but just sweet enough -- so it works well for breakfast or brunch with a cup of coffee or tea. For a real dessert treat, try topping a slice with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
Storage
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If your house is particularly warm, it's best to store the cake in the refrigerator. Remove the cake from the fridge an hour before serving to let it come back to room temperature.
Wrapped tightly, the cake will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips for the Best Apple Cake Recipe
- Grease and flour the Bundt pan before adding the batter to prevent sticking. For a convenient shortcut, I like to use this baking spray that has flour in it. Nothing ever sticks to the pan when I use this stuff!
- Drizzle the glaze on the cake while the cake is still hot. The warm cake will absorb the glaze, which adds moisture and flavor to the dessert. If the cake is cool, the glaze will just drip down the sides and onto the plate.
- For easy cleanup, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place the cake on a wire cooling rack on top of the foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and allow the excess glaze to fall down onto the foil.
- Substitute chopped walnuts for the pecans in this recipe.
- How much cinnamon in apple cake? I use just 1 teaspoon of cinnamon for this recipe, but you can play around with the spices and add more for a stronger flavor. If you like a lot of cinnamon, increase the amount to 2 teaspoons. You can also add a dash of ground ginger, allspice and cloves to the batter.
- To Bake the Cake in a Regular Pan: The Bundt pan gives the cake a beautiful texture -- moist on the inside and slightly crisp on the edges. If you prefer, however, you can bake the batter in a 9 x 13-inch pan, and decrease the baking time to about 40-45 minutes.
What to Make with Lots of Apples
- Apple Bread
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Homemade Applesauce
- Easy Apple Galette
- Apple Dump Cake
- Old-Fashioned Cranberry Apple Crisp
Old-Fashioned Apple Cake
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples
GLAZE:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- ½ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan; set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix just until combined. Add vanilla; mix. Gently fold in the nuts and apples.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes while you make the glaze, then turn out onto a wire rack. Glaze the cake while it’s still warm.
MAKE THE GLAZE:
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Boil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Pour the hot glaze over the warm cake.
Notes
- Grease and flour the Bundt pan before adding the batter to prevent sticking. For a convenient shortcut, I like to use this baking spray that has flour in it. Nothing ever sticks to the pan when I use this stuff!
- Drizzle the glaze on the cake while the cake is still hot. The warm cake will absorb the glaze, which adds moisture and flavor to the dessert. If the cake is cool, the glaze will just drip down the sides and onto the plate.
- For easy cleanup, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place the cake on a wire cooling rack on top of the foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and allow the excess glaze to fall down onto the foil.
- Substitute chopped walnuts for the pecans in this recipe.
- How much Cinnamon in Apple Cake? I use just 1 teaspoon of cinnamon for this recipe, but you can play around with the spices and add more for a stronger flavor. If you like a lot of cinnamon, increase the amount to 2 teaspoons. You can also add a dash of ground ginger, allspice and cloves to the batter.
- To Bake the Cake in a Regular Pan: The Bundt pan gives the cake a beautiful texture -- moist on the inside and slightly crisp on the edges. If you prefer, however, you can bake the batter in a 9 x 13-inch pan, and decrease the baking time to about 40-45 minutes.
Hi Blair,
I’m interested in what kind of apples you use for this cake??
I’ve had really good luck with honey crisp for pies lately.
Hi, Barbara! I used Honey Crisp here. Definitely a favorite, and we have so many on hand at the moment because the kids picked an overwhelming amount at a local orchard recently. 🙂
What do you think about substituting cardamom for cinnamon?
Hi, Shirley! I think that would work well! 🙂
Not sure where I went wrong but the batter mix seemed quite dry, and when cooked the overall cake was incredibly sweet. I used granny smith apples which are usually quite tart, but I think next time I'd use about half as much sugar. Nice combination of flavours though.
Hi, Rachel! I'm sorry that you found the cake too sweet. The batter should definitely be thick -- kind of like a pound cake batter -- but the cake should be really moist when it's baked.
my batter was very thick, more than a pound cake but less than cookie dough. I had to spoon the batter into the bundt pan but the results were amazing. I love this recipe more than the one I have. I did up the nutmeg to 1 tsp equal to the recipie I currently use. I mixed my nuts , pecans and english walnuts, omitted the raisins on one and added to the second cake to see which I preferred I had a combo of apples so I mixed them as well. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I'm so glad that you liked it, Terri! Yes -- the batter is definitely supposed to be very thick. It creates such a dense, moist cake -- love it!
Excellent cake that everyone loved. If you're lucky to have any left, it's even better the next day. It was not labor intensive at all, quite easy to make. Only change was I omitted the nuts since most of the family prefer cake without nuts. I trying to decide which cake to make between 2 different recipes, very happy I decided on this one.
Awesome! Thank you, Marci! I agree -- it just gets better as it sits. I've been known to have a slice for breakfast in the days after I bake it. 🙂 So glad that you enjoyed it as much as we do.
Hi Blair,
Made this cake about a month ago. It was very moist and delicious. Will be making it again. Your recipes are very easy to make and I have just about all of the ingredients in my pantry.
That's so good to hear, Janet! Thanks for your note. My goal is to create and share recipes that are accessible to most home cooks -- regardless of experience, budget, or location. I'm glad that you find them useful! 🙂
Does this freeze well?? Have lots of harilsen (sp?) apples and serving my ladies group at church in 2 weeks. Would like to make now while I have the time. Thanks
Hi, Marsha! It does freeze pretty well. I think it's best 1-2 days after it's been baked -- it just gets even more moist as it sits and the flavors come together. I find that when it's frozen and thawed, the outer edge isn't quite as "crisp" as it is when it's really fresh (it gets soft when thawed), and you don't notice the glaze on the outside as well. So, all of that said, it's up to you! I think you lose a little bit in freezing it, but it's still tasty!
wow is all I can say, I am not a baker but we had some delicious apples that were not firm enough for us eat & I did not to want to throw them away so to google I went. The Seasoned Mom was the best fit for my interest & @ the end of my baking journey was I ever glad nothing but delicious, moist, crusty with a great flavorful texture & taste. You can't go wrong with this gal's recipe. Happy baking!!
That's amazing, Carolyn! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a note. I'm so glad that you found the recipe and that you enjoyed the cake! 🙂