There's something about baking this homemade fresh Apple Cake that warms the soul! It's super easy and your house will smell amazing!
Fresh apples are the key ingredient in this vintage recipe!
Use Honeycrisp, Fuji or Gala apples for best results.
I found this vintage recipe in a Piggly Wiggly bag of recipes I inherited from my Grandmother. The first time I made it I thought, "oh dear...this batter is thick!"
But, as I continued the instructions, it turned out perfectly...I've added an Apple Butter glaze because...who doesn't like glaze?
Why you'll love this recipe!
- Simple ingredients - nothing fancy or complicated! Apples, flour, sugar, eggs and a few others...and there's no butter in this apple cake recipe!
- Easy - the hardest part is coring the apples, seriously! After that, it's lickity-split simple!
- Flavorful - apple cake (with or without pecans or walnuts...your call) has a really nice texture and it's not too sweet; just the flavor of baked apples
What I especially like about this particular fresh apple cake recipe is that there's no cinnamon...I'm not a big fan of it and every other apple recipe has cinnamon...this is a pleasant surprise!
Here's what you'll need:
First, get an apple corer. Trust me. The rest is a breeze. The glaze ingredients are: butter, brown sugar and Apple Pie spice.
How to make it:
This step is essential: Do Not Skip It
Core and peel the apples. Chop them into fine pieces.
Place in a bowl and add 2 cups of sugar; combine well; cover and refrigerate for 1-hour.
This marinating step is critical to the recipe as the sugar and apples form a liquid that thins the batter.
The batter is initially thick but, once you add the sugar coated apples and the liquid that forms from them, the batter thins out..... do not freak out when you first make it!
This old-fashioned apple cake takes about 50-minutes to bake, depending upon your oven.
My oven is old and I had to cook mine for an additional 10 minutes...check the center with a knife or bamboo skewer to determine when it's done. The knife/skewer should come out clean.
Allow the cake to cool before turning it out on a platter; you can loosen the warm cake with a spatula first.
Make the glaze:
Melt one stick of butter in a small saucepan; add brown sugar, vanilla extract, Apple Pie spice and a pinch of salt; Heat until sugar is dissolved; drizzle over cake
Expert tips:
- Get an apple corer
- Use fresh Honeycrisp, Fuji or Gala apples- not Red Delicious...they get too grainy
- Do not skip the apple/sugar marinating step...
- Chop apples and pecans into very small pieces-the smaller the better, especially when you slice it
- Bake in a tube or Bundt pan; lightly oil and flour pan
- Allow to cool before turning cake out of pan
- Cut cake slices with a serrated knife; the cake tends to crumble when cut with a normal knife due to the texture of the apples and pecans
- You might wanna double the glaze recipe...this recipe makes enough to drizzle over the top, but it's so good, you might wanna make more for each slice!
- My cake "puffed-up" on top after I baked it...so the bottom wasn't level on the cake plate; if this bothers you, level it out with a knife before you plate it
Fresh apple cake is probably one of the "healthiest desserts" you'll find. Fresh apples with all natural ingredients and no preservatives...perfect for any occasion!
Related recipes:
- Apple Crisp
- Classic Southern Pecan Pie
- Foolproof Peach Cobbler
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
- Spiced Poached Pears
- Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Orange Italian Cream Cake
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and comment below! I love to hear from you!
Fresh Apple Cake
Equipment
- Apple corer
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple finely chopped, (about 3 large apples)
- 2 cups sugar to sprinkle over apples
- 4 whole eggs lightly beaten
- 1 cup oil vegetable or canola; plus a teaspoon for prepping pan
- 2½ cups flour all-purpose; plus a teaspoon for prepping pan
- 1 teaspoon salt table
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze Ingredients
- 1 stick butter , salted or unsalted
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Apple Pie spice
- pinch of salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine chopped apples and sugar; cover and let sit in refrigerator for one hour4 cups apple, 2 cups sugar
- Preheat oven to 350
- Lightly oil and flour pan; set aside
- In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt)2½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add lightly beaten eggs, oil and vanilla extract to dry ingredients; combine well4 whole eggs, 1 cup oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add apples and their sugar liquid and pecans (optional) to batter; stir until well combined
- Pour batter into prepared pan
- Bake for 50 minutes; check for doneness with a knife or skewer; allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before removing cake from pan
Glaze
- Melt butter in saucepan; add brown sugar, Apple Pie spice, vanilla extract and salt; cook until sugar is dissolved; drizzle over cake1 stick butter, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon Apple Pie spice, pinch of salt
Notes
- Do not panic if the batter is thick at first! Once you add the apples and their sugar liquid, it thins.
- The original recipe called for a cup of pecans; you can use either pecans or walnuts-or eliminate nuts altogether
- If you use any kind of nuts in your cake, be sure to mince them finely...the cake doesn't slice very well with big chunks of nuts
- Prior to removing cake from pan, run the straight edge of a knife around the perimeter of the cake to loosen
- For best results, use a serrated knife to slice cake
- You might wanna double the glaze recipe; this makes enough to drizzle over the cake, but there's not much left to drizzle over individual slices
Nutrition Estimate
Sandra says
Excellent!!! You could consider baking this in large muffin pans! Good for a good breakfast!
Anecia says
Yes! What a brilliant idea! Thank you!