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.
Everything You’ll Love About This Fresh Apple Cake:
- Tender, soft, and moist like peach cake, banana cake, pumpkin cake, and spice cake
- Chock-full of juicy apple chunks
- Perfectly spiced with the flavors you love in apple pie (with less time + effort)
- Easy to make—no mixer required, no fussy decorating
- Don’t have to wait hours for it to cool completely before eating
- Dairy-free cake recipe like zucchini cake
- Transport and serve right from the baking pan
- Wonderful plain or topped with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or a brown sugar glaze
Sheet cakes are renowned for being easier than layer cakes—no leveling off cake layers, no fancy decorating tools, no assembly whatsoever. Slicing and serving is a breeze and you’ll appreciate that this dessert can feed a crowd, but is still completely manageable to make. It’s easy to transport, too!
Favorite Pan: I really like to bake quarter sheet cakes in a glass 9×13-inch pan or this metal pan that comes with a lid. The lid is super convenient for storing & transporting!
Recipe Testing: What Worked & What Didn’t
I love this spice cake and knew it would be the best starting point for today’s version. The biggest change, besides altering the spices, is using apple chunks instead of shredded.
- Test cake #1 included 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 3/4 cup each of brown and white sugars (like the spice cake). The cake browned pretty heavily and rose a bit too high, and needed just a touch more moisture and flavor.
- For test cake #2, I reduced the baking soda slightly, to 3/4 teaspoon, and changed the ratio of sugars to be 1 cup white and 1/2 cup brown. To brighten up the apple flavor, I added a little orange juice and a bit of lemon zest. This cake came out lighter in color and perfectly moist, but the lemon zest was overpowering the apple.
- For test cake #3, I kept everything the same as the previous cake, but left out the lemon zest. This apple cake turned out perfectly golden and rose up just enough, with those beautiful dimples on top revealing the apples within. And the orange juice adds the perfect amount of fresh flavor and moisture, allowing the apple flavor to really shine.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner!
Key Ingredients You Need
- Flour: All-purpose flour serves as the base. You’ll use sturdy all-purpose flour instead of cake flour in this recipe because of the thick, wet batter.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: These ingredients help the cake rise.
- Spices + Vanilla: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and vanilla—apple’s flavor support team!
- Oil: Helps guarantee a moist crumb without weighing the cake down.
- White + Brown Sugar: Both sweeten the cake and brown sugar provides flavor. We’re using a mix of brown sugar AND white granulated sugar, though, because brown can weigh down a cake.
- Applesauce: Applesauce adds moisture, and the combo of applesauce + apple chunks ensures an apple-forward flavor in every bite! Make sure you use unsweetened applesauce.
- Eggs: Eggs add to the cake’s structure. This is a big cake, so you need 4 of them.
- Orange Juice: I promise this cake doesn’t taste like oranges! We’re using 2 Tablespoons, and it works so well to bring out the sweet-tart apple flavor. I love using orange juice with fall spices—it’s also the surprising ingredient in my pumpkin bread.
- Fresh Apples: I like to use a mix of sweet and tart apples.
Best Apples to Use
Firm apples are ideal for baking, and you may remember that if you’ve tried my apple crisp before. Avoid soft or mealy apples. For depth of flavor, it’s best to bake with a mix of sweet and tart apples. For this fresh apple cake, I usually use about 1 and 1/2 Honeycrisp apples and 1 Granny Smith apple.
- Tart apples I love to bake with: Granny Smith (in my opinion, this is the best overall apple for baking), Braeburn, Jonathan, and Pacific Rose
- Sweet apples I love to bake with: Jazz, Pazazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady/Cripps Pink, and Fuji
For a detailed list of my favorite apple varieties, and when to use each, you can visit my post The Best Apples for Baking.
Peel & cut the apples into 1/2-inch chunks. You need about 3 cups (360g) of apple chunks:
No Mixer!
Since we’re not creaming butter, you don’t need a mixer. Grab a big bowl for your dry ingredients, a medium bowl for your wet ingredients, combine it all, and then fold in the apples.
It will seem like too many apples. It’s not, I promise!
Topping Fresh Apple Cake
Today’s fresh apple cake is so moist and flavorful, like a lighter, spongier version of apple cinnamon bread. But here are some optional toppings… because who doesn’t love an accessory?!
If you’re looking to add some extra flair and sweetness to your fresh apple cake, I guarantee no one will turn down a slice smothered in the buttery brown sugar glaze. It’s the same exact glaze I use for this apple Bundt cake (just added a bit of salt), and it gives the cake a caramel-apple flavor profile.
I also love this cake with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar (pictured above). Note that the confectioners’ sugar will melt and disappear into the cake after a few hours, so it’s best to do this right before serving. Other topping suggestions:
- Drizzle with salted caramel sauce.
- Spread some apple butter on a slice, for extra-deep apple-cinnamon flavor.
- Add brown butter icing from these apple blondies.
- Slather on a layer of salted caramel frosting—if you’d really like to indulge your sweet tooth!
I hope you LOVE this!
Print
Fresh Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
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.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & 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)
Optional: Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) 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
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Make the glaze: 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.
- 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.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 5. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving. Continue with step 6.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass 9×13-inch Pan or Metal 9×13-inch Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Rubber Spatula | Cooling Rack | Fine Mesh Sieve (for confectioners’ sugar topping) | Medium Saucepan (for glaze topping)
- Can I replace or reduce the oil? Vegetable oil is the best option for this cake. You can replace with a neutral-flavored oil such as avocado oil or canola oil. Feel free to use melted refined coconut oil (refined doesn’t have much of a coconut flavor) and make sure every other ingredient in the cake batter is room temperature, so the oil doesn’t solidify. Do not replace with melted butter because the cake will taste dry. You can replace a small amount of the oil with applesauce if needed, but keep in mind that the cake will begin to taste dry/rubbery the more oil you replace.
- Orange Juice: If you don’t have orange juice, you can substitute apple juice, apple cider, or any type of milk. I don’t recommend using lemon juice in this recipe.
- Apples: For depth of flavor, it’s best to bake with a mix of sweet and tart apples. For this fresh apple cake, I usually use about 1 and 1/2 Honeycrisp apples and 1 Granny Smith apple.
- Layer Cake: Grease 3 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide batter between the 3 round cake pans. Bake for around 26–32 minutes, depending on which size pan you used. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The brown butter cream cheese frosting used on this banana layer cake would be very tasty on this cake.
- Bundt Cake: Try my recipe for glazed apple Bundt cake.
- Cupcakes: Try my recipe for apple cupcakes.
Keywords: apple cake
This turned out wonderful! Light and fluffy with delicious flavors thanks to the apple bits. Definitely surprising!
Is it 1/4 cup butter or 8 TBLS for the glaze’s butter?
Hi Angie, sorry about that, it’s 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons).
I had left over Pink Lady apples and an excess if eggs so I made your recipe. I had no all spice so used extra ginger and cinnamon then I had no orange but used orange and mango mix. The cakes were fantastic. My husband couldn’t keep his hands off them.
I truly love all ur recipes and would definitely try this one. 2 questions though can i substitute the apple sauce since I don’t have any?? And do u have a recipe for all spice?? Thank you
Hi Hadeel, applesauce adds a lot of flavor so we wouldn’t leave it out unless absolutely necessary. If you’re in a pinch, you can substitute mashed banana but the flavor will obviously change. You can try 1/2 mashed banana and 1/2 yogurt/sour cream though!
I can i make this recipe in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan?
Hi Linda, we’d recommend using this apple cinnamon bread recipe instead — very similar, but the perfect amount for a loaf pan!
Any thoughts on adding dried cranberries soaked in OJ to soften? I’ve done that with raisins in carrot cake.
Hi Robin, sounds like a delicious addition to this cake. We hope you enjoy it!
Do you think I could half the recipe? Just me and hubby. Even though we could eat it all its best we eat a smaller one.
Hi Dottie, this recipe halved should work well in a 9-inch square pan. We’re unsure of the bake time, but it will be a bit shorter. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
This cake was very good…cake itself was not too sweet … winged the icing… it was a perfect balance.
★★★★★
Just made this and it is delicious! Chose the powdered sugar instead of the glaze, and it’s perfect!
★★★★★
I was wondering whether one could use rhubarb in place of the apples in this recipe.
Hi Anne, we haven’t tested this recipe with rhubarb—if you wish to try it, you may want to start by swapping only half of the apples for rhubarb, since rhubarb can be quite tart. Let us know if you give it a try!
I tried this recipe yesterday and was a bit disappointed as it was dry. Also, I checked it at 30 minutes and it was done. I will definitely try it again, but meanwhile, any suggestions? Thanks much!
Hi Kathleen, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a food scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured, which can dry out cakes. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will be helpful to review as well. Thank you for giving this one a try!
I did use the spoon & level method. I will pay close attention though when I try it again.
Thanks for the reply!!
Hi Kathleen, are you using a larger pan? That would bake the apple cake a little quicker, since it will be thinner. Did you change anything about the recipe?
I used a 9×13 as instructed and did not change the recipe. It’s a mystery-lol!
I will try it again. Thank you!
Hi Sally,
I really like to when apples soften when baking so they almost melt in your mouth when you eat the cake or pie – so what apple would you recommend I use to accomplish this? Thanks!
Hi Lynne, any softer variety will do the trick, but what will get them extra extra soft is a little pre-cooking on the stove. Grease a skillet, and add the chopped apples. Pre-cook for a few minutes to help them begin to soften. Cool for a few minutes, and then fold into the batter.
I am anxious to make this cake, but I live in the mountains at 8,500 feet! Do you have high altitude directions? I have never had a Sally recipe fail me, but moving to Colorado has thrown my baking off a bit! Thanks for the help!
Hi Carol! We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I just made this today with apples from my trees (homemade apple sauce too), and it is delicious. The apples are so moist and the cake is light with lots of flavor. Definitely a keeper and I will make it again. I did halve the recipe and cook it in an 8×8 pan so it cooked a little quicker.
Thank you so much for the recipe idea!!
★★★★★
Can this cake be done in a Bundt pan? I haven’t tried it yet but, it sounds delicious.
Thank you.
Hi Jill, here is our glazed apple Bundt cake recipe instead!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet. Still shopping around for a dessert for Thanksgiving. Could I add nuts to this recipe without effecting the results? If yes, what do you think would work best and how much?
Hi Karley, absolutely. We recommend about 1 cup chopped nuts, about 130g. Hope it’s a hit at Thanksgiving!
I had tons of homemade apple pie filling. What I didn’t have was fresh apples or apple sauce. Instead, I used the pie fill. Made it twice, once with glaze once without, both were delicious and moist and perfect. 10/10!
★★★★★
I was wondering about homemade apple pie filling – I have plenty of that! Would you mind sharing how much you used? And, did you still add the unsweetened applesauce? Thanks so much!
I love apple cake. It makes me feel Fall is not far away plus fills the house with a wonderful aroma when baking. This recipe is delicious and full of apples and flavor. The fact it’s super easy to make puts it on the top of my recipe list. I added some chopped walnuts for some extra crunch and flavor. Yum!
★★★★★
Vegan colleague… has anyone swapped out eggs for vegan substitutes?
Hello, can I bake this cake in a 6-inch round cake tin?
Hi Zhi, We would recommend using our apple spice cupcakes recipe and turn that batter into a 6 inch cake by following these 6 inch cake instructions.
Question, I have a TON of Lodi apples to move before they go bad. They are a little on the tart side, like a granny smith. Seeing as there is a lot of sugar in this recipe, could I substitute the combo apples, for just Lodi’s?
Shouldn’t be a problem!
I am 74 and have tried many apple cake recipes in my lifetime. This is by far the BEST! The brown sugar glaze is so delicious, but does add more sugar overall.
I love this recipe! I used apples from my tree. Delicious! I frosted the cake using powered sugar. Will make this again
★★★★★
I added walnuts and 1/2 cup olive oil in place of veg oil
I’m going to try this recipe.
Hello, can I remove ginger and all spice from the spice mix and use only nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla?
Absolutely. Feel free to increase the cinnamon if you’d like.
Can I substitute Almond Flour for a gluten free recipe?
Hi Jennie! We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
Tried it with Almond flour! 1:1 ratio. It was awful! Texture was grainy and it was wet, not just moist. My kids still ate it but I wouldn’t give it to anyone else. Ha! I’ll try that other flour sometimes, thanks!
This was a great cake, huge hit thank you! Rather than make your other recipie for apple bundt cake, could I just back this in a bundt pan?
★★★★★
Would you use the cream cheese frosting you make for the TOTALLY AMAZING carrot cake recipe here?
Hi Susan, absolutely! Enjoy!
Soooo moist and delicious. I replaced white and brown sugar with coconut sugar and it was perfect.
Made this for my MIL who is an apple cake snob – she loved it, as did my husband and I. It was so easy to prepare and come out sooo moist and delicious. That glaze is to die for as well!
★★★★★