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Home › Recipe

Updated: Jun 8, 2020 · Published: Oct 29, 2019 by Kelsey Prevost · This post may contain affiliate links · 28 Comments

Fresh Apple Cake Recipe

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apple cake pinterest image
apple cake

The best fresh apple cake recipe with brown butter cream cheese frosting and a salted caramel drip

This fresh apple cake recipe is perfectly spiced with chunks of real apple in each layer. Frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting and a rich salted caramel drip. The perfect cake for fall. 

closeup of fresh apple cake recipe with brown butter buttercream on grey plate

What are the best apples to use in an apple cake recipe?

You want to use apples that will hold their shape while baking. I cut my apples into small pieces so that they bake evenly with the cake batter. 

The best apples to use for baking
  • Jonagold - Slightly tart, crisp, not too sweet and holds it's shape well after baking.
  • Honeycrisp - Crisp, sweet, holds it's shape well after baking. 
  • Braeburn - Crisp, sweet and very juicy. Holds its shape well for baking. 
  • Mutsu - Sweet, firm and great for baking
  • Pink Lady - Sweet, crisp and firm. Great for baking. 
  • Granny Smith - A tart apple that holds its shape during baking. Not very sweet. 
  • Cortland - Not too sweet, slightly tart. Softer than other apples but still holds its shape. 

What is the best way to cut apples for a cake?

The star of this cake is the fresh apple chunks inside, so you want them to be visible, but not giant pockets of squishy apple inside your cake. I go for pieces about ¼ inch square. This is a little bit smaller than you'd make for apple pie.

how to cut apples

Tip: Chop your apples first so you don't have to mess with them when you're making your cake batter. 

After peeling your apples you'll want to core them. Use this fancy apple corer or a good old fashioned knife!

Place your apple facing down on a cutting board. Press your apple corer firmly into the center of the apple and pull out the core. That's it! (Just be careful of your fingers.)

If you're using a paring  knife, you can also just cut a square around the core to get it out. Just try to waste as little as possible!

how to core an apple with a knife

How to make a fresh apple layer cake

Apple cake is very moist and delicate. I like to work with chilled cake layers so they are easier to handle.

  1. Place your first layer of cake onto a cake cardboard or onto a cake plate.
  2. Spread a layer of frosting evenly onto the cake with an offset spatula. Try to keep the frosting an even thickness. 
  3. Place your second cake layer on top of the frosting and repeat the process. 
  4. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the whole cake. This is called the crumb coat. Place the cake into the fridge to chill until the frosting hardens. About 20 minutes. 
  5. Frost the cake with more buttercream. I made my frosting nice and smooth but you could do a rustic finish if you like. 
  6. Drizzle your salted caramel over the top of the cake with a spoon.
  7. Finish the cake with some piped rosettes of buttercream and some fresh apple slices soaked in water and lemon juice to prevent browning. I used a 1M piping tip. 

fresh apple cake recipe

If you want to learn more about how to stack and fill a layer cake for the ultimate beginner, check out my how to decorate your first cake tutorial. 

how to make a cake tutorial

How long will an apple cake keep?

Apple cake is very moist and can be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. In warm climates, it is better to store apple cake in the fridge to prevent molding. If refrigerated, take the apple cake out of the fridge 1-2 hours before eating so that it's at room temperature. A cold cake can taste dry. 

fresh apple cake slice on green plate

What frosting and fillings go well with apple cake?

Apple cake is basically a spice cake but with chunks of apples in it. Think warm fall flavors. I frosted this cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting but regular cream cheese frosting or classic easy buttercream with a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon added would taste amazing as well! 

If you wanted even more apple flavor, you could put apple filling inside the cake as well! Apple heaven! Just remember to pipe a dam of buttercream around the cake perimeter to keep the filling from oozing out.

buttercream dam

I topped this fresh apple cake with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. What goes better with apples than caramel? 

What kind of spices goes well in apple cake?

The great part about this cake is that you mix it up and use your favorite spices! Allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are great spices to use. If you want to use more or less of a certain spice you can adjust it to your taste. 

Can this be made into cupcakes?

To make this apple cake recipe into cupcakes, reduce the applesauce to 4 ounces and omit the oil. I fill my cupcake liners about ⅔ of the way full with the cake batter then put in two pieces of apple. Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes until the center of the cupcake is set. Let cool and frost as desired. 

Easy apple cake

Do you want a delicious apple cake without all the fuss of layers? Try coating your apples in cinnamon in sugar and 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Spread them evenly in the bottom of a 10" cake pan. Pour the apple cake batter over the top and bake for 35-40 minutes until the sides of cake start to pull away from the pan.

Let the cake cool 15 minutes then flip out onto a cake plate. You have yourself a yummy upside-down apple cake! Drizzle on some caramel or dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Looking for other fall cakes? Try these!

Applesauce Spice Cake

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Brown Butter Cake

Carrot Cake with Pineapple

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

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Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Recipe

closeup of fresh apple cake recipe with brown butter buttercream on grey plate

Fresh Apple Cake

Perfectly spiced cake with chunks of fresh apple. Frosted with brown butter cream cheese and a drizzle of caramel sauce! The perfect cake for fall!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 425kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Equipment

  • apple corer
  • Knife
  • Electric Stand Mixer
  • Three, 8" Cake Pans

Ingredients

Apple Cake Recipe

  • ½ lemon lemon juice squeezed over chopped apples to prevent browning
  • 3 or 4 medium honeycrisp apples chopped in ¼ inch pieces
  • 2 medium apples (optional) cut in wedges for decoration
  • 10 ounces cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
  • 10 ounces granulated sugar
  • 3 ounces vegetable oil
  • 1 whole egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces applesauce unsweetened

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 8 ounces browned butter room temperature
  • 8 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 20 ounces powdered sugar

Caramel Sauce Drip

  • 7 ounces granulated sugar
  • 2 ounces water
  • 3 ounces unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces heavy cream
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Apple Cake Instructions

  • IMPORTANT: Make sure all your ingredients are at room temp (see notes at the bottom of the recipe) 
  • Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C)
  • Peel the apples and core them using an apple corer or a knife.
  • Cut the apples into ¼ inch pieces and place into a bowl.
  • Squeeze ½ a lemon over the apples to prevent browning. Set aside
  • Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
  • Add butter to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream until smooth.
  • Add sugar and oil to the butter and cream on medium until the mixture is white and fluffy.
  • Add egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
  • While mixing on medium, add in dry ingredients in thirds and mix until combined
  • Fold in applesauce and chopped apples until combined
  • Grease three, 8 inch pans with cake goop or another type of pan release.
  • Bake layers at 350 for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Layers will be thin.
  • Let cake rest in the pan until it's cool enough to touch, then flip out onto a wire rack.
  • Make sure to cool completely before stacking. (Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge or freezer to speed up the cooling process.)

Brown butter frosting instructions

  • Place softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix until smooth.
  • Add in your cream cheese and mix until smooth
  • Add in your browned butter and mix until smooth and creamy
  • Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing on low until all the powdered sugar is added. Do not over-mix.
  • Add in your salt and vanilla until combined.

Caramel Drip

  • Place sugar and water in a medium-sized pot. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
  • Remove lid and place a candy thermometer in the pot. Continue cooking the sugar until thermometer reads 350º (hard crack stage) or it's a deep golden brown color. Do not stir.
  • Remove the sugar from heat and slowly whisk in butter. Be careful, it will bubble up.
  • Whisk in cream and salt.
  • Let caramel cool completely before using it for the drip

Video

Notes

Recipe Notes

Important Things To Note Before You Start
1. Bring all your ingredients to room temperature or even a little warm (eggs, buttermilk, butter, etc) to ensure your batter does not break or curdle. 
2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in it's place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
4. Chill your cakes before frosting and filling. You can cover a frosted and chilled cake in fondant if you wish. This cake is also great for stacking. I always keep my cakes chilled in the refrigerator before delivery for easy transporting. 
5. If the recipe calls for specific ingredients like cake flour, replacing it with all purpose flour and cornstarch is not recommended unless specified in the recipe that it’s ok. Substituting ingredients may cause this recipe to fail. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 642IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jaylen says

    October 31, 2019 at 10:33 am

    Hey On the Apple Spice Cake here: mixed the applesauce in. On the receipe here you folded it in. Is there a big difference. I know that was technically another cake.

    Reply
    • Jaylne says

      October 31, 2019 at 10:34 am

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyR7k2yl9Ks

      Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      October 31, 2019 at 11:54 am

      No there isn't a big difference, the cake is super simple 🙂

      Reply
  2. Lyndi Miller says

    November 05, 2019 at 10:27 am

    Can you use “brown butter” for the cake?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 05, 2019 at 10:54 am

      Absolutely! That would be delish!

      Reply
  3. Séverine says

    November 10, 2019 at 1:01 pm

    Hi Liz !

    Looved this recipe !!
    Can I freeze the caramel sauce ?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 10, 2019 at 3:54 pm

      No need to, it will keep in the fridge for pretty much forever 🙂

      Reply
  4. Mallory says

    November 10, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    Hello, hoping to make this a 4 layered cake with 6 inch pans. What would you recommend for cooking times and oven temperature?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 11, 2019 at 10:35 am

      Same temperature and bake for the same amount of time, maybe even longer since the 6" cakes will be thicker than the 8" cakes.

      Reply
  5. Nicole Allen says

    November 14, 2019 at 8:13 pm

    Hi Liz! I hope that you and your family are doing well. This question may sound dumb... where can I find the browned butter for the 8oz needed for frosting? Is this something I need to make on my own or is this found in the grocery store?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 15, 2019 at 10:29 am

      Not dumb at all! I suppose I should have put that in the recipe oops! Here is how to brown butter. Super easy! https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/brown-butter/

      Reply
  6. Lyndi says

    November 19, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    Hi Liz, I’m planning on making this for thanksgiving, can I use APF instead of cake flour? Will the texture be different. Also, can you give us the apples needed in weight? Thanks so much, love you and your tasty cakes!

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 19, 2019 at 7:45 pm

      I haven't tested it with AP flour but I think it would be ok since we're not using the reverse creaming method. It might be a tiny bit less tender. I don't have the weight for the apples, unfortunately.

      Reply
  7. Lyz says

    December 22, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    5 stars
    Hello Liz!
    Could this recipe be used for a Bundt cake version? Any alterations needed?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      December 22, 2019 at 6:45 pm

      I would add fresh apples and spices to my vanilla bundt cake recipe. This one might be too tender. Replace white sugar with brown sugar as well.

      Reply
  8. Val says

    May 29, 2020 at 9:38 pm

    5 stars
    So easy to make and absolutely divine!

    Reply
  9. Montse Castillo says

    June 03, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    Hello, I really want to make this cake but it's posible to half it :(? Pls let me know.
    Regards!!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      June 04, 2020 at 9:41 am

      Yes you can cut the recipe in half by adjusting the servings slider on the recipe card to read fewer servings and it will adjust the ingredients.

      Reply
  10. Sarah says

    July 13, 2020 at 9:07 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent cake! My husband said it looked like a mashed potatoes and gravy cake. 😂 Just wanted to point out though you mentioned salt twice in the printed instructions even though it only called for it once. Thanks again for the fabulous recipe!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      July 15, 2020 at 4:56 pm

      Oh thank you!

      Reply
  11. Autumn Gordon-Chow says

    September 20, 2020 at 4:57 pm

    Hi! This cake was soo delicious. The flavors were divine! My crumb was a little dry (maybe over baked) but also, it did not hold together at all when sliced. What could have gone wrong? Thanks!

    PS- I come here for all of my new baking adventures. Your recipes are wonderful!

    Reply
    • Sugar Geek Show says

      September 21, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      Hi thank you! Sorry to hear it didn't hold, I'm not sure why. Did you measure your ingredients by weight and bring everything to room temperature?

      Reply
  12. Ella says

    October 12, 2020 at 6:16 am

    Hi Liz!

    Thank you for all of your delicious recipes! Would you happen to know if this cake will freeze will with the fresh apples? I’m looking to make it for my best friends wedding cake, 4 layer 9 inch cake. The adjustment calculator isn’t working for me, would I double this recipes to have enough batter?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      October 12, 2020 at 4:03 pm

      Yes you can freeze it just fine because the apples are baked.

      Reply
  13. Laura Livingston says

    November 06, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    5 stars
    Love this cake. It really is a great recipe. I want to take this to 2 friends so could it possibly be made in 2 loaf pans? Would I need to change anything? Thanks for your help.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      November 08, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      Absolutely! I will most likely have to bake for longer so keep an eye on it.

      Reply
  14. Oksana says

    November 24, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely increasable. Just like anything Liz makes. I made cupcakes but they turned out spectacular. Wish I could post a picture . Moist and perfectly spiced with delicious apple. I even made brown butter frosting. Made my own brown butter for the first time. Yum yum yum. Making for all the neighbors for thanksgiving! Thank you Liz

    Reply
  15. Eathan Johnson says

    December 16, 2020 at 5:21 am

    5 stars
    This cake was delicious! The brown butter cream cheese frosting was super interesting and tasty as well. The cakes are for sure good enough to stand on their own as muffins as well. I made it twice and I felt it didn't have quite as much structure as I'd like the first time so I used half all purpose flour which worked great with the cupcakes/muffins I made.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

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