Fresh Apple Cake
This fresh apple cake recipe is made from scratch with real apples, cinnamon, and simple pantry staples for a moist, old-fashioned dessert.
This fresh apple cake recipe has been in my family for more than four decades. It bakes up into a moist cake loaded with tender bites of real apple and hints of warm spice.
I make it from scratch with all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, and a few basic pantry staples, then stir in chopped fresh apples just before it goes in the oven.
This cake takes around an hour and a half from start to finish, but it’s worth the wait.
The result is a moist, flavorful, lightly spiced cake that feels straight out of a vintage recipe box. It’s absolutely divine with a drizzle of caramel sauce, a dusting of powdered sugar, or simply served as-is.
How to Make Our Fresh Apple Cake Recipe
Quick Tip
The batter is very thick. You can use a stand mixer to help combine the ingredients. If you do, keep it on low and stop as soon as the batter comes together so the apples don’t get bruised.
How to Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups canola oil, or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups apples, peeled, cored, and diced into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease a 9×13-inch cake pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, and eggs.2 cups granulated sugar1 ¼ cups canola oil2 large eggs
- Add the flour, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Use a sturdy spoon or spatula to stir. The batter will be very thick like a paste.3 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Fold in the apples, and press the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.3 cups apples
- Allow the cake to cool until just barely warm. Serve with plain or with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
*Post updated/streamlined on 2/21/26. The recipe wasn’t changed.
Meet Kimberly
Hi, I’m Kimberly Vargo! Comfort food is at the heart of everything I make like easy dinners and sides to desserts, cocktails, and condiments. A lot of my inspiration comes from old family recipes, personal favorites, and vintage cookbooks.
This is my go to apple cake. It’s AMAZING! Every single time.
I gild the lily by poking holes in the top when it first comes out of the oven and drizzling on 3-ingredient caramel sauce that it make in 90 seconds in the microwave (recipe is from Washington post, easy to find online).
I also confess that I cheat and use my kitchen aid to mix it. I’m sure it’s better your way but this is working for me.
Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!
Hi, Nikki!
Thank you so much for the comment and for rating the recipe! We’re so happy you enjoy the cake. This one has been in my family for 45-50 years at least, and it’s a favorite.
I’m thinking the KitchenAid is probably easier. The batter gets really thick, and using a mixer would save some energy. Thanks again and have a great evening!
This recipe is exactly like the recipe my mom had unfortunately her recipe was lost years ago. Such a delicious cake. So moist. Only change I made..i added pecans.. thank you!
Hi, Leslie!
Thank you so much for the comment and for rating the recipe! This recipe was one of my grandma’s recipes from 40-50 years ago, so it’s very possible she got it from a popular cookbook or off the back of box somewhere. Lol! I really have no idea, but it’s a great one. Thanks again, and have a great weekend! 🙂
I love this cake so much. So easy to make it and the texture and taste are amazing!
Hi Lois!
Thank you so much! We’re happy that you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful afternoon! 🙂
I am making a similar cake for Xmas gifts. My recipe came from a coworker back in the 80’s.
Interestingly mine has dramatically less oil and a cup less flour. I recall that I had to mix the batter with my hands as it was so stiff.
My question is how long do you think I should bake it if I split the recipe into
smaller gift pans?
Good Morning Kathi, let me apologize for the delayed reply. We had a tech issue that prevented us from receiving alerts when someone commented. So, we missed a lot comments until late last night. I am so sorry. In response to your question, I would reduce the bake time down to 30-40 minutes. Thank you for asking and have a wonderful day 🙂
I made this cake last night, and it was a hit! I love how easy it was to make.
Hi Laura!
Thank you so much! We’re glad everyone enjoyed the cake. Have a fantastic evening! 🙂
Can you use a 9” spring form pan?
Hi Pat!
We haven’t tried this cake in a springform pan. As far as the batter fitting, it will be very full and I’m not sure if it will bake thoroughly. If you decide to try it, I’d recommend lining the inside of the ring and bottom with parchment paper and/or greasing it well to make sure the cake doesn’t stick.
I made this Apple Cake yesterday for my church family. They, and I absolutely loved it. It was the only dessert out of 10 that was all gone. Wonderful recipe!
We’re so happy everyone loved the cake, Iris! That’s wonderful to hear. We hope you have a lovely week. 🙂
I made this cake for our Wednesday night family meal. Everyone loved it. I also shared with friends and was sent this message!
“Omg that is the best cake we have ever eaten!! I love apple so knew it would if you made it it would be delicious.”
Thanks so much for sharing. I’m making it to send to the community church dinner, too!
We’re happy everyone loved the cake! It’s one of our favorites, too, and has been in my family for well over 40 years. Thank you so much for coming back to comment. Have a wonderful day! 🙂
I live at 4,295 in Elevation and I was wondering if I needed to tweek this recipe a little? Extra Flour? etc.
Thank you,
Sue
Hi Sue!
We haven’t baked this recipe at an elevation higher than approximately 1,500 feet, so I’m not sure. The batter is quite thick, so I’m not sure how the extra flour might change the way it bakes up. I’m approving the message in case another reader has tried adding extra flour and lives at a higher elevation. Maybe someone will chime in. 🙂
I am making this for the first time and just put it in the oven, so don’t want to rate it until I see and taste the final product. But I do have to say, in all my years of baking I have never encountered such a stiff cake batter. Its more like cookie dough. I know the instructions say it will be stiff, but it was so stiff I couldn’t get everything mixed thoroughly using a spoon- I had to use my hands. Eagerly awaiting taking it out of the oven to see how it turns out.
Mine was way too salty with the teaspoon of salt
This looks and sounds so good but can I use almond flour and a sugar substitute to make it low-carb?
Hi Debbie!
We haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour or a sugar substitute, so we can’t say for sure how it would turn out. Another reader may be able to answer if he/she has tried it. 🙂
Made this exactly except used half a cup less of sugar. Made a glaze for the top. Everyone raved how moist and delicious it was. Will make again. Thank you for this recipe
Hey gal, can I use butter instead of oil? Or half and half oil/butter? I hope this makes sense. There js a video covering the comment box as I type.
Hi Aimee!
We haven’t tried to swap the oil for butter, so I’d say try for half oil, half butter to start and see how it goes. So sorry about the video! We’ll get in touch with our ad agency to let them know. Thanks so much for letting us know. We hope you have a wonderful week! 🙂
Hey! I made this exactly as the recipe says and added about 3/4 cup of sour cream to the batter before adding the apples. It came out so moist and delicious! Also added a vanilla glaze to the top. Thanks for the recipe 😄
Good Morning Samantha, that’s wonderful! Kim and I are thrilled you enjoyed the apple cake. Adding the sour cream was a great idea and I bet the vanilla glaze was lovely. Thank you for dropping by to leave a comment. We appreciate it. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Can this be made into muffins/cupcakes?
Hi Michelle!
We’ve never tried to make muffins or cupcakes with this recipe, so I’m not sure. If you decide to try, we’d love to know how it turns out. Have a great day! 🙂
How can u make this cake not so dense, more moister??
Hi Diane!
I don’t know of a way to do that with this particular recipe. Maybe someone else has tried a different way and will comment. Have a great day! 🙂
Put 1tbsp of mayo in the cake batter it will keep it moist for about 1week. You can’t taste it.
Thank you for the tip, Isobel!
Hello. I cook for the time the recipe recommended and a little longer but the center is really mushy but the outsides you crispy. I used a glass dish. Have you ever had this problem. Still tastes yummy but really mushy! Please help.
Hi Kimberly!
I’m sorry to hear that the cake was still soft in the center. Normally, I use a metal pan for this recipe. If you only have glass, try decreasing the oven temperature by 25°F and add a few extra minutes to the cook time. Glass pans tend to get very hot and can make the sides of the cake crunchier and leave the center slightly undercooked. Hope this helps if you decide to make the cake again. Have a great evening! 🙂
@Kimberly,
Thanks for the info. I will definitely be making this cake again. It was yummy. I will try the metal pan next time and see if that helps. My oven is new so I wondered if it was the glass pan. Thanks again. Highly recommend this recipe. 🙂 Might try the caramel topping the next time too.
You’re most welcome! I’m thinking the metal pan will do the trick. This cake is fantastic with a little drizzle of caramel sauce. 🙂
This looks just like the recipe I have used since the 80’s! Always a hit! I drizzle a caramel type sauce called Cajeta over mine, and use toasted pecans in it. Mmmmmm making me think about whipping one up soon.
To anyone considering making this recipe- go for it, you won’t be disappointed.
Hi Jeanne!
It’s very possible that it’s the same or very similar recipe. My grandmother was making it back in the 1970s-80s when I was little. I got it from her on a little recipe card and had to share it! It’s a family favorite. Thanks for the sweet comment! We hope you have a wonderful week! 🙂