A quick and easy homemade Fresh Apple Cake that's moist, sweet, and delicious! Top it with whipped cream or homemade frosting.
Fresh apple cake is one of our favorite cake recipes to make each Fall. Not only is it easy, but it's full of all our favorite warm Fall flavors. We love to make it along with our Pumpkin Roll, Pumpkin Cake, and Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls.
Fresh Apple Cake Recipe:
This recipe for apple cake has been in my family as long as I can remember. My grandmother used to pick little green apples off the tree in her backyard and use them to make this cake from scratch. She'd even make extra and freeze it for when family came to visit over the holidays.
This cake is very easy to make. It's sweet, perfectly spiced, and has just the right amount of fresh, raw apple pieces. The batter is quite thick, so it's not like making a traditional cake. You'll want to grab a sturdy spoon for this recipe.
How to Make Fresh Apple Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and grease a 9x13-inch cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar, oil, and eggs.
- Next, use a sturdy spoon to mix in the all-purpose flour, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.
- Fold in the peeled and diced apples.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Recipe Tips:
- The batter will be extremely thick. One time, Kim actually broke a rubber spatula trying to stir it. So, I definitely recommend a heavy duty wooden spoon.
- I do NOT recommend using apple pie filling for this recipe. It will add too much moisture to the batter and create a gummy cake.
- Honestly, the cake is sweet enough to enjoy without any sort of frosting. However, if you feel inclined to create one, consider a using a maple whipped cream or a homemade caramel sauce. It's a Fall flavor that works perfectly with apples.
- Use your favorite sturdy, raw apple. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, or Braeburn are some great options. Peel, core and dice the apples before beginning.
- Swap the ground cinnamon with apple pie spice for extra warming flavors.
How to Store Apple Cake:
Room Temperature: Fresh apple cake stores well at room temperature for about 3 days.
Refrigerator: This cake will stay fresh in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
Freezer: Apple cake freezes nicely. Wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap covered by another layer of aluminum foil. The cake will stay fresh in the freezer for about 2 months.
Thawing and Reheating: Place the frozen cake in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. To reheat, place a slice of cake in the microwave for a few seconds until warm and soft.
Other Fall recipes you may love:
Recipe Card with Ingredient Amounts and Instructions
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ cups canola oil, or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher 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 x 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 pure vanilla extract1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon kosher 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.
- See post for tips and storage options.
Laura says
I made this cake last night, and it was a hit! I love how easy it was to make.
Kimberly says
Hi Laura!
Thank you so much! We're glad everyone enjoyed the cake. Have a fantastic evening! 🙂
Pat says
Can you use a 9” spring form pan?
Kimberly says
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.
Iris says
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!
Kimberly says
We're so happy everyone loved the cake, Iris! That's wonderful to hear. We hope you have a lovely week. 🙂
Anita Archuleta says
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!
Kimberly says
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! 🙂
Sue says
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
Kimberly says
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. 🙂
Beth says
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.
Tammy says
Mine was way too salty with the teaspoon of salt
Debbie Sargent says
This looks and sounds so good but can I use almond flour and a sugar substitute to make it low-carb?
Kimberly says
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. 🙂
Paula says
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
Aimee Evans says
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.
Kimberly says
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! 🙂
Samantha says
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 😄
John says
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 🙂
Michelle says
Can this be made into muffins/cupcakes?
Kimberly says
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! 🙂
Diane L Villalpando says
How can u make this cake not so dense, more moister??
Kimberly says
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! 🙂
Kimberly says
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.
Kimberly says
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 says
@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.
Kimberly says
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. 🙂
Jeanne says
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.
Kimberly says
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! 🙂