If you have been looking for a moist apple cake recipe, you’ve come to the right place. My mom’s easy apple cake is unbelievably delicious. This recipe is foolproof and there’s no way you could mess this method up, even if you tried. A few humble ingredients get whisked in a bowl, and even if the mixture is lumpy, it will still turn out! A sweet milky glaze (inspired by German baking) completes this beautiful cake, which is perfect alongside tea or coffee, or served for dessert. Simply omit the glaze/topping and replace with a dusting of powdered sugar for a dairy-free cake.
Easy Apple Cake
This recipe is foolproof and perfect for beginner bakers or anyone looking for an easy sweet fix. The few simple ingredients get whisked in a bowl, and even if the mixture is lumpy, it will still turn out!
Equipment
- skewer or chopstick
- 7-inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (150 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- ¾ tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's not expired) (8 grams)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup avocado oil or any neutral cooking oil (110ml)
- 3 medium-sized apples, peeled and diced small (we used honey crisp)
- powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Liquid Topping
- ½ cup milk (110ml)
- 2 tablespoons butter (30 grams)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (25 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a 7-inch springform pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper (I linked my pan in the notes below). You can use a bigger size pan as well, but the cake will be bigger and thinner.
- In a bowl, add the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and stir to combine. Add the eggs and oil, and stir until fully combined. You should have a smooth but thick batter. Gently fold the apples into the batter until they are fully coated.
- Pour the batter into the lined pan, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- About 5 minutes before the cake is done, warm the milk, butter, and sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture heats up and the butter and sugar fully dissolve. Remove from the heat.
- Remove the cake from of the oven, and using a long skewer or chopstick, gently poke holes into the top of the cake, making sure to insert the skewer from the top all the way to the bottom. I poke about 25 to 30 holes, making sure they are evenly spaced apart.
- Take the warm milk mixture and gently pour it over the top of the cake. The cake will absorb this delicious mixture as it cools, so trust the process.
- Once the cake absorbs the liquid, remove the springform and parchment paper around the cake. Place the cake onto a plate and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before you dig in! You want to make sure the cake has absorbed the topping as the interior will have a custard-like texture.
- Optionally, dust the cake with powdered sugar once it has cooled and enjoy!
Notes
I have not tried making this cake gluten-free but I am sure you can use a gluten-free 1-1 all-purpose baking flour instead.
If you are dairy-free, you can absolutely leave out the milk/sugar/butter topping. This cake is delicious without the topping as well.
If you have any dietary preferences (like keto, low-carb), you will have to experiment with 1-1 monk fruit sweetener and various alternatives. Please let us know in the comments of this blog how you made this cake differently so others can learn as well.
You can always adjust the sugar in this recipe as it’s not overly sweet. The bake time will depend on the oven so please keep a good eye on it.
The link to my springform pans is in both of my Amazon stores, Canada & USA
You can use a bigger springform pan as well but the cake won’t be as tall. Please keep a close eye on it as the baking time may reduce as well.
I am not sure how long this cake lasts since my family devours it the SAME DAY lol.
We like to spray and line the springform pan for easier cleanup, but feel free to butter and flour it if you wish to do so as well.
When using baking powder, always check the expiration date. Expired baking powder will not help your recipe rise in the oven, and you’ll have a sad, deflated cake. You can test if your baking powder has expired by adding ½ teaspoon baking powder to ¼ cup hot water. If the water bubbles up, it’s not expired; if it does not bubble, it’s expired and should be tossed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
45 Responses
I love this recipe. Decided to make it as a last minute (and late night) addition for my daughter’s birthday party. It was very easy and made with ingredients that I always have in my pantry – this will become a staple, I think 🙂 The apple cake came out beautifully. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hi Ria
Thank you so much for the beautiful review and happy birthday to your daughter
Made it this afternoon, couldn’t resist to taste once it cooled off. Verdict super easy to make, love the flavours & looks pretty too with a dusting of icing sugar. Goes well with ginger tea. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, will make it next time I have company.
Hi Susanne! I can rarely resist and I never wait! LOL 🙂
Made this last night and my family loved it! It’s not super sweet which we all appreciated. I used an 8 x 8 glass baking dish lined with parchment because I don’t have a springform pan. I also used canned coconut cream for the milk/butter/sugar topping. It came out amazing!! I cooked mine about 50 min. Thank you for the quick and easy recipe!
Hi sweetheart! Thank you for sharing all of this with us. Means a lot and I am so glad you loved this cake recipe. Stay tuned for my blender cake coming this week!
Your recipe sounds delicious. I was wondering if you can substitute melted butter for the oil
You absolutely can or you can use any other type of oil as well (mild tasting)
You used coconut cream or coconut milk? There is a difference. Coconut cream is extremely thick
My 8-year-old and I attempted to bake this for a play date. It was a big hit, and so easy and quick that we were able to squeeze in making it between two lessons on a busy day. I love that it’s not too sweet, and can be made with all the ingredients I already have in my pantry (and I’m definitely not a capable baker). Thanks for sharing this and all your wonderfully easy recipes on instagram!
Hi Anh! What a sweet review, so happy you loved it and yes you are right, it’s not that sweet but can definitely be adjusted accordingly. Lots of hugs!
This reminds me so much of a traditional breakfast apple cake I used to eat in Switzerland! I added about a tsp of vanilla to this recipe but otherwise followed exactly and it came out amazing! My wife didn’t want to wait for the custard to absorb but I fought her and won. Definitely worth the wait!!
Hi!! Thank you and soooooo happy you loved it.
I made this using an alternative sugar mixture and as written. I also used a larger spring pan than called for and also in a meatloaf pan (10 extra min). This will be my forever go to recipe for a light, delicious and relatively healthy recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Omg Ava, so happy to hear that you loved my mom’s cake recipe! Means so much
I’m eating this now and it’s so good!!!!! I’m thinking I might add brandy or tum to the milk mixture an extra kick! Thank you
wooohooooo! Enjoy hun!
This apple cake was so easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing. I doubled the recipe (lol otherwise it wouldn’t last til tomorrow )and cooked in a 27cm diameter springform. 31 mins in a 160°c fan oven. Was perfect, thank you!
So happy Claudia! Thanks for sharing it’s soooo helpful to everyone.
Delicious and easy cake to make! I used 1 cup of gluten-free flour blend instead, and I think it came out perfect. I also tried using less sugar, but you can tell that it needs to be sweeter, so next time I will use the full 1/2 cup. Also used almond milk in the syrup and it was fine.
Omg thank you for letting us all know! So happy 🙂
Just made with GF flour and 1/3 cup of sugar in the batter. It is excellent
So happy to hear that and thanks for letting us all know 🙂 SO HELPFUL
Made this with granulated xylitol instead of sugar and it was delicious! The recipe is great, everybody loved it and got great compliments for it – no one could tell it’s sugar-free, either!
Thank you for sharing your modifications Ange! Sooooo happy 🙂
This is the best apple cake I’ve ever had! I baked 3x this week, one for my family, one for my neighbor and one for my co-workers and everyone said it was absolutely delicious and sooo moist! Thank you for sharing such amazing recipe! My friend is making it right now as I’m writing this review!
SO HAPPY! Thank you for the review Sylwia
Can you use half and half or heavy cream for the milk on top liquid topping??
Definitely but will be more indulgent 🙂
Easiest apple cake ever!! I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. Tasted even better this morning. I halved the recipe and made cupcakes because I only have a muffin tin lol! 22mins at 190c for 6 delicious cupcakes.
So happy to hear that Hali 🙂
This cake is delicious.I woder if I should have extended the baking time as the custard like center was a little runny.What should be the texture thtough
You may need a bit more baking time. The cake should feel ‘wet’ or more like a custard texture on the inside. It’s not fluffy but it’s also not runny.
Can I double this recipe for a 9” spring form pan?
Hi Sonia, I haven’t tried to be honest but it should work
I used a 9” springform because it was all I have. Kept the recipe the same but baked for 26 minutes. Thank w fir this wonderful recipe
So glad 🙂 Happy Saturday!
I am planning on making this for Easter but would like to make it the day before. Should I wait on adding the glaze mixture until the day we eat it? Or will it be ok to do the glaze on the cake the day before?
The cake has to be hot right out of the oven. Cake will be delicious the following day too. Make sure you cover it well.
Made for company and everyone loved it!
So glad Lynn 🙂
I made this today and it jcame out great!!!I substituted pineapple as I didnt have any apples and it was awesome!!
Mark I LOVE how you improvised 🙂 So so happy
Your recipe reached me here in Australia, where it is currently apple season. What a delicious cake and so easy! When making the “custard”, I used vanilla sugar and I also added cinnamon, as apples and spice are such a great marriage, and it is Autumn here. I do hope your Nonna would approve!
Omg sooooo sweet Alison! I would love to visit Australia one day. This review means a lot, thank you 🙂