Easy Apple Cake
on Jan 27, 2023, Updated Jan 16, 2024
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Trigger warning: the word “moist” will be used multiple times in this recipe because this Easy Apple Cake is just 👏 that 👏 moist 👏 ! If you have been looking for a simple, yet delicious Apple Cake 🍎 recipe, you’ve come to the right place. My mom’s Easy Apple Cake involves only a few basic ingredients that get mixed together, and even if the mixture is lumpy, it will still turn out perfectly! Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just a baking enthusiast, this recipe will have you in a chokehold.
Why You’ll Love Easy Apple Cake
Get ready to fall in love with this amazing Easy Apple Cake – it’s the perfect blend of moist and tender apples and a heavenly milk and 🧈 butter infusion. What makes it so special? Its simplicity and ease of preparation make this cake perfect for even the most novice baker. The real magic happens as the cake soaks up the warm butter and 🥛 milk, which creates a phenomenal custard-like texture. Whether you’re a baking fanatic or just craving a comforting treat, this apple cake is perfect for any occasion.
How to Prepare
🔥 Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 7-inch springform pan by spraying it with baking spray and lining it with parchment paper.
🥣 In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Then add eggs and oil, and mix until smooth. Next, gently fold in the apples.
♨️ Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
🧈 In the last 5 minutes of baking the Easy Apple Cake, heat the milk, butter, and sugar in a pot.
🥛 After you remove the cake from the oven, use a skewer or chopstick to poke holes into the cake, and then pour the warm milk and butter mixture over it. Let the cake absorb the liquid.
🧊 Remove the springform and parchment paper, place the cake on a plate, and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
❄️ If you’d like, you can dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar before enjoying it.
Nonna’s Tip 🍎
You can use a larger springform pan, but this will result in a shorter cake. Monitor closely during baking, as the time may vary.
Variations and Substitutions for Easy Apple Cake
- Instead of apples, try using other fruits like pears, 🍑 peaches, or berries for a different flavor. You’ll need 2 to 2 1/2 cups of fruit total.
- Feel free to add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds to the batter before baking.
- Experiment with different spices 🔥 like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom.
- Replace some or all of the oil with melted 🧈 butter for a richer-tasting cake.
- I have not tried making this cake gluten-free but you should be able to use a gluten-free 1-1 all-purpose baking flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- If you are 🥛 dairy-free, you can leave out the milk and butter topping.
- For dietary preferences (like keto, low-carb, etc.), you could experiment with 1-1 monk fruit sweetener and various sweetener alternatives.
- Spike the warm milk mixture with a splash of rum, brandy, or bourbon for an adult twist.
Best Served With
- Coffee ☕ or tea 🫖
- Other cakes (like my Whole Orange Blender Cake) or cookies for brunch or tea time
Other Dessert Recipes
Healthy Apple Muffins
35 mins
Baked Apples
50 mins
Orange Lemon Cake
35 mins
Whole Orange Blender Cake
55 mins
Easy Apple Cake
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ tablespoon baking powder, make sure it's not expired
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup avocado oil , any neutral cooking oil
- 3 medium apples (peeled and diced small), I used honey crisp (2 to 2 1/2 cups of diced apple total)
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Liquid Topping
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 7-inch springform pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper. You can use a larger springform pan, but this will result in a thinner cake. Monitor closely during baking, as the time may vary.
- 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 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 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! 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
- Fruit alternatives: Instead of apples, try using other fruits like pears, peaches, or berries for a different flavor. You’ll need 2 to 2 1/2 cups of fruit total.
- Add-ins: Feel free to add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds to the batter before baking.
- Spices: Experiment with different spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom.
- Oil substitution: Replace some or all of the oil with melted butter for a richer-tasting cake.
- Gluten-free: I have not tried making this cake gluten-free but you should be able to use a gluten-free 1-1 all-purpose baking flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Dairy-free: If you are dairy-free, you can leave out the milk and butter topping.
- Sweeteners: For dietary preferences (like keto, low-carb, etc.), you could experiment with 1-1 monk fruit sweetener and various sweetener alternatives.
- Liquor add-ins: Spike the warm milk mixture with a splash of rum, brandy, or bourbon for an adult twist.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Common Questions
I have not tried making this cake gluten-free but you should be able to 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 or 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.
I use a 7-inch spring form pan for this cake. 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 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.
I am not sure how long this cake lasts as my family devours it the SAME DAY lol. I would have to guess 2-3 days.
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.
While 1 cup of flour weighs 130g in my kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 145g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure.
This was absolutely delicious, will definitely make it again.
Thank you, Natalie! ❤️
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Thanks Trish ❤️
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Love to hear this Sorina! Thank you ☺️
hey so the metric measurements are wrong, please check them again
Thanks for letting me know, Giulia! ❤️
I made this for the first time for my husband’s offering at his chorus’s closing potluck. Lots of women in the chorus! All this to say that THIS was the winner of the luncheon! Such an easy dessert to make and soooo tasty. Looks very impressive on a plate but you would hardly know it – he said it disappeared so fast!
So happy to hear this was a hit, Anne! Thank you for making it! ❤️
Wow! We absolutely loved this cake. I used 3 apples from my garden. I’ve made it twice now. The second time I made it vegan (for my daughter) by substituting the eggs with flaxseed. I always use dairy free milk and margarine at home anyway (oat milk) and I also used vegetable oil as I didn’t have any avocado oil. I also didn’t use a springform tin as it broke as I opened it :(. Im going to try it as muffin sized cakes. That way I can make a batch to freeze as it’s only two of us at home. I have no doubt it will be fine to freeze as it’s just apples and cake mixture.
Thank you for sharing, Kazza! I bet the home-grown apples made it even more special! 🍎❤️
Hi can you make this cake in the morning and service at dinner ? When should I add the warm milk ? Thank you
Hi, Livy! Yes, you can make this cake ahead of time! 🙌 Add the warm milk as soon as you pull the cake out of the oven.
I need a dessert for 12 . Can I make the 3x recipe, put it into a large springform pan and simply bake longer?
Hi, Marie! Good news! This cake serves 12 as written. I have not tried tripling this recipe, so if you decide to experiment please let us know how it turns out! If you want to play it safe (and have some extra cake on hand), you might bake two cakes following the 1x instructions. I hope this helps! ❤️
A 7 inch spring form pan serves 12 people? Is the pan size correct in the recipe?
Yes, that’s the correct size. 😊
Just made cake it looks great.
Can you freeze it?
Hi Ruth, I have not tried freezing this cake, but it does hold up well in the fridge for up to 3 days. ❤️
I don’t typically like fruit desserts as they tend to be too jammy or too sour for me but this one is perfect! This is one of the best things I’ve eaten in a very long while and I’ll definitely make it again. I made mine gluten-free by using 1-to-1 flour (I’m celiac) and it came out perfect! Thank you for this recipe!
Thank you Jessica! I’m so happy you liked it and that the 1-to-1 GF flour worked well! ❤️