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 Easy Apple Cake
🔥 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.
- 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.
Other Dessert Recipes
Healthy Apple Muffins
35 mins
Baked Apples
50 mins
Orange Lemon Cake
35 mins
Whole Orange Blender Cake
55 mins
Best Served With
- Coffee ☕ or tea 🫖
- Other cakes (like my Whole Orange Blender Cake) or cookies for brunch or tea time
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This knife is my most used tool in the kitchen. The love I have for this knife is unmatched.
I use these bowls for everything in my kitchen. I use them to prep my ingredients, to mix batter or dough in them and so much more!
This is the parchment paper that I use for all my recipes!
This springform pan is my go-to for any round cakes or desserts!
These bamboo skewers are perfect for grilling, making kebabs or testing the doneness of baked goods.
This set includes 1-cup, 2-cup, and 4-cup Pyrex measuring cups that are perfect for baking, cooking, and melting ingredients. They're also dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
This is my favorite set. I have had mine for 10 years and need a new one. Highly recommend!
This is the perfect medium sauté pot!
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.
Easy Apple Cake
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 or any neutral cooking oil
- 3 medium-sized apples, peeled and diced small, I used honey crisp
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Liquid Topping
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. 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!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hands down the best and easiest apple recipe. Moist – true to the promise.
I added Bailey Irish cream to the mix for the holiday season.
Another time, I added whole clove. Love how it turned out.
Thank you for this recipe
Omg drooling over the Bailey’s! 👏
Don’t know what I did wrong but my cake took over an hour to cook. At 50mins it tested done, until I started progging it, raw batter oozed out of a couple of holes, I put it in for 5 more mins, took it out only a little better. As I had already got the milk ready I decided to put it on and put the cake back in the oven, it took 15mins longer. It looks pretty, hope it tastes as good lol
Hi Sharon, the timing will definitely depend on the oven, please keep me posted on how it tasted 🙂
My best apple cake so far!!
The instructions were super clear thankyou!!
Aww thanks Nadine! 💗
Hi not a rating but i dont have any powdered sugar on the house right now and its a while till house restock so can i enjoy the cake without it?
Hi Shanon, the powdered sugar topping is totally optional. 💗
Simple one bowl recipe that tastes great and very moist.
I doubled the batch and used mini bread pans.
Because I used canned apples with cranberries (in simple syrup) I omitted the sugar from the cake mix.
I will save to recipe to make again.
Gorgeous, Val! Thank you for sharing 💗😘
1- I love this cake.
I messed up…
I added milk to batter. 🙃, plus dried, cherries, raisins, almond extract, too.
It was sooooo, yummy.
Thank you.
LOL, I love that despite “messing it up,” it was still yummy! 😘
I’ve made this several times. Really easy and very moist! Always gets lots of compliments 🙏🏻
This comment made my day — thank you Susan! 💗
Very easy to make. It’s very moist.
Thank you Amy! So glad you enjoyed it 😘
I love cooking, but I am not much of a baker (baking is a completely different animal). However, this cake is easy to make and so tasty. I added a couple of plums, some cinnamon and used some coconut sugar for the syrup. And put a bit of yogurt next to it….sooo tasty
I’d say you ARE an amazing baker, based off this photo! Gorgeous, Sarina! The plums make it so pretty 😍
Delicious and simple.
Thanks Mary! Happy fall! 💕