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This easy fresh apple cake recipe uses raw apples and simple ingredients for a delicious dessert everyone loves. Moist, flavorful and perfect for fall baking!
Easy Apple Cake with Raw Apples
This easy apple cake recipe is so simple, but it’s absolutely delicious. It’s made with fresh apples straight from the fruit bowl or grocery store or the apple orchard — if you’re lucky enough to go apple picking!
No need to buy a tube pan or bundt pan for this easy cake! We make it in an 9-inch cake pan, which is just the right size for a couple of desserts for our family. But it is so moist and tender that we are lucky if it doesn’t disappear overnight! (My husband has been known to sneak bites as he walks by the kitchen.) Although my kids love to top slices of apple cake with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, it is just as delicious on it’s own.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you need to make it. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Raw apples — firm baking apples, like Granny Smith, work best for baking. Gala, honey crisp, pink lady or golden delicious apples are also good for baking.
- Flour — all purpose is fine
- White sugar and brown sugar — for sweetness and for a simple topping
- Baking powder — to help the cake rise
- Salt — cuts sweetness and helps to draw moisture from the apple slices
- Large eggs
- Butter — I always use salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter
- Milk — helps keep the cake moist
- Vanilla extract — for flavor
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg — warming spices for classic fall flavors
How to Make Fresh Apple Cake
First, cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the remaining wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Fold in the apples, spread the batter into a prepared cake pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
Make sure to slice apples into half-inch cubes so they cook evenly.
For a softer crumb, be careful not to over mix the batter.
Storage Tip
Store the cake at room temperature for 2-3 days in an airtight container. I usually keep it on a platter covered with plastic wrap or covered with a cake dome. You can store it in the refrigerator, but it tends to get a little too juicy. This cake also freezes well for up to 3 months.
More Fresh Apple Desserts
Try our family’s favorite apple crisp or these easy apple dumplings or this simple skillet pie. For an even easier dessert, try these apple nachos!
Easy Fresh Apple Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ½ tablespoons milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and diced into ½ inch cubes
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉, and prepare a 9-inch cake pan by greasing the sides with nonstick cooking spray, or butter, and lining the bottom with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until smooth
- Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until combined, light and fluffy
- Beat in the vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs and milk until combined
- Add in the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt, and beat until just combined
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the diced apples
- Evenly spread the batter in prepared cake pan
- Make the cinnamon sugar topping by combining the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the cake
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until cake is golden brown, the edges of the cake are pulling away from the pan, and a toothpick comes out clean
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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