• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Celebrating Sweets
  • All Recipes
  • Dessert
    • Brownies & Bars
    • Cake & Cupcakes
    • Cookies
    • Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts
    • Pies & Tarts
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • Main Dishes
  • Breakfast
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Fall Favorites
  • Holiday Recipes
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
×

Home » Cake & Cupcakes » Apple Cake

Apple Cake

Published: Sep 26, 2019 · Modified: Oct 2, 2020 by Allison · 15 Comments

  • Share
  • Email
Jump to Recipe

A soft and tender Apple Cake packed with fresh apples, sprinkled with a crumb topping and drizzled with a sweet and buttery brown sugar sauce.

A slice of apple cake on a white plate topped with caramel sauce.If you’re looking to elevate a typical fall day, I have the perfect solution: A big slice of cake studded with fresh apples, topped with a buttery crumble, and drizzled with a decadent brown sugar sauce. I mean, does it get any better? Let’s talk about Apple Cake and why this beauty needs to be added to your fall baking line up immediately.

MORE APPLE RECIPES: APPLE CRISP – APPLE CRUMB BARS – APPLE BUNDT CAKE – APPLE DUMPLINGS – APPLESAUCE CAKE

A slice of apple cake on a white plate topped with caramel sauce.

How To Make Apple Cake:

This cake comes together quickly and easily – no mixer needed. There are three components that work together to make this cake the best.

  • Apple Cake: This recipe uses sour cream and applesauce to make a moist and light cake. The cake is flavored with finely chopped apples, a touch of cinnamon, and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, whisk the wet ingredients in another, then combine the two and add to a 9×13 pan.
  • Crumb Topping: Mix up a standard crumb topping (flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter) and sprinkle over the top of the cake batter.The flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar complement the cake perfectly. The buttery crunch of the crumb topping balances the soft cake, adding texture to every bite.
  • Brown Sugar Sauce: This sweet, buttery and decadent sauce tastes like melted toffee (it’s SO good!). A simple mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and cream is cooked briefly on the stovetop. Drizzle the sauce over the whole cake or each slice individually.

Apple cake batter in a large bowl.

The Best Apples for Apple Cake:

It’s best to use firm apples with a balance of sweet and tart flavors. These are my favorite varieties for this recipe:

  • Honeycrisp
  • Fuji
  • Pink Lady
  • Braeburn

Although these are my top choices, you can absolutely use whatever apples you have on hand. I like to peel the apples, but if you’d prefer to leave the skin on you can.

TIP: Cut your apples into small pieces. This cake bakes in only 25 minutes, and you want the apple pieces to soften during that time.

Apple crumb cake in a white baking dish.

MORE CAKE RECIPES: BANANA CAKE – VANILLA CAKE – PUMPKIN PUDDING CAKE

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! SUBSCRIBE to our free EMAIL LIST – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM

A slice of apple cake on a white plate topped with caramel sauce.

Apple Cake

A soft and tender Apple Cake packed with fresh apples, sprinkled with a crumb topping and drizzled with a sweet and buttery brown sugar sauce. 

5 from 7 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 18
Calories: 333kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Crumb topping:

  • ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ⅔ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cake:

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon, increase to 1-½ teaspoons for a stronger flavor
  • 2 cups finely chopped peeled apple
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Brown sugar sauce:

  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream

Instructions

Crumb topping:

  • Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and stir until well combined. Place in the refrigerator while you continue with the cake.

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add apples and stir until combined.

  • In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, oil, sour cream, applesauce, and vanilla.

  • Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir until well combined, being careful not to overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator and sprinkle it over the top of the cake batter. Bake for 22-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

Brown sugar sauce:

  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar, whisking constantly. Gradually add the cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool just slightly so it can thicken. Serve warm sauce over slices of cake.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 334IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

Recipe updated September 2019.

« Homemade Coffee Creamer
Nutella Brownies »

Never Miss a Recipe

Get NEW POSTS delivered to your inbox!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Lama

    December 03, 2015 at 6:33 am

    What can I substitute apple butter with

    Reply
    • Celebrating Sweets

      December 03, 2015 at 1:55 pm

      You can try swapping the apple butter for an equal amount of applesauce (this would be in addition to the other applesauce listed in the recipe). I haven’t tried this so I can’t say for sure, but it should work Good luck!

      Reply
      • Terry

        July 25, 2021 at 3:58 pm

        Can I add golden raisins in this recipe?
        If I can, when would I add them?
        Thanks

      • Allison

        August 01, 2021 at 9:15 am

        Sure. Stir them into the cake batter right after combining the wet and dry ingredients.

  2. Sandi

    February 28, 2018 at 12:38 pm

    5 stars
    This cake looks wonderful for a brunch or fun get together.

    Reply
  3. Joyce

    February 28, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    5 stars
    I am a sucker for crumble too haha but omg you are brilliant – you tripled the apples with fresh apples, apple butter and apple sauce! haha Crazy flavour! My kind of recipe! 🙂

    Reply
    • Nicole Lucido

      September 27, 2019 at 4:01 am

      I don’t see apple butter in the recipe, please clarify for me. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Celebrating Sweets

        September 27, 2019 at 9:04 am

        Hi, Nicole. I had received several requests for substitutions for the apple butter so I recently re-tested and updated the recipe without the apple butter. If you’d prefer an apple cake WITH apple butter, I have another on the site: https://celebratingsweets.com/double-apple-bundt-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

        Enjoy!

  4. Danielle

    February 28, 2018 at 1:54 pm

    5 stars
    This is one of my favourite cakes. So comforting and perfect with a bit mug of coffee.

    Reply
  5. Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C

    February 28, 2018 at 1:59 pm

    5 stars
    First, I’m drooling over this cake! I love that drizzle of glaze on top. Second, my kids are young adults away at college…and I think about the good old days when they were little all the time!

    Reply
  6. Dana

    February 28, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    5 stars
    This. Looks. Heavenly. Anything with crumbs all over the top, please and thank you! And gorgeous photos!

    Reply
  7. Jessica Formicola

    October 02, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    5 stars
    I made this apple cake for dessert last night, and it was incredible! It’s the perfect fall cake and I can’t wait to make it again!

    Reply
  8. wilhelmina

    October 02, 2019 at 2:43 pm

    5 stars
    This cake is divine! So moist and delicious and perfect for Fall!

    Reply
  9. Deb

    December 17, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    OK….Just saw that the apple butter was removed before I saw this recipe. 🙂
    Just came out of the oven…Looking forward to dessert!!!

    I want to commend you for not overstating who you are like some others on their blogs (e.g.photographer, recipe developer).
    Thanks…..I can feel very comfortable with an honest person.

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 18, 2020 at 10:17 am

      Hi, Deb. Yes, I changed around the recipe (and removed the apple butter) because several people were looking for substitutes. I hope you enjoy the cake. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

About

aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

Dessert Recipes

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

White chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Two Ingredient White Chocolate Mousse

Christmas cut out cookies on a green plate

Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

Frosted sugar cookies with pink frosting and colored sprinkles.

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Mint chocolate chip smoothie in a glass topped with whipped cream.

Healthy Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie

Close up of cookie cake topped with M&M's

M&M Cookie Cake

More Dessert Recipes...

Popular Recipes:

Slice of strawberry shortcake cake on a white plate.

Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake

Closeup of chocolate chip cookies with melty chocolate chips.

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Closeup of an M&M cookie topped with chocolate chips and M&M's.

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Stack of three brownies on parchment paper

Fudgy Homemade Brownies

Stack of three peanut butter bars.

Peanut Butter Bars

Stack of almond croissants on a white plate.

Almond Croissants (shortcut recipe)

More Popular Recipes...

Never Miss a Recipe

Get NEW POSTS delivered to your inbox!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.
Logo for country living, food network, buzzfeed, msn, delish, good housekeeping

Footer

Connect With Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright 2013-2023 Celebrating Sweets

All images and content are copyright protected. Please contact me for permission to use my original images. If you want to republish a recipe, please re-write it in your own words, or link back to my post for the recipe.