Fresh Apple Cake is easy to make and there's no need to peel the apples. This cake is like taking a cozy autumn day and turning it into a delicious dessert! This is a moist, perfectly spiced cake and it's a delightful treat for any occasion, much like the Best Blueberry Cake. It is a versatile and delicious cake baked with fresh fruit.
Jump to:
- Ingredients to Have on Hand
- Prepare the Apples
- Best Apples for Apple Cake
- Spice Combination for the Best Apple Cake
- Cake in a Pie Dish
- What You'll Love Most About This Recipe
- Serve Any Time of the Year
- Optional Toppings
- Serve Cake Warm or Cold
- Top Tips and FAQ
- Other Recipes Using a Garden Harvest
- More Baking Recipes
- Recipe
- Comments
Ingredients to Have on Hand
The ingredients for this homemade, Fresh Apple Cake are basic pantry staples, just buy or pick a few fresh baking apples and you are set. If you love a scratch-made cake like Old Fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake or a dessert like Fresh Fruit Tart, then you will love this recipe!
Here's your grocery list:
- 3 - 4 baking apples
- sugar
- brown sugar
- flour
- baking powder, baking soda, salt
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- vanilla extract
- butter
- egg
Scroll down to the recipe for details on specific measurements.
Prepare the Apples
Rinse the apples and pat them dry. Leave the peels on.
Slice the apples first, then cut across the slices to create small, bite-sized pieces of apple.
You'll want about 4 cups of diced apples, but it doesn't need to be a precise measurement.
Best Apples for Apple Cake
I grew up in eastern Washington and believe me, apples are a big deal in the Great Northwest. I've been cooking and baking with apples my whole life.
But not every apple variety is created equal, especially when it comes to baking.
For this recipe, you'll want to choose an apple that will maintain its shape after being diced and baked, but that will also be tender and sweet with that distinctive and cozy fresh apple flavor.
According to the Washington Apple Commission, there are a wide variety of apples that are delicious for baking and some varieties are even better in pies.
But since this recipe is for a baked cake, here are the varieties of apples I use and wholeheartedly recommend for Apple Spice Cake:
- Golden Delicious
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
Spice Combination for the Best Apple Cake
It's easy for a spiced apple cake to get overwhelmed with spice. That's not the case here. All you'll need are cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cinnamon is often described as warm and sweet, with a slightly spicy taste. It's a classic spice that we are likely to have on hand that pairs perfectly with apples, giving the cake a distinct apple pie-like flavor. So good!
Nutmeg, on the other hand, has a nutty and slightly sweet taste, with a warm and spicy aroma. When used in combination with cinnamon, it adds a depth of flavor that is simply irresistible.
Cake in a Pie Dish
Homemade Apple Cake bakes beautifully in any shape baking dish as long as it's large enough to hold about 5 cups and is small enough for the batter to spread to about 2 inches in height across the dish.
I prefer to use a 9" pie dish with fluted edges since it's just the right size and it creates a beautiful presentation at serving time.
What You'll Love Most About This Recipe
Hands down, It's so easy to make.
It's an all-in-one apple cake that's a delicious way to enjoy a scratch-made dessert using fresh apples, but you leave the peels on the apples so there's no fuss.
The apple cake is incredibly moist and the sugars combine with the butter to create a top "crust" that is just slightly crunchy when it's hot from the oven.
The combination of spices is very subtle. Apple Spice Cake is not loaded down with a heavy dose of anything that would overtake the sweetness of the apples.
This is my go-to apple dessert, especially when I'm short on time.
Serve Any Time of the Year
Apple spice cake is a dessert often associated with the fall season, particularly September, October and November. That's when apples are in season and the warm and comforting spices in the cake make it a perfect treat for cooler weather, depending on which part of the country you live in.
That being said, Apple Spice Cake can be enjoyed year-round, it's always a good time to indulge in this delicious dessert and enjoy it in any season.
Optional Toppings
Apple Spice Cake doesn't require a topping or a sauce to be delicious, but if you prefer to have an extra layer of sweetness here are some terrific options.
- Caramel sauce, warmed and spooned on top
- Vanilla ice cream
- Frozen yogurt
- Whipped cream
- Powdered sugar, dusted on top of each slice
Serve Cake Warm or Cold
When you take a bite of Apple Spice Cake you'll be greeted with flavors that perfectly balance the sweetness of a moist, tender cake with the slight tartness of the apples and the richness of the subtle spices. That's true whether it's served warm or cold.
The cake is excellent served warm from the oven after baking. It's also delicious after it's cooled or even refrigerated.
If after the cake has cooled you want to serve each slice warm, place each wedge of apple cake on a microwave-safe plate and warm it in the microwave for about 45 seconds on half power.
Top Tips and FAQ
This cake will be fine at room temperature for the first day after baking, but after that, I recommend covering the cake with plastic wrap and storing it in the refrigerator.
This is a very moist cake and it's full of fresh apples so it needs to be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed within four days.
Absolutely. After baking, cool the cake in its baking dish then cover the dish tightly with foil or plastic wrap and place it in the freezer.
Enjoy the cake within three months.
Defrost on the counter and serve it once it reaches room temperature.
Other Recipes Using a Garden Harvest
For those lucky enough to have fresh apples available in their yards or garden, this recipe is a great way to easily prepare a treat using fresh apples. Share a freshly baked apple cake with neighbors, or offer it to new parents or anyone who is in need of a freshly baked treat.
Here are other recipes that are perfect for using up all the produce from a robust garden or after a visit to the Farmer's Market.
Do you have any extra cucumbers? I think you'll love my recipe for Refrigerator Pickles. How about all those extra fresh tomatoes? I highly recommend Tomato Basil Soup, it's delicious!
More Baking Recipes
If you tried Fresh Apple Cake or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.
Recipe
Jobaby says
I've adjusted this slightly. I only use brown sugar (1/2 - 3/4 cup is plenty sweet enough) and I add a half cup of raisins. Before I pop in oven, I sprinkle with a little bit of toasted museli. It's so easy and so delicious. Thank you.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Thank you for sharing your substitutions and for the five star rating! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the apple cake recipe. 🙂
ML says
Can i use my home grown frozen diced apples? Do i need to adjust the recipe at all?
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Yes, those should work just fine! How lucky that you have home grown apples. 🙂 Defrost the diced apples before mixing them with the cake batter. Keep in mind, you may need to adjust the baking time if the apples are still cold. It might take a few extra minutes to bake.
ML says
Thank you for replying so quickly!! Very helpful! Now I can start flash-freezing my pre-measured diced apples ahead of time for future apple cake. So excited! By the way, my name is Melinda also 😂
Wish I could share my hundreds of beautiful granny smith apples with you!
ML says
Super easy and great recipe! I was searching for a recipe where I didn’t have to peel the apples. PERFECT!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
ML says
I’ve been flash-freezing a lot of different fresh fruit this year. I have a lot of flash-frozen diced pluots. Do you think I could use this recipe and just substitute the pluots for the apples?
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Hi! I've not made that substitution before, but I bet it would be delicious.
Carolyn says
I love the simplicity of this recipe - 1 bowl, 1 glass measuring cup, and no need to peel the apples. It was a perfect way to help use up the bunch of Pixie Crunch apples that we picked last weekend. The cinnamon and nutmeg combined with the apples make all the flavors of fall come through. Thank you!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Hi Carolyn, I'm so happy you enjoyed the apple cake, it's one of my favorite recipes. Thank you for the lovely comment and for the five star rating!
Lauren says
Love the cake ! Would it freeze well ?
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Yes, apple cake freezes well. After baking, let the cake cool then double wrap it in plastic wrap and then again with a layer of foil. To defrost place it in the fridge a day before you plan to serve. The texture of the cake may be a little more dense after freezing, but defrosted cake is especially tasty warmed up in the microwave. Thanks for the five star rating Lauren!
Gail says
Served to book group to great reviews. I highly recommend using an alligator to chop the apples. I used 4 different types of apples. So much info lately on how nutritious fruit and veggie peels are that it would be a shame to waste the time and energy to peel them.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Glad to hear your book group enjoyed the apple cake recipe! Thank you for the five star rating Gail. 🙂
Sandra says
Loved the simplicity of the recipe. Used chia egg instead. My students loved it ,so I had to bake a second time in smaller containers for individual treats.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Glad to hear the apple cake was a hit and that it adapted well to smaller baking containers. Great! Thanks for the five star rating Sandra!
Sheryl Bierstedt says
What an easy and delicious dessert!! I chopped the apples, peels on, into small cubes. The batter was very stiff, as described, but baked beautifully. I used 2 large apples bc that's all I had and it worked great. This recipe is a keeper!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this apple cake recipe! Thank you for the five star rating Sheryl. 🙂
Eileen Proctor says
WOW!!! I love to bake...and I had 4 apples that I wanted to make a cake with. Found your recipe using 3-4 🍎 Apples.....Perfect. Now, since it's baked....DOUBLE WOW!!! I loved the simple steps...#1 DRY....
#2🍎 APPLES...#3 WET. The only thing I did differently was I put Walnuts (about 3/4 cup right out of the bag: whole & broken) on the bottom of the pan. Oh, and I used an 8" Round Cake pan. Then, I put the APPLE mixture on top....and then, more Walnuts on the top. It's Beautiful ...and the Walnuts add a nice flavor.
This is definitely a 5 star ...plus 5 star Recipe!!! Thank You so much for making my day special....I ❤️ love this recipe!!
I may make one every week!!!!! ( and, I did peel my Apples...sorry)
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Hi Eileen, Thank you for the five-star rating!! I love that you enjoyed this apple cake recipe!! Agreed, the walnuts add a nice touch and great flavor. Great job peeling those apples! Thanks again. 🙂
Karen says
I've made this about 10x now. I increase the apples and reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup brown only. I've doubled it and put it in a 9x13, and have used small loaf pans to make several at once. You name it.
We prefer it with a variety of apples topped with walnut pieces and a sprinkling of coarse sugar for the crunch and to make it "fancy".
When I make it, it looks like a bunch of cubed apples with a little bit of batter and it still works out every time.
Thank you.
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Glad to hear you're enjoying the recipe, Karen! Thank you for the update!
Catherine says
Love the No peel apple cake.
A big hit at pot lucks.
Alesa says
So easy and delicious! Though you could modify, no need to;
sticking to your original recipe. Do you think you could sub applesauce for the butter, for less fat? And what about using all brown sugar? Very good, a keeper for this family!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
I'm so happy your family enjoyed No-Peel Apple Cake, Alesa! I've never substituted the butter for applesauce, but I've heard of that working well in some baking recipes. Please keep me posted if you try it that way, or by making the cake with 1 cup of brown sugar. Thank you for the five star rating!!
Eve says
YUMMY
Catharina “Katie” Parry says
Made this after seeing you on Wake Up Idaho. It is easy to make and delicious! I have subscribed to your newsletter and looking forward to trying many more recipes!Thank you so much for donating to Stampede for the Cure!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Hi Katie, Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm honored to help raise funds and awareness for Stampede for the Cure. And I'm happy to hear you enjoyed No-Peel Apple Cake! Thanks for subscribing!!
Beth says
I found this because I was looking for a cake recipe that didn't involve peeling the apples. (I could say it was for the health benefits of the skins, but really I was just feeling lazy.)
I cooked it in a cast iron pan and put a decorative layer of apples slices on the bottom of the pan first, which was very pretty when the cake was turned out. But it won't be around to admire for long!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It's a winner!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
Hi Beth! Glad to hear you enjoyed this apple cake recipe, with the peels on. Cool that you baked it in a cast iron pan too. Thanks for the five star rating!