Homemade Easy Apple Spice Cake Recipe
This Apple Spice Cake recipe is a perfect way to celebrate the fall season. It’s made with apples and warm spices so it smells amazing while baking! The cake is fluffy and moist, and the sweetness of the apple pairs perfectly with a touch of buttercream frosting. Enjoy a slice (or two!) of this decadent dessert with your family and friends.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This tender cake is full of warm spices and tender chunks of apple, which makes this fall cake the perfect sweet treat.
- It has all the flavors of fall, but easy enough to make that you can enjoy it any time of year.
- This is a great cake to share with guests when entertaining. Bake and serve in the same cake pan for a simple presentation.
- The addition of applesauce lightens up the cake without compromising the texture or flavor.
Equipment Needed
You only need a few simple tools to help you make this moist apple cake. Gather these tools and get ready to enjoy this sweet treat.
- stand mixer
- rubber spatula
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
You only stocked baking ingredients to help you make this easy apple spice cake. One of the benefits of this grocery list is that these ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery stores and you may already have most of these ingredients on hand already. Which means you can save a trip to the store.
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice
- vegetable oil – You can use any neutral-tasting oil like canola.
- white granulated sugar – Lighten this cake up with a sugar-free alternative like allulose.
- light brown sugar – Cut some of the carbs by using golden monk fruit sweetener.
- unsweetened applesauce
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- orange juice – Add a hint of citrus.
- orange zest – Intensifies the citrus flavor.
- apples – Granny Smith apples are my favorite variety for his recipe. I prefer to peel the apples, but it is not necessary.
Frosting
- unsalted butter
- light brown sugar – want to lighten up the sugar content in this recipe? Replace the sugar with golden monk fruit.
- powdered sugar -this can be substituted for a sugar-free confectioner sugar like the Swerve brand.
- heavy cream
- chopped walnuts (optional)
- toffee bits (optional) for an extra touch of caramel flavor.
How to Make This Apple Spice Cake Recipe
Making this apple cake recipe is so easy. Just follow the instructions below or in the recipe card at the bottom of the post and you will have the perfect cake to enjoy with your family or serve to your guests in no time at all.
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare your baking dish
Preheat oven to 350° F. And, then grease and line a 9″ x 13” baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice.
Step 3: Mix together the wet ingredients
In a separate large mixing bowl combine vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, unsweetened applesauce, eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract.
Step 4: Add the dry and wet ingredients to make the cake batter
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
Step 5: Fold in the apples and pour the batter into the prepared pan
Fold the prepared chopped apples into the batter and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Step 6: Bake the cake until cooked through
Bake for 30-35 minutes, making sure the top of the cake doesn’t get too brown. Cover with aluminum foil after about 20 minutes if you notice the top is too dark.
Step 7: Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely
Remove the baking pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool while you make the frosting.
Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
Step 1: Cream the butter until fluffy
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment and beat butter until light and fluffy. It should take about three minutes.
Step 2: Add the sugar and continue mixing
Add the brown sugar to the butter and continue beating until well-mixed.
Step 3: Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt and mix until well combined.
Step 4: Add the heavy cream
Add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Step 5: Frost the cake
Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake making sure to get into all the corners.
Step 6: Top the cake before serving
Top with toasted chopped walnuts and toffee bits. And, then cut into squares and serve.
What To Serve With This Dish
We love to serve this homemade apple cake with our favorite fall meal like this Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Chili.
Substitutions and Additions
Here are a few tried and true substitutions that you can use to help you make this simple recipe. Use these ideas to help you personalize this cake recipe.
- If you don’t have apple pie spice on hand feel free to switch it out for pumpkin pie spice or even just use ground cinnamon instead.
- You can add a little more texture to this cake by folding in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts or plump raisins to the batter.
- For extra flare you can add a drizzle of caramel sauce to the top of the cake after you frost it, but before you add the nuts.
- If you prefer cream cheese frosting, feel free to use that on top of your cake instead of the buttercream frosting. You will find one of my favorite cream cheese frostings in this Churro Cupcake recipe.
How To Store
Store the cake in an airtight container or plastic wrap for up to three days. Make sure that you keep it away from heat sources so that your frosting doesn’t melt.
Sandra’s Pro Tips
Here are a few tips that you can use to make this delicious apple spice cake recipe.
- My favorite apples for baking are granny smith apples. However, if you prefer to use sweet apples pink lady apples work great for this recipe.
- I do not recommend using red delicious apples as they are too soft and will not hold up well in the oven.
- When baking cakes I like to use a baking spray or greasing and flouring my baking dish instead of nonstick cooking spray.
- If you make this cake in a bundt pan instead of a 9×13 you will need to adjust the baking time according. It will increase the time by about 20-25 minutes.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this easy recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe.
If you overbaked your cake, pour a small amount of simple syrup over the top of the cake before you frost it. That will add a little moisture to the cake and prevent it from drying out more.
Granny Smith apples are the best for baking because they hold their shape and have a nice tart flavor. Other varieties of apples such as Honeycrisp, Cortland, or McIntosh also work well when baking cakes.
Your cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If there is still batter on the toothpick, then it needs to bake longer.
No. You don’t have to peel the apples for this cake. The peel will soften as it cooks. If you are on a time crunch, leave the apple peel on.
Other Delicious Apple Recipes You May Enjoy
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Apple Bread recipe
- Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
- Freezer Apple Pie Filling
Did you try this Apple Spice Cake Recipe? Please consider leaving a review!
Easy Homemade Apple Spice Cake Recipe
Equipment
- stand mixer
- rubber spatula
- 9×13 baking dish
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons apple spice
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 cups apples peeled & chopped (about 2–3 large apples or 1 pound) into 1/4 – ½ inch cubes
Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts toasted (optional)
- ¼ cup toffee bits such as Heath Bits O’Brickle (optional)
Instructions
Apple Spice Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Grease and line a 9 x 13” baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and apple spice.
- In a separate large mixing bowl combine vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, unsweetened applesauce, eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract,
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Fold the prepared chopped apples into the batter and then pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, making sure the top of the cake doesn’t get too brown. Cover with aluminum foil after about 20 minutes if you notice the top is too dark.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool while you make the frosting.
Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting
- To make the frosting, add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment and beat butter until light and fluffy about three minutes.
- Add the brown sugar and continue beating until well mixed.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and mix until well combined.
- Add heavy cream (a tablespoon at a time) to reach desired consistency.
- Spread onto cooled cake making sure to get into all the corners
- Top with toasted chopped walnuts and toffee bits if adding.
- Cut into squares and serve
Notes
- Cut your apples into ¼-inch – ½-inch cubes (do not grate them as they will hold too much water).
- Scrape down the sides of your bowl with a soft spatula from time to time while making the frosting so that you end up with a nice smooth texture
- Cutting the apples into smaller chunks will make for easier and neater cutting of cake slices
- You can use freshly squeezed orange juice or concentrate, either is fine.
- Any baking apple such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp is a good choice of apple.
- To lower the sugar and carbs replace the sugars with your favorite sugar alternative like allulose and golden monk fruit.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
I really like your idea of adding the toffee bits to your cake, I can’t wait to try your recipe,