The best easy apple cake is made with fresh chopped apples, whole wheat flour, eggs, and a few other simple ingredients you already have on hand!
This recipe is another one of those that has been hiding in my archives since 2010. You guys, I’ve been lucky enough to be creating, writing, and sharing recipes with you for almost SEVEN years. Just saying that makes me shake my head. It’s crazy how quickly time goes, isn’t it?! In 2010, I only had 2 kiddos, lived in our college town (and loved it), and Thomas was fresh out of his master’s program searching for a job. That feels like a lifetime ago. I’m so grateful I started putting in the time then to have the business that I do now. It’s been such a huge blessing to my family and I attribute finding some of my very best friends to blogging. What a ride it has been. Thank you for being part of it.
All that aside, it was high time to spruce up this apple cake recipe for you. This is one of those recipes that I make over and over again, and I wanted to share it with you again in hopes that you will love it as much as I have over the years. This is a very simple cake. It’s a little rustic, it’s easy to put together, and it uses a whole bunch of fresh apples which is great this time of year. If you can make quick bread (like zucchini bread or banana bread), then you can make this cake. I’d probably categorize this particular dessert as a snack cake. It doesn’t need any frosting and it’s casual enough to eat after school or to whip up for a quick dessert after a veggie-filled dinner (like our favorite tortellini soup or farmhouse egg bake). It is delicious enough to make for company, though, even if it isn’t much to look at.
Apple cake is a moist thick cake with little gems of chunky apple hiding in it. I like to serve it hot with a little vanilla ice cream or at room-temperature right out of the pan. I have even let my kids eat it for breakfast as a side to eggs; it’s not so different from coffee cake, is it? No matter when, where, or how you eat it, you are going to love this recipe.
Tips and Tricks for Making Apple Cake
- I like to simply cut my apples from the core and give them a medium chop (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces, not big and not tiny). I don’t bother peeling them.
- You can use whatever apples you have! Use a variety or all one kind – whatever you have on hand. This is a great way to use parts of apples that you have laying around after your toddler decides to take one bite out of every apple in the house. I know you’ve been there, too.
- You can reduce the sugar in this recipe to 1 cup if you like a less sweet cake.
- I love the whole wheat flour in this recipe and I’d recommend getting a whole wheat flour that specifies that it’s made from white wheat (referring to the kind of wheat kernel they grind). It’s nice light wheat flour, perfect for cake. We just started carrying this brand at our little store, and I really, really like it.
- You can sub the cinnamon in this apple cake recipe for apple pie spice if you have it (or add a dash of cloves and allspice to the cinnamon) if you like a spice cake taste.
- I’m in love with my 9-inch enamelware baking pan. It comes in a million colors, too. I think you need one 🙂
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The Best Easy Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 9 to 12 1x
Description
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil (or melted butter or coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 and 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups chopped apple
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and applesauce. Beat until foamy.
- Add the sugar and vanilla, and stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir just until wet all the way through. Fold in the apples.
- Pour batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched, 35 to 40 minutes.
Notes
See the tips and tricks sections in the post for all of the notes to this recipe.
It’s so fun to see some new life breathed into one of my favorite recipes. I hope you try this one and and love it as much as I do.
Enjoy from my kitchen to yours!
This recipe was originally published in April 2010 and has been republished in September 2017 with an updated recipe, text, and pictures.
Man, this looks amazing!
Your apple cake looks so amazing I want to make this recipe now! 🙂 Love your site, thanks for sharing!!
Love easy cakes like this! Perfect fall flavors in here. 🙂
★★★★★
This cake looks so good! I love everything apple right now!
★★★★★
Definitely my kind of cake – we are so on the same page!! Love those chunks of apples (and caramel). Yum!
This looks delicious, do you think I could leave the apple sauce out if I don’t have any?
Replace it with oil, that’s what I did there was replace part of the oil with applesauce so you can just replace the applesauce with more melted butter or oil! Easy fix 🙂 ENJOY!
Just made this. Can’t believe what a tender, moist cake can be made with 100% whole wheat flour. Recipe is very forgiving, too. I used sour cream instead of applesauce, and didn’t have 3 c of apples, so supplemented with pineapple. Still great!
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!