The Best Fresh Apple Spice Cake

This fresh apple cake has been a favorite of mine since childhood. There is nothing fancy about it but there is something to be said for simple, uncomplicated recipes. I grew up eating  this apple cake and now I bake it at least once every fall/holiday. I hope that this recipe will find its way into your “make on repeat” folder just like it has for my family!

This cake is packed with fresh apples, pecans and lots of fall spice. It can be served for breakfast, dessert or a delicious snack.

EASY + SIMPLE FRESH APPLE SPICE CAKE 

Here are a few things that make this apple cake so simple:

• Short ingredients list where lots of fresh apples are the star of the show
• Can be baked in under and hour with around 20 minutes of prep and around 40 minutes of baking time
• Baked in a 13×9 pan so no layers to deal with
• No frosting

A CAKE FOR ANY TIME OF DAY 

When I say that this fresh apple cake is great any time of day, I mean it. The photo above shows how much of the cake that I ate within 24 hours of baking it! I had it for dessert the night I baked it, for breakfast along side scrambled eggs the next morning and then sliced off some pieces for a snack later that day.

It’s great as a sweet breakfast/brunch item but can also be served as dessert on its own or with a scoop of ice cream!

FRESH APPLE CAKE INGREDIENTS

• Peeled, diced apples – this cake is PACKED with fresh apples! You can use gala, honey crisp, granny smith, etc. It’s pretty forgiving. This time around I used a few honey crisp apples that were past their prime for eating but perfect for baking.
• Vegetable oil – I have not tried baking this cake with a different type of oil (like coconut) but you could try. You definitely need a good bit of oil in this recipe.
• Plain greek yogurt – I use this to replace some of the vegetable oil in my family’s original recipe
• White sugar
• Brown sugar – our original recipe called for only white sugar but I love to do half and half with brown sugar for an extra depth of flavor
• Large eggs
• Vanilla
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg – for that fall spice!
• Pecans – highly suggest including these as the crunch of the pecans is a nice texture contrast with the soft apples. You could also use walnuts.

HOW TO STORE FRESH APPLE CAKE

This cake is wonderful right from the oven when it’s still warm but the leftovers are great too. Due to the moisture of the apples, this cake can only be kept at room temperature for a day or so before it starts to get soggy. I recommend storing leftovers in the fridge or individually wrapping slices and freezing. I defrost the cake at room temperature or wrap it in a paper towel and microwave on 50% power for about 30-40 seconds.

FRESH APPLE SPICE CAKE RECIPE

The Best Fresh Apple Spice Cake

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• Author: Jen
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

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Description

This fresh apple spice cake is packed with fresh apples, pecans and lots of fall spice. It can be served for breakfast, dessert or a delicious snack.

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Ingredients

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3 cups peeled, diced apples (gala, honey crisp, granny smith, etc)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 light brown sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
Cooking spray

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13x9x2 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Peel and dice apples, set aside.
3. In the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, greek yogurt and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes. Texture should be silky.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
5. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir until just combined, careful not to over mix.
6. Keep mixer speed on low and add peans and apples.
7. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean and top of cake isn’t sticky. Baking times can vary so start checking early.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Notes

Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for about a day but beyond that, you’ll want to store the cake in the fridge or freeze it.

FRESH APPLE SPICE CAKE PINNABLE