This Apple Cake recipe is from a reader and is a gem of a find! The cake is really moist, perfectly spiced, and studded with tender pieces of fresh apple. The batter is incredibly fast to make with just a wooden spoon – no electric mixer required!
Dozer got in so much trouble over this Apple Cake.
This is how the usual routine goes down: He’s technically not allowed into the kitchen – albeit my house is open plan so strictly speaking, it’s hard to have a clear boundary that he needs to stay out of. But when I shoo him away, he is generally pretty good about taking himself off into the yard to chase rabbits, bark at birds or whatever other important contribution he’s making to make this world a better place.
But the minute whatever I’m making is ready and I take it to the area where I shoot my photos, he comes dashing inside.
“Dashing” is honestly the word. He doesn’t walk or lope. He dashes at a very fast paced trot, his heavy footed paws thudding through the house making the wooden floor shake (really, he does).
And that’s when he becomes a real nuisance. Because I’m concentrating on taking photos, I don’t always manage to catch him in the act of photo-bombing.
Case in point: Dozer photobombed EVERY SINGLE photo of this cake being dusted with icing sugar. 🙄
THAT CHEEKY BUGGER!!!
See look. Here he is AGAIN. And again. And again. GRRRRR!!!!!
So I apologise profusely to all those who find it a real turn off to see a DOG in food photos, but my bottom can’t afford for me to make this ridiculously delicious Apple Cake yet again just so I can get one single shot (I just wanted ONE!) of me dusting the Apple Cake without Dozer in the background.
OK, now I’m done stomping my foot over Dozer ruining my photos, a quick word on this Apple Cake recipe: It’s crazy easy and fast to make the batter, it’s made with FRESH apples (won’t work with canned, cake is not as moist), and it really is beautifully moist.
This easy Apple Cake recipe was given to me by the lovely Dorothy in Tennessee in the US. It was meant to be, because I had just shared an Apple Cake disaster on Instagram then a couple of days later, she shared this recipe with me (without having seen my epic failure!). I tried it once, twice, three times, then I decided I had to share it here because it is that good and that easy!
– Nagi x
More afternoon tea favourites
Cinnamon Swirl Bread – easy, no yeast!
Cheese, Herb and Garlic Loaf or Zucchini Cheese Loaf– quick bread, no yeast
Blueberry Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze or Blueberry Lemon Yoghurt Cake
Savoury Cheese Muffins or Cornbread Muffins (personal fave😇)
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Easiest Ever MOIST Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour , plain / all purpose (Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carb soda) (Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp EACH salt, cinnamon and ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp freshly ground)
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar (Note 2)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs , large, at room temperature (55-60g/2oz each)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups apple , peeled, cored and cut into 8mm/ 1/3" cubes (~2 large, 3 small) (Note 3)
Optional Extra
- 1/2 cup flaked raw almonds
- Icing sugar . confectioners sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
- Grease and line a 21 cm / 9" springform cake pan. (Note 4)
- Place flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Whisk oil and sugar in a bowl, then whisk in eggs and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a wooden spoon until JUST combined. Stir through apple (optional: add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts).
- Pour into cake pan. Sprinkle over almonds.
- Bake for 50 minutes – 1 hr. Check at 50 minutes – it is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar if using, then serve. This cake doesn’t need cream or ice cream because it is so moist, but I wouldn’t turn it down!
Recipe Notes:
2 1/2 cups sugar (I reduced to 2 cups)
3 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp EACH baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves
3 cups peeled and chopped fresh apples
1 cups chopped nuts (I use walnuts) 5. Measures – Cups and teaspoons are slightly different in size between some countries. For most recipes on RecipeTin Eats, the difference is not large enough to matter or is relative throughout the recipe. For recipes where the difference does matter, different measures are provided for different countries, like in this Soft Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. For this Apple Cake, the measures per the recipe can be used no matter which country you are in except Japan. If you are in Japan, please do not use cups, use the weight measures provided. OVENS: I have a fan forced / convection oven but have made this in a standard / conventional oven too. I found that this recipe works better using the same temperature no matter which oven type you have. The only difference is the cook time – fan forced is ready at 50 minutes, standard oven is ready at 60 minutes. But no matter which oven you have, check your cake at 50 minutes. If your oven is weak, it may take over 1 hour for the skewer to come out clean. 6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 12 servings.
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Well! After telling you how naughty he was while I photographed this Apple Cake, I’m not sure he deserves to be featured in his own section on this post…..
But who am I kidding. I can never stay mad at him.
Here he is “minding” the Apple Cake as it cooled. Just minding it. No cheeky thoughts running through that furry head, I’m sure….
I love this cake! So moist. I am GF so made it with an all purpose GF flour and it turned out beautifully. P.S. Dozer being in the photos actually is one of the reasons I used this recipe – he is so cute!!!
i love that he sealed the deal for you! 😂
friends called to say they would like to visit i had apples , dashed to net to find a quick apple came and found here ty very much … sounds so yummy it will be in my oven in an hr .
Oooh! Hope you LOVED IT!
Nagi, I love your site and your recipes. I always get good results whenever I follow your recipes. My apple cake did not turn out as moist as yours but it is because of the pan I used. I am just starting to bake so I do not have all the tools yet but I will get there. Thank you.
https://wanderfuldays.com/2017/05/15/the-very-nutty-apple-cake/
Hello Nyss! I will pop over and have a look! 🙂 N xx
This exact recipe is in a old cookbook I bought from my church Holy Cross in Belmont. The book is called The Festive Fast by Marigoula Kokkinou and Georgia Kofinas which compiled recipes from various Greek-American ladies. The book has recipes that follow the Greek Orthodox fasting, meatless cooking to be specific that we do as part of the 40 days and Holy Week leading to Pasha/Anastasi.
Ohhhh! I love hearing that Anon! N xx
the moist apple cake was amazing. Definitely served 12. Was delicious and I will keep as one of my favourites.
Question: Does it freeze as I have lots left over
Also, I cup of oil I thought was too much as it leaked out of the cake tin and into the bottom tray of the oven
loads of it. Just pure oil. The cake was still moist though.
HI Janet! That is so odd, I have never experienced that myself nor has anyone left a feedback saying they had that problem. I am wondering …. is there any chance you over measured? Because that is when oil will leak out of a batter, if there was too much. 🙁 I am glad it was still moist and you enjoyed it!! And YES it freezes fabulously! N xx
Thanks Nagi for prompt reply, I love your recipes. I did not over measure in fact I thought it was too much oil so under measured. I think I did not line the spring form cake tin with baking paper high enough. I think the bottom is not a tight fit so next time I will line all the way up the sides and this should stop it happening.
Hi Nagi and Janet
I actually just tried this recipe last night at a potluck and had the same issue with the oil! Everyone loved it but my oven was filled with oil and my house still smells today so perhaps I will try the liner suggestion. Also do you have any suggestions for replacing some or all of the oil with a healthier option? It did taste wonderful though. Thank you.
Laura
Hi Laura, I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 Did you mix the batter until the wet and dry were combined?? What you can do is substitute up to half the oil with yoghurt or sour cream. N x
HI, this worked really well, but maybe a little dry? The texture etc was all as you carefully described in the recipe. Im thinking it would be nice to have it little more fudgy, or thickish, not sure really as I am not a cook by any means. You did recommend not to use brown sugar, and I used white, but i think the brown sugar maybe would answer this problem.
This is one of the few recipe sites that I like to come back to, because you take such care in describing all the ins and outs, and provide basic formulas, that help understand the process much better.
thanks
Hi Jenny! I’m so glad you enjoy my site, thank you for reading! I must say I’m really surprised, I have never had anyone say they thought this was dry. Compared to most cakes, it is very moist. It is definitely not fudgey though, not like my Chocolate Fudge Cake. This is definitely a sponge cake type, not a fudge cake (which I consider as the type of cakes where if you take the crumb and squish it between your fingers, it has the texture of fudge). White and normal/light brown sugar is fine! Just not raw or dark brown sugar 🙂
Recently made this cake for a work colleague’s birthday. I did have some concerns about how it was going to turn out as I read some of the instruction steps back to front – but the end result was fantastic- if I do say so myself 🙂 . Everyone who had a piece wanted the recipe – so I’ve shared your site with them.
Whoot whoot! So glad to hear you enjoyed it Carolyn, thanks for letting me know! N x
Love apple cake ,and this would have to be one of the easiest and best I have ever made – perfect balance of spices.
Hi! I usually have much success with your recipes – made a lot over the holidays and the lemon/blueberry bread was a bit hit too! I made this – this morning and I don’t know what happened. I followed the recipe to a tee and went over it after I tasted the cake and I didn’t have a senior’s moment and leave anything out…so I am at a loss! I did notice when after I added the wet and dry ingredients and apple – it seemed very dense – didn’t pour of the bowl into the springform pan – rather I had to spoon it out. Is the consistency at that stage before baking supposed to be more fluid? If so, mine was not. Sorry it didn’t work out – but not sure what I did wrong so I can correct it. I did follow the springform cake ingredients and was going to follow the original – but didn’t – oven at 350 – hmmm – stumped!
Hi Melissa! What was it like when it came out of the oven?? I’m actually really surprised because this is a pretty forgiving cake. The batter is thickish, not thin and pourable so it sounds like that was right. What was the texture of the finished cake like?? I literally made muffins using this exact recipe on the weekend and they were SO GOOD!
Thank you again for another great recipe! I’ll make this for Christmas party with friends this week, I’m sure they’ll love it.
p.s. I don’t mind Dozer in the photos at all. To be honest, I find myself skip to the bottom of the page to check his new cheeky photo first before going back to read your comment and recipe. lol. I wish you have a special section for his gallery, too.
Oooh! And you know the creator of this recipe herself is making it for Christmas Day!! And can I just say – you won my heart telling me you check his photo first, BA HA HA!!!! They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? Well for me, it’s DOZER!!!! Merry Christmas! N xx
Thanks so much for the recipe, I have only recently found your site and in fact it’s the first recipe I have tried, but will be trying that one pot pasta chicken very soon!
This was yummmmmmmy! My oldest daughter (10) proclaimed that it was the best banana cake yet!
Yes, I made a couple of alterations, because we always have bananas that need using up, but wierdly when you have bananas and apples in a cake the banana taste isn’t as strong or is completely gone! Also added some raisins and only 1 apple as had added 3 bananas.
Cooked really well, looks great. Think I’d better take some tomorrow to my Dad or I may be in danger of eating it all! Now just to choose, warm with ice cream or custard…….
Have you ever tried a sugar free/low sugar/sweetener cake that was successful (not fruit)? I only ask as my OH is Diabetic but loves chocolate/classic birthday cake (with butter cream, jam and icing) and I kind of feel guilty every time I make a cake and he can’t have any!
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Many Thanks again for all your recipes they look fantastic!
Hi Rachael, thanks so much for your lovely message! Unfortunately I haven’t tried a sugar free / sweeter cake myself 🙂 I am sure if you googled you will find some! I think apple sauce is supposed to be a great sub 🙂
Thank you for such an amazing recipe Nagi!! I tried it out for the first time today and it is probably the best cake I have made! I left out the clove powder but it still tasted great. I am giving some of it to be cut up and sold at my parents bring and buy stall 🙂
I also made your custard magic cake-delicious! Xx
Woo hoo! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it Chitra, thanks for letting me know! N x
I made this for my cousin’s birthday! I ran out of vegetable oil half way through so I had to use quarter cup of olive oil. The cake was delicious but had a slightly oily feel to it. Do you think olive oil was the culprit?
Another problem I face with my cakes… the sugar kind of accumulates at the top of the cake.
Thanks for the super simple and tasty recipe! Could you recommend a light frosting that goes with this cake?
Hi Stv! Unfortunately yes 🙁 Olive oil does not work the same in baked goods and has a much more distinct flavour! For a light frosting, I would just mix confectionary sugar / icing sugar with a tiny touch of milk + vanilla extract. A squeeze of lemon would be nice too!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I just baked it twice in a row and made the following tweaks:
1) I added a 3rd egg – I live in Switzerland where the eggs are not gigantesque
2) I added 1/4 cup (50 ml) of water
I added the above two items because when I prepared the batter as per the original recipe, it came out crumbly and not homogenous. Adding the extra egg and water turned the crubmle into a batter. FYI, I used US measuring cups and teaspoons.
Baked it in a bread tin at 180c for about 55 minutes.
Love this recipe! Thank you so much again!
Fantastic! So glad to hear that Debbi, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi! Really enjoy your recipes – I have a ton of apples and would love to make a few cakes to freeze. Will this freeze well~
Hi Mimi! this freezes GREAT, I popped a slice in the freezer to test it out. 🙂
Had this on my to-do list for a while…. finally got round to making it today. It was easy to make and tasted fantastic. I used brown sugar and local cooking apples (Reineta variety). The flavours reminded me of Christmas so even more reason to make it now.
Fantastic to hear Lincoln! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! N x
Hi Nagi,
as usual – another great recipe. And I love seeing Dozer – he’s such a darling. Reminds me of my Alex, who was with us for 13 wonderful years in Singapore.
I made this and it was delicious. The only challenge I had was that the dough became very heavy and thick. Very heavy to mix with the wooden spoon. So I added some milk. Question is: have I done something wrong? I followed the recipe to the ‘T’ – anyway the cake is really great. Thanks Nagi.
So glad you enjoyed this Julia! The batter is definitely meant to be very thick but shouldn’t be so thick that you can’t stir it. With a bit of muscle were you ok to stir it?? I really should do a video for this recipe to show how thick the batter is 🙂 N x
This was the second sweet recipe I made from you. We love sweet cakes/breads with fruits and I have to say that this is a new favourite one in our family. It even beats our beloved banana bread because it is sooo moist and delicious!
I was only wondering if perhaps I could substitute baking soda with baking powder or would that have a negative effect on this cake?
Have a lovely day!
I’m so thrilled you like this! I am in love with this cake 🙂 Baking powder won’t work quite the same because baking soda is more powerful and this cake is quite dense so it needs that extra power! 🙂
What kind of veg oil do you suggest…Mgt
Hi Margaret! I just use ordinary vegetable oil for cooking that I get from the supermarket. 🙂 N x
Any photo that has Dozer in it isn’t photobombed as far as I’m concerned. My dog is in the kitchen with me the whole time I’m cooking.
Glad he wasn’t a turn off for you!!! 🙂 N x