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Home Quick and Easy

Easiest Ever MOIST Apple Cake

By Nagi Maehashi
553 Comments
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Published30 Sep '16 Updated23 Jun '25
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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!

Hands down, the easiest and BEST Apple Cake recipe you will ever try! Made with fresh apples, no electric mixer required to make this beautiful moist cake. www.recipetineats.com

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. 🙄

Hands down, the easiest and BEST Apple Cake recipe you will ever try! Made with fresh apples, no electric mixer required to make this beautiful moist cake. www.recipetineats.com

THAT CHEEKY BUGGER!!!

See look. Here he is AGAIN. And again. And again. GRRRRR!!!!!

Dozer photo bombing Apple Cake photos

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

  • Classic Scones

  • Strawberry Cake – really easy cake recipe

  • Cinnamon Swirl Bread – easy, no yeast!

  • Cheese, Herb and Garlic Loaf or Zucchini Cheese Loaf– quick bread, no yeast

  • Apple Muffins and Apple Teacake

  • Raspberry Bars or Strawberry Bars

  • Blueberry Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze or Blueberry Lemon Yoghurt Cake

  • Savoury Cheese Muffins or Cornbread Muffins (personal fave😇)

  • Whole Orange Cake

Hands down, the easiest and BEST Apple Cake recipe you will ever try! Made with fresh apples, no electric mixer required to make this beautiful moist cake. www.recipetineats.com

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Apple cake on a white cake stand, ready to be served

Easiest Ever MOIST Apple Cake

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 50 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Cake
4.90 from 177 votes
Servings12
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A very moist, perfectly spiced Apple Cake! This is incredibly easy to make – no mixer required. This must be made with fresh apples, not canned. See note 5 for information about different measures in different countries & different oven types. Also, I do not recommend substituting butter for all or part of the oil – it does not come out as moist and you can’t taste buttery flavour anyway because of the spice flavourings! FREEZES great!

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
Prevent screen from sleeping

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:

1. Flour – can use wholemeal/wholewheat but reduce by 2 tablespoons.
Self raising flour – can sub flour with self raising flour, but skip baking soda.
Baking powder – can sub bi carb with baking powder, use 4 tsp. If you do this, do NOT use self raising flour in place of flour (because self raising flour already has baking powder in it!)
2. Sugar – Use white or loosely packed brown or light brown sugar. Not dark brown sugar and not raw sugar.
3. Apples – Use Granny Smith or tart red apples, but not extremely sweet apples. Also, do not use canned apples for this because the juice in the can makes this cake less moist. Also do not be tempted to grate the apple instead of chopping it – I tried that and again, that too made the cake less moist.
4. My easy way of lining cake pans – see beginning of the Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake video.
5.  Recipe source – This is a reader recipe, from the lovely Dorothy in Tennessee, US. By popular demand, here is the original recipe! It is made for a bundt pan. Follow the directions of the recipe but use these quantities and make it in a bundt pan.
1 1/2 cups. vegetable oil
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:

Serving: 113gCalories: 403cal (20%)Carbohydrates: 49.9g (17%)Protein: 5.1g (10%)Fat: 21.2g (33%)Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 17.2gCholesterol: 27mg (9%)Sodium: 238mg (10%)Fiber: 2.1g (9%)Sugar: 24.4g (27%)
Keywords: apple cake
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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….

apple-cake-1

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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553 Comments

  1. Jessica says

    October 21, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    So much oil and sugar. Have you tried with less of each, maybe using apple sauce for oil and since apples are inherently sweet, skip the sugar altogether?! At 403 calories per piece you’re eating that as a meal alone.

    Reply
  2. Mary says

    October 15, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    I followed this recipe exactly using the weights listed and I think there’s a problem with the flour weight for this recipe. I used 300 grams of flour and it turned out very dry. I checked other recipes and the standard conversion for 2 cups of flour is 240 grams.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 16, 2016 at 6:18 am

      Hi Mary! That’s really strange, I’ve made this using weights and cups, US and Australia/NZ/UK etc and it always comes out super moist! 2 cups of flour = 300g if using Australia/UK/EU cups or 250g if using US cups. However, the oil measurements also ratio up depending on which cups are used which compensates for the difference. Just to double check – you used fresh apples? I used canned and it came out drier. And you chopped it, not grated it? Again, I tried grating and it came out drier. The last thing I’m wondering is whether the eggs you used were a very small? I’m just surprised that your cake came out dry because this recipe is so forgiving!

      Reply
  3. Sabrina says

    October 10, 2016 at 1:33 am

    Looks great, Nagi! I’ll have to try this recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 10, 2016 at 5:16 pm

      It is the BEST! Dorothy is such an awesome cook!

      Reply
  4. Cheryl Eaton says

    October 9, 2016 at 11:36 am

    5 stars
    I just made this-but ‘just’ means a couple hours ago. I do not have a spring-form pan-so I made it in a 9×9″ pan. It worked out perfectly. I also had some golden raisins(from oatmeal cookies)-about 1/4 cup worth that I added. It was DELICIOUS! I love the fact that I didn’t need a mixer. Sometimes I won’t make something because I don’t want the hassle of cleaning the mixer and blades. My husband LOVED it! Thank you!!!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 10, 2016 at 5:12 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this Cheryl! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know! N x

      Reply
  5. Angela says

    October 9, 2016 at 5:07 am

    5 stars
    What a lovely recipe ive been looking for one for ages and i can’t wait to try this. I was wondering can i pour warm honey over it while its still warm? Or do you think it will be soggy? Ps. Your dog is adorable!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 10, 2016 at 5:11 pm

      Oooh YES to that! Wow, it will make it even more indulgent! (Though I would cut sugar slightly to compensate for added sweetness from honey 🙂 So glad you like Dozer, I think he ain’t too bad either – he he!

      Reply
  6. Kreet says

    October 7, 2016 at 3:20 pm

    5 stars
    Immediately when I read this recipe I knew I had to try it. It is apple season here – all sorts of delicious apples from own garden, ready to be baked.
    Wonderful, delicious cake – I made just as you describe it! I am especially thankful for the comments about picking the right type of sugar for this recipe. I did add the optional walnuts into the mix though and this made it for me 🙂
    Thank you for the recipe and thank you for your blog! It is inspiring!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 7, 2016 at 7:48 pm

      Dorothy’s recipes are NO FAIL! She is truly incredible, she is an inspiration to me. 🙂 Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N xx

      Reply
  7. Vicky and Ruth says

    October 6, 2016 at 2:51 am

    4 stars
    As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. It was really delicious and moist and we served it this last weekend on our holiday dinner and it was a hit. Next time I would like to try it with a little less cloves and using asian pears (are they the same as the Japanese Pears Megu mentined in her comment?). Great Recipe. Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 7, 2016 at 7:19 pm

      Isn’t it amazing??? I’m so glad you enjoyed it Vicky!! And yes to adjusting the cloves to your taste 🙂 I actually already reduced it a tad from the original recipe so you must be even more sensitive than me! N x

      Reply
  8. Megu says

    October 4, 2016 at 8:38 am

    5 stars
    Made this today using Japanese pears. So easy and tasty! Thank you — absolutely love your blog and how conscientious you are 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 7:06 pm

      Oooh! I love that you used Japanese pears – close to my heart! 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipes, so glad you enjoy them Megu! N x

      Reply
  9. Laila says

    October 3, 2016 at 7:41 am

    Looks amazing, so excited to try it! Is it ground cloves or full cloves that you used?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:50 pm

      Hi Laila! I use ground 🙂 N x

      Reply
  10. lily gar says

    October 3, 2016 at 2:11 am

    5 stars
    Hi, All is fresh ,fresh apples ,fresh Dozer , love Dozer, he can do no harm ,love Dozer ,love your recipes,Mom’s recipes ,you ,Dozer would be a good food tester ,thanks for such beautiful pictures of Dozer, food too ,,Lily Gar

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:46 pm

      Awww thank you Lily! Hope you are having a great week! N x

      Reply
  11. Gloria says

    October 3, 2016 at 12:11 am

    4 stars
    This is the best apple cake I have ever had and it is so moist. I shared pieces with the neighbors as I am going in the hospital tomorrow and my husband can’t eat it all. I love how it is crispy on the edges. Around this area we have groups called Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. I have decided that this is the dessert I will make and serve next time they meet at my home.
    I love your recipes and I am going to try your Mom’s recipe for Okonomiaki that looks so yummy. I will have to make a trip to the Asian market to get some of the ingredients.
    Why can’t I rate this recipe for five stars? It will only let me do four.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:45 pm

      WOO HOO! I am so glad you enjoyed this Gloria, though I am sorry to hear that you are going to hospital 🙁 I wish you a speedy recovery. N x PS Re: stars – I don’t know! Waa!! And I really hope you do try the Okonomiyaki, it is SO GOOD!!! I ate the actual one in the photos 😉

      Reply
  12. Lorelle Denham says

    October 2, 2016 at 6:30 pm

    anyone who can’t stand to see a loved pet in a photo needs to take a good look at themselves.
    Love your work!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:43 pm

      Awww thanks Lorelle! 🙂 N x

      Reply
  13. Teena says

    October 2, 2016 at 3:45 pm

    He is an absolute cutie….loved the way he is looking at the cake?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:37 pm

      Awww thanks Teena!!! You know I lap up all compliments about Dozer!!! N xx

      Reply
  14. Kit says

    October 2, 2016 at 7:34 am

    5 stars
    Made this apple cake this morning. This is the easiest of cake recipes to make and produced the moistest of apple-licious texture. Absolutely wonderful and tastely…. much like the other great recipes on this website. Keep them coming!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:31 pm

      Ohhhhh thank you thank you Kit! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  15. Julia @ HappyFoods Tube says

    October 2, 2016 at 3:40 am

    Yummy! I like cakes with pieces of fruit in them! On the last picture Dozer looks sooo peaceful – makes me wanna fly over there to hug him :)!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:31 pm

      You SHOULD!!!! 😉

      Reply
      • Julia @ HappyFoods Tube says

        October 5, 2016 at 8:16 pm

        I’ll think about that so! ?

        Reply
  16. michelle says

    October 2, 2016 at 1:34 am

    Anyone who doesn’t appreciate Dozer’s photobombing obviously doesn’t have a four-legged furbaby in their life. Too bad for them! By the way, the cake looks scrumptious and very timely.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:30 pm

      Thanks Michelle! 🙂 So glad you didn’t find a big fur ball in food photos off putting! 😉 N x

      Reply
  17. Pam Bartholomew says

    October 1, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    Always thumbs up to Dozer! Dog people are great people, and always love your recipes.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:26 pm

      YAY! So glad he wasn’t a turn off – ha ha!!

      Reply
  18. Lynn says

    October 1, 2016 at 10:12 am

    I cannot speak for all of your followers, but I am not upset by seeing Dozer in you kitchen (in fact I adore seeing Dozer in your photos). You’re a real person, in your own home, with a dog who is part of your family.

    I have a dog, a cat and 2 kittens – try keeping them out of the kitchen all at the same time! There’s a line between the carpet of the dinning area and the tiles in the kitchen and that’s their boundary, but little paws wiggle over it constantly! As long as no one (Bon Bon the Cocker Spaniel, Diego the cat, or Grass Hopper & Pilchard the kittens), tries to get on the counter top, I am happy.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:23 pm

      Thank you Lynn! I did worry that it would be off-putting for some 🙂 I just have the cutest vision of 8 paws lined up on that line between the dining room and kitchen – ba ha ha!!! N x

      Reply
  19. monika says

    October 1, 2016 at 9:24 am

    You write: Not dark brown sugar and not raw sugar.
    Would using either affect the texture or just the taste?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 1, 2016 at 9:49 am

      Hi Monika! Dark brown sugar has a stronger flavour so yes, it will throw out the flavour. Raw sugar has different cooking characteristics so I am not sure what it will do to the texture of the cake. 🙂 That’s why I said not to use of of those – but feel free to try! This cake is very forgiving so I am pretty sure they will both be ok!

      Reply
  20. Jen says

    October 1, 2016 at 9:16 am

    5 stars
    Anyone with animals can not be anything but in love with your fur mate!! Can’t wait to try the cake and I know my fur babies will be underfoot as I prepare!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 5, 2016 at 6:22 pm

      Awwww!!! Your house sounds like my kitchen!!!

      Reply
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