Apple Cake
This moist Apple Spice Cake with homemade cream cheese frosting is full of warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh apples. Easy to make and ready in about an hour!
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An easy Apple Spice Cake is the ultimate cozy fall dessert that's packed with juicy apples, warm spices, and crunchy pecans, then topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting. A cake like this one or Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake is always a great thing for gatherings, fall parties, and is nice to enjoy after a long work week. Any reason is a good reason to make this cake.
Why You'll Love This
This tasty, super-moist Apple Spice Cake recipe is moist and super-flavorful. Those fresh apples and warm spices work so nicely together. You don't need any crazy ingredients, just some pantry staples you already have in the kitchen. The creamy, scratch frosting pairs perfectly with the fresh Apple Cake.
Let's gather The Ingredients
- Eggs: Room temperature for best results.
- Oil: This makes the cake super moist.
- Vanilla extract: I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract.
- Dry goods: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and powdered sugar
- Spices: cinnamon and nutmeg
- Apples: I use Granny Smith, but any apple will work.
- Pecans: Walnuts can also be used.
- Cream cheese: Room temperature to prevent any lumps.
- Butter: Room temperature for best results.
How To Make Apple Spice Cake
- Step 1: Add sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla to a large bowl and use a whisk to combine.
- Step 2: In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients- flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Step 3: Dump dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk together until well combined.
- Step 4: Fold in chopped apples and pecans with a wooden spoon into the batter.
- Step 5: Prepare the cake pan by spraying with nonstick baking spray. Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
- Step 6: While the cake is baking, add softened cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use an electric mixer, hand mixer, or stand mixer to cream them together until smooth.
- Step 7: Then add powdered sugar and vanilla to the cream cheese and butter mixture. Mix to combine.
- Step 8: Once cake has cooled, spread frosting over the cake and garnish with more pecans if using. Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Dice the apples small, so they bake evenly into the batter.
- Don't skip the frosting, but feel free to change things up. Next time you frost your cake, try adding cinnamon for a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- Keep leftovers covered or transfer slices to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture. Since we have the cream cheese frosting, we have to refrigerate it.
- Swap pecans for walnuts or leave the nuts out entirely if you prefer a nut-free version.
- Try a slice of cake with a mug of hot apple cider. A steaming hot cup of coffee or hot spiced apple tea goes nicely too. Or, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe FAQ's
Sure! You can bake this easy recipe a day in advance, cover tightly, and frost it fresh, just before serving.
Yes, if you want to try other varieties, Honeycrisp apples, Fuji, or Braeburn also work well. Although, they will make the super moist cake slightly sweeter since the Granny Smith Green Apples provided a tart flavor to contrast the rest of the cake.
Yes! Bake in a lined muffin tin at 350°F for 18–22 minutes, then frost once cooled.
The unfrosted cake layers freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost.
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Apple Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups apples, I use Granny Smith peeled and diced
- 1 cup chopped pecans plus more for topping
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 (8 ounce pkg) cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla, until combined.
- In a medium bowl whisk together, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Fold in the diced apples and pecans.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, add softened cream cheese and butter. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Spread frosting on cooled cake.
So happy you loved it 🙂
I made this cake yesterday, and it is absolutely delicious! I will be making it again.
I'm a little confused by your comment, came out great but not your best apple cake? The oil is what makes this cake super moist. If you want to cut back on the oil I recommend substituting it for unsweetened applesauce.
I I made this but I used Yellow Delicious Apples as they are Sweeter in Taste , I used Chopped Walnuts as I do not Like Pecans . I cut down on the Oil too and used just 2 Tablspoons instead. I Sliced My Apples and not Diced . Made all the Rest. Came out Great . Frosting Did make it Taste Good too. Reminded me of a Carrot Cake but made with Apples. Not My Best Apple Cake. Husband Said it could have been Better.
Yes store in the refrigerator.
Does this need to be refrigerated due to the cream cheese icing??
This was a good cake. But it was not moist. I did not leave out an ingredient, so the apples I used were not juicy enough. And next time I will use granny Smith apples or apple sauce.
I have never made this recipe in a bundt pan!
Bundt pan info please. Corrected email
Thanks