Warm, spiced apple cake is perfect from-scratch treat for cozy days in the kitchen. With its luscious caramel glaze and a hint of tang from Greek yogurt, this moist cake is everything you want in a homemade fall treat.
There is something comforting and perfectly cozy about the scent of apples and spice wafting through the kitchen. It’s a perfect way to celebrate the changing of the seasons! And this apple cake is everything you want in a from-scratch treat: a spiced batter, fresh apples, and a rich caramel glaze to top it all off.
This buttery cake is soft, moist, and warmly spiced, making it the perfect delicious but easy dessert. If you add the caramel glaze, you’ll get a buttery, toffee-like finish that pairs perfectly with the spiced apple base.
The Greek yogurt adds a subtle tang that rounds out the flavor profile and adds extra moisture. It’s truly the best apple cake recipe around!
I love to have a from scratch dessert whenever we host (and often just because!), and this apple cake is our fall go-to (blueberry coffee cake is the spring counterpart). And when apples are abundant, we love to make homemade apple sauce, apple cobbler, or apple butter for a simple treat.
This easy apple cake recipe is delicious when served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It’s perfect for a cozy fall afternoon, paired with a cup of coffee or warm tea, or tucked into lunchboxes with a ham and Swiss slider for a sweet homemade treat. Try this recipe the next time you want a delicious, easy dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to make – This is a great recipe when you want something delicious but not time consuming. Don’t let the glaze fool you either. It’s incredibly simple and adds such elegance to this spiced apple cake!
Basic ingredients – Everything you need for this cake can be found in a staple pantry. No offhand ingredients here. Just warm spices, seasonal apples, and pantry staples.
Perfect for fall – Who wouldn’t love a slice of cinnamon apple cake on a cool autumn day? This easy recipe is the perfect way to celebrate the season.
Ingredients
Apples – You can truly use any apples, but I like the apple mixture of a tart and a sweet variety.
Greek yogurt – I like to make my own Greek yogurt when possible. If you must, you can substitute sour cream.
Dark brown sugar – If you don’t have dark brown sugar, you can make your own by mixing white sugar with molasses. For dark brown sugar, mix 1 cup white sugar with 2 tablespoons molasses. You can also use light brown sugar, if that is what you have.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Apple Cake
Step 1: Line an 8×8-inch size pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celsius). You can fold the corners to get the paper to lay flat against the sides of the pan.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Make sure to get all the ingredients off the sides of the bowl as you mix. You can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer, if desired.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the Greek yogurt and vanilla.
Step 4: Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the chopped apples with a wooden spoon.
Step 5: Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
Step 6: While the cake cools, make the optional caramel glaze. Combine sugar, butter, cream, salt, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is gently bubbling. Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes.
Step 7: Pour the glaze evenly over the cooled cake and allow it to set and cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 16 squares, and serve.
Tips
- Mix sweet, fresh apples like Honeycrisp with tart apples like Granny Smith for a delicious apple flavor.
- Check for doneness early. Ovens vary, so start checking at 32 minutes. The toothpick should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Make-ahead: Bake the cake a day ahead and add the glaze just before serving to keep it looking fresh.
- Chopped pecans would be a great addition to this cake if you like a crunch!
Recipe FAQs
You can truly use any apples, but I like the apple mixture of a tart and a sweet variety. Honeycrisp and Granny Smith pair well together and are what I used in the original recipe.
Cover leftover cake tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store at room temperature for 24 hours. The glaze may soften slightly, but the cake will stay moist and flavorful. After that, place the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before serving, or warm slices slightly for the best texture and flavor.
Butter is going to give you the best texture (and we love the flavor of butter!), but if you must substitute, I would try avocado oil or coconut oil. Sub the same 1/2 cup oil as the amount of butter.
An Irish apple cake is a farmhouse-style cake that contains fresh apples and warm spices. It usually has a buttery streusel topping. The only difference between an Irish apple cake and this recipe is the topping. We use a delicious glaze instead of the streusel.
A French apple cake has a rum-based batter that contains apple chunks. It is often topped with confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) and is quite different than this recipe.
More Cake Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake
- Earl Grey Cake
- Sourdough Bundt Cake
- Zucchini Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Apple Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
Wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and chopped apples
Optional Caramel Glaze:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celsius).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in the Greek yogurt and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the chopped apples.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
- To make the optional caramel glaze, combine the butter, brown sugar, cream, salt, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is gently bubbling. Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes.
- Pour the glaze evenly over the cooled cake and allow it to set and cool for 15 minutes then cut into 16 squares, and serve.
Notes
- Using one sweet variety (like Honeycrisp apples) and one tart variety (like Granny Smith apples) is a delicious combination.
- Check for doneness early. Ovens vary, so start checking at 32 minutes. The toothpick should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Please double check amounts when using the multiplying feature in the recipe card.
- If you are looking for gram measurements, toggle to the “metric” version in the recipe card.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
