Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake Recipe
This is the BEST old-fashioned fresh apple cake recipe and a firm family favorite. This moist and flavorful cake is bursting with as much fresh apple as I could cram into it. Nutty browned Butter, walnuts, and cinnamon, with a dulce de leche topping, take it to the next level.
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You’ll Love My Old-Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake
This old-fashioned fresh apple cake is one I often make during the colder months. It is a simple and rustic recipe with a tender and moist crumb that really shines from the brightness of the fresh apples and the warmth of the cinnamon and browned Butter. You can use a bundt pan, as I do in these pictures, or a simple square dish.
I love this fresh apple cake topped with dulce de leche (or caramel) and crushed walnuts (or pecans), but I’ll also give you a quick and tasty maple icing recipe you can use instead.
It was inspired by my mother’s fresh apple kolač cake, which I grew up eating, and then tweaked to my own tastes.
If you love this cake, I promise you will love my pumpkin spice bundt cake or my fried apple fritter rings. Other seasonal favorite desserts are my blondies and pumpkin cheesecake bars.
Fresh Apple Cake Ingredient Notes, Variations, & Substitutions
- Fresh Apples | The best apples for a fresh apple cake are granny smith, honeycrisp, fuji, and gala.
- All-Purpose Flour | This cake has been successfully tested with all-purpose flour and einkorn all-purpose flour. Do not use cake flour.
- Unsalted Butter, browned | Browned Butter gives this cake a deep, nutty background flavor that really makes a difference. You can use plain (softened) Butter or melted lard as well, but I highly recommend trying it with browned as it’s not much extra effort.
- Walnuts | Walnuts and apples are a delicious, classic pairing. You can skip the nuts or use pecans instead.
- Cinnamon | If you love cinnamon, this cake uses a generous amount. You can also substitute with pumpkin spice or dial back the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon.
- Dulce de leche or Caramel | Caramel or dulce de leche are perfect toppings for this cake. You can use other glazes or frostings (like cream cheese) or leave it plain, too, as this cake is truly delicious without anything extra at all.
See the recipe card for exact quantities and instructions.
Equipment
- Classic Nordic Ware 9 or 12-Cup Bundt Pan or Cake Pan | You can use a classic 9—or 12-cup bundt pan (the classic Nordic Ware fluted bundt is the best) or a simple rectangular or round baking pan. If using a bundt pan, only use the classic, simple shape and not one with intricate designs or sharp edges, as this batter is too rustic to hold up.
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer | Spoons, whisks, and spatulas can all be used if you have neither; it will just be more work.
- Box Grater
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Medium Bowl
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
Instructions (Step-By-Step Photos)
Step 1: Get all of your ingredients and equipment ready. Brown your Butter and set it aside to cool. Peel and grate your apples down to the core. Measure out your dry ingredients and wet ingredients.
Liberally butter your bundt pan or cake pan, and then sprinkle the buttered pan with a layer of plain white cane sugar. Turn the pan upside down over the sink to remove excess sugar.
Step 2: Whisk all of the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nuts, salt) except for the baking soda and baking powder in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
Step 3: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the eggs and cooled browned butter thoroughly for a couple of minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale.
Add the vanilla extract, white sugar, and brown sugar and mix for a couple more minutes. Set aside and proceed to the next step.
Step 4: Take your grated apples and, using your hands, thoroughly coat and mix them into your flour mixture. You will have a rough, shaggy dough.
Once the apples and flour are completely combined, add the baking soda and baking powder and briefly mix them into the dry batter.
Step 5: Add the wet ingredients into the flour-apple mixture along with your chopped walnuts and stir quickly (a silicone spatula is best) to combine.
Pour the apple cake batter into your greased-up bundt pan or cake pan and place it into the oven.
After 45 minutes, check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the deepest part. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready. This cake typically takes 50 minutes to bake completely, sometimes a bit more.
Step 6: When ready, place the bundt pan on a heat-safe surface for 10 minutes before flipping it onto a plate. Your cake should come out cleanly in one piece. You may need to gently pry the edges away from the sides (including the middle) of the bundt pan with a knife first.
Don’t leave the cake in the bundt pan for much longer than 10 minutes, or it may stick.
Transfer to a wire rack for cooling. Once the cake has completely cooled, you can add the dulce de leche, caramel, maple glaze, crushed walnuts, or whichever topping you add — or nothing.
Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake
Equipment
- 9 or 12-Cip Bundt Pan or baking dish
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 3 cups packed fresh grated apple
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups roughly chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup white cane sugar
- 1 cup butter browned
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon or pumpkin spice, levelled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Dulce De Leche Topping
- ½ cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce
- ¼ cup crushed walnuts
Maple Glaze Topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup crushed walnuts
Instructions
Browned Butter
- Brown butter first. Measure out 1 cup of unsalted butter into a pan on medium-low heat.
- As the butter melts, swirl it around the pan. Butter goes from brown to burnt very quickly, so stay by and watch. The butter may foam, this is fine.
- Just keep swirling the butter over the heat until it is light brown in color and smells nutty and toasted. This will happen in mere minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature on the counter or put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before using as you move on with the next steps of this recipe.
- Do not add any additional water to the browned butter make up for the water evaporated during cooking.
Make The Cake Batter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- Wash and peel your apples. Grate them down to the core until you have three packed cups of apples.
- Grease your bundt pan (if using) LIBERALLY with butter (or lard) and then sprinkle the buttered pan thoroughly with a thick layer of plain white cane sugar. Turn the pan upside down over the sink to get rid of excess sugar.
- Add all of the dry ingredients (sifted flour, cinnamon, salt) except for the baking soda and baking powder into a bowl and sift them thoroughly to combine.
- Using a hand-mixer or stand-mixer mix your eggs and browned butter thoroughly for a couple minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale.
- Add your vanilla extract, white sugar, and brown sugar and keep mixing for a couple more minutes. Set aside and move on to the next step.
- Take your grated apples and using your hands thoroughly coat and mix them into your flour mixture. You will have a rough, shaggy dough. Once the apples and flour is completely combined, add the baking soda and baking powder and briefly mix them into the dry batter too.
- Add the egg-sugar-butter wet ingredients into the flour-apple mixture along with your chopped walnuts and stir quickly (a silicone spatula is best) to combine.
- Pour the apple cake batter into your greased up bundt pan or cake pan and place it into the oven.
- Check after 45 minutes for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the deepest part. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready. This cake typically takes around 50 minutes to bake completely, sometimes a bit more.
- If ready, place the bundt pan down on a heat-safe surface for 10 minutes before flipping it over onto a plate and then transferring the hot cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once completely cool, top with dulce de leche and crushed walnuts or keep reading to make a great maple glaze.
Make The Maple Glaze
- Make the glaze by whisking butter and maple syrup over medium heat before adding powdered sugar and whisking until desired consistency is achieved. Pour over cooled cake. Add some chopped walnuts.
Notes
How To Make Browned Butter
- Measure out 1 cup of unsalted Butter into a pan on medium-low heat.
- As the Butter melts, swirl it around the pan. Butter goes from brown to burnt very quickly, so stay by and watch. The Butter will foam; this is fine.
- Just keep swirling the Butter over the heat until it is light brown in color and smells nutty and toasted. This will happen in mere minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature on the counter or put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before using it in this recipe.
- Do not add any additional water to make up for the water evaporated.
- Your cake should come out cleanly in one piece. You may need to gently pry the edges away from the sides (including the middle) of the bundt pan with a knife first. Don’t leave the cake in the bundt pan for much longer the 10 minutes or it may stick.
- Thoroughly mixing the ingredients without over-mixing them is the key to the texture of this fresh apple cake turning out moist and with a perfect crumb instead of dry uneven lumps inside.
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature for the best results.
