Easy Apple Cake Recipe (Perfect For Autumn)

• Food: Apple Cake
• Writer: Nicolas Howdy
• Content-Type: Food Blog

This simple apple cake recipe is ideal for the fall season! It’s a superb dessert, breakfast, or afternoon snack because it’s moist, soft, and delightfully flavored.

On a gloomy Monday, I tried this apple cake recipe for the first time. I had a pile of work to complete, but I was able to carve out time to chop the apples, whisk together the batter, and bake the cake.

It changed the course of my day like magic! There’s something about a good, simple baking recipe that instantly lifts my spirits, and this apple cake recipe did just that.

It’s simple to make and produces a moist, soft cake that’s ideal for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon snack.

It’s chock-full of apples, and brown sugar and cinnamon add a rich, spiced flavor. Make this apple cake if you need a pick-me-up on a dreary autumn day.

The recipe is from Yossy Arefi’s new book Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings, which will be released on Tuesday, but you can pre-order it right now! It’s a lovely compilation of 50 snacking cake recipes that are simple to prepare and delicious at any time of day.

You won’t be able to decide what to make first once you get your hands on it. Each of Yossy’s cakes appears to be more entertaining and tasty than the last.

I’m interested in her Almond Butter Banana Cake, Citrusy Almond Cornmeal Cake, and Simple Sesame Cake, in addition to her apple cake recipe. I could go on and on about the book! This book will make you want to bake more than anything else.

“It’s a simple luxury to prepare a snacking cake for yourself or your friends and family,” Yossy writes in the introduction. I hope this book inspires you to do it frequently and recklessly.” Let’s bake-apple cake, shall we?

Ingredients for apple cake

A snacking cake, according to Yossy, should be “low stress” and “need little more than a reasonably stocked pantry, a dish, and a whisk.” This quick apple cake recipe uses pantry staples to live up to the munching cake standard:

• Of course, apples! They make this cake moist and flavorful by infusing it with fall flavors.
• Dark brown sugar – I generally don’t care whether I use light or dark brown sugar in baking recipes, but dark brown sugar is a must here. It imparts a deep, molasses-like flavor to the cake.
• Eggs give the apple cake a delightful light and puffy texture.
• Oil is used to add moisture and richness to a dish. I used olive oil for this, but any neutral-flavored oil such as avocado, canola, sunflower, or grapeseed oil would work well.
• Vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg give this fresh apple cake a warm, spicy flavor.
• Don’t forget the salt! It truly brings out the sweetness and spiciness of the dish.
• All-purpose flour — Because this cake is all about apples, you only need 1 cup of flour.
• For lift, use baking powder and baking soda.
• Walnuts are great for crunch! You’ll mix some into the cake batter then top it with more.

Recipe for Apple Cake

Yossy’s cakes are almost all created in a single bowl because they are designed to be simple, every day delights. This quick apple cake recipe is one of them! This is how it works:

Peel and dice the apples first. Because of the natural shape of the apples, the pieces can vary in size; aim for 1/4- to 1/2-inch portions.

Second, beat the eggs and brown sugar together for 1 minute, or until pale and frothy. Whisk in the oil, spices, vanilla, and salt after that.

Then whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda until smooth and well incorporated.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the basin with the whisk’s edge to ensure your batter is evenly blended.

Add the apples and HALF of the walnuts after that. (At first, I unintentionally dumped them all in – sorry!) Fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Finally, top the cake with the remaining walnuts and bake!

Apple Cake Recipe Advice

• Use high-quality baking apples. This cake calls for tart, firm baking apples that will maintain their shape. Gala apples were utilized, and they were delicious. Apples such as Pink Ladies, Mutsu, Jonathan, McIntosh, or Granny Smith are all acceptable alternatives.
• In the pan, equally, distribute the apples. Use a spatula to properly spread the apples in the pan after pouring in the batter to ensure that every piece of this cake has enough apples. They should be “well scattered and go all the way to the pan’s edges,” according to Yossy.
• Before putting the pan in the oven, tap it on the counter. This will aid in the settlement of the apples in the pan, as well as the release of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
• Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting and serving. It’s tempting to devour this delectable cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, as it is with all baking recipes. Allowing it to cool will result in a moister, more cohesive texture and a richer spiced apple flavor. Allow 15 minutes for cooling in the pan. After that, take it out of the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool fully.

Serving Suggestions

I’m perfectly content to eat a slice of cinnamon apple cake simply, with or without a cup of coffee or tea. If you’re looking for something a little more decadent, go ahead and dress it up!

Yossy suggests pairing it with the Crème Fraîche Whip on page 180 of her book or the Maple Coffee Glaze on page 91.

A dollop of coconut whipped cream or standard whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar would also be delicious.

Variations on Apple Cake

You’ll adore this fresh apple cake recipe as stated, but don’t worry if you don’t have the correct size pan or if you prefer a different fruit. Here are a few ways to spice things up:

• Give it a burst of taste. Yossy mentions two optional additions in this apple cake recipe: whisky and instant espresso powder. I left them out and the cake was still delicious, but if you want to amp up the flavor, go ahead and toss them in. The recipe below includes Yossy’s suggested measurements.
• Make use of pears. Another delicious autumn delight! Use chopped peeled pears instead of apples, and hazelnuts or pecans instead of walnuts.
• Make use of peaches. This version is at the top of my summer to-do list! Substitute chopped peeled peaches or nectarines for the apples, and leave off the espresso powder. Because this cake softens quickly, it should be consumed within a day.
• To make a square cake, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Yossy includes instructions for baking each cake in a variety of pans. How convenient is that? The original recipe asks for an 8-inch square pan, but I used a 9-inch round pan instead, as you can see. Both pan forms require the same amount of baking time – 30-40 minutes.
• Make a cake in the shape of a loaf. You have yet another pan option! If you opt to create a loaf cake, it will take 45 to 55 minutes to bake.

Apple Cake

This simple apple cake recipe is the ideal fall dessert! It’s moist, mildly spiced, and bursting at the seams with juicy apples.

You may bake this cake in an 8-inch square pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan if you don’t have a 9-inch circular baking pan.

For baking times, see the page above. With permission from the publisher, this recipe is published from Yossy Arefi’s Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar (dark brown)
• 2 eggs, big
• 1/3 cup neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon extract de Vanille
• a pinch of cinnamon
• a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg
• kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 cup flour (all-purpose)
• 1 teaspoon powdered baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 small peeled and cored apples, sliced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• Optional: 1 tablespoon whiskey
• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack in the center. Nonstick spray a 9-inch circular baking pan or butter it. A round of parchment paper should be placed at the bottom of the pan.
2. Whisk the brown sugar and eggs together in a large mixing basin for 1 minute, or until light and frothy. Pour in the oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and, if used, the whiskey and espresso powder. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.
3. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda until smooth and well blended.
4. Fold in the apples and 14 cups of nuts with a rubber spatula.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level the top with an offset spatula, making sure the apples are evenly distributed and reach all the way to the pan’s edges. To expel any air bubbles, tap the pan gently on the counter. Over the cake, scatter the remaining 14 cups of nuts.
6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. The apples may have left some moisture on the tester. Allow 15 minutes for the pan to cool on a rack. Carefully flip the cake out onto a cooling rack using a thin knife around the edge. If desired, invert it again so that the puffy side is up.
7. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to two days.