Everyday Apple Cake

Another butter cake! This time an apple cake that’s kind of like apple pie in cake form, somehow combining the fluffy and light texture of my butter cake with cinnamon spiced apples. And just like many of my other butter cakes, this apple version also has a crispy, flaky sugared topping (which is probably my favorite part!). 

Something new we’re doing with this everyday cake: pre-cooking apples to layer into the cake and then, taking the dropped liquid from the apples, reducing it and adding it to the cake batter. This is going to take the cake from being a butter cake with apples, to a cake that gives you the full apple (apple pie maybe?) experience. It’s truly lovely. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Apples: granny smith, or an apple recommended for baking (one that is firm, tart and will mostly keep shape when cooked). 

Sugar: fine granulated sugar is tossed with the apples and used for the cake batter. We’ll also sprinkle some sugar on the top for a flaky topping. 

Spices: ground cinnamon and allspice. Nutmeg is also welcome, especially freshly grated! 

Salt: fine sea salt. Reduce if using table salt. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract. 

Butter: unsalted butter. If you are using salted, reduce the salt added to the recipe. 

Eggs: whole large eggs, they must be at room temperature. 

Cake Flour: is more finely milled and comes from a softer wheat. It yields a softer, fluffier cake. If you must substitute, use a low protein all purpose flour. 

Sour Cream: full fat sour cream. 

How to make ‘Everyday Apple Cake’ 

Prep the apples 

Peel, core and slice the apples. 

Melt butter in a large saucepan, then add apples with the sugar, salt, lemon and spices:

Cook apples until softened and quite a bit of liquid has gathered at the bottom: 

Drain the apples, return the liquid to the pan and cook until reduced and thickened, then let cool 

Make the cake 

Melt the butter 

Whisk in the sugar, salt and vanilla 

Add eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each: 

Sift in the flour and leavening, then stir: 

Whisk in the sour cream and reduced liquid 

Assemble the cake 

We’re going to layer in the apples, start by adding 2/3 of the cake batter to the prepared cake pan

Best apples to use for apple cake 

There’s a lot of apple varieties to choose from but as a rule of thumb we’re looking for something that is firm and will hold shape even when cooked (twice!). I also think tart apples are best because they’ll add more nuance to the cake’s flavor profile. 

Apples I’ve had success with: granny smith (the best), pink lady, honeycrisp and jonagold. 

Options for Toppings/What to Serve with Apple Cake

For a creamy vanilla pairing: Stabilized Whipped Cream 

For an experience that accentuates the apple pie flavor even more: Vanilla Ice cream and Caramel Sauce (Salted or Apple Cider) 

For something tart & fruity: Homemade Cranberry Curd 

Everyday Apple Cake Recipe 

Everyday Apple Cake

Soft & fluffy apple cake layered with apples and flavored with reduced apple juices. An easy butter cake recipe that tastes like apple pie.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Yields: 1 9 inch cake (serves about 8)

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

Apples

• 2 large granny smith apples peeled cored and sliced thinly, 350g of apples after slicing
• 1 tablespoons butter unsalted
• 2 tablespoons sugar fine granulated or brown
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon allspice optional
• ¾ pinch fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice optional

Cake

• 150g or ½ cup plus 2 ½ tablespoons butter unsalted
• 130g or ⅔ cups fine granulated sugar
• tsp fine sea salt
• 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 170g or 1 ⅓ cups g cake flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 120g or ½ cup sour cream
• reduced apple liquid* see instructions

Method

For the apples

• Set a large skillet over medium heat and once it is hot, add the butter. Once it begins to melt, add the apples, sugar, spices, salt, and the lemon juice. Cook stirring frequently until the apples are soft and a few tablespoons of liquid has accumulated at the bottom (this will take around 5-7 minutes).
• Set a sieve over a bowl and pour the apples and their liquid into the bowl. Set the apples aside and add the liquid back into the skillet. Cook until it’s steaming and bubbling and has reduced to a syrup-like texture (it should be about 2 tablespoons in volume). Set aside to cool.

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan.
• In a large bowl melt the butter, add the sugar, salt and vanilla and whisk well to combine.
• Add one of the eggs and whisk for 30 seconds, then add the other and whisk for another 30. The batter should be thick and shiny.
• Sift in the flour, then add the baking soda, baking powder and sour cream. Stir until it’s almost mixed then add the cooled apple liquid and stir to combine.
• Spread a little over half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread ⅔ of the apples in an even layer on top of the batter. Then add the rest of the batter, save a few tablespoons. Spread the rest of the apples on top of the second layer of batter then spread the remaining few tablespoons of batter over the apples. The goal is to cover the apples best we can but leave just a thin layer of batter on top. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top, be generous (2-3 tablespoons of sugar).
• Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean of cake batter. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a cake plate.

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