This apple spice cake recipe is made with fresh apples and warm spices and is perfect for a fall dessert. It's an easy two layer cake for any occasion or just for snacking!

Why Make Apple Spice Cake?

It's apple season. Apples are abundant this time of year and they pair perfectly with all those fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger.

This easy apple cake is not as complicated as it sounds and you can dress it up fancy or keep it simple. Bake it in a rectangular pan and leave it unfrosted as a snacking cake or make it a pretty two layered round cake with your choice of frosting. 

It's also an easy apple cake that can be made with or without an electric mixer. It's really one of those cake recipes that look like you worked really hard but it's just as easy as making a plain vanilla cake.

If you love fall baking, try my pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting or my simple carrot cake recipe next.

Ingredients Needed:

You will need some pantry basics: all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar.

In addition to regular sugar I used dark brown sugar as well. Brown sugar deepens the flavor and also holds more moisture in baked goods.

The eggs act as a binder and also provide softness and moisture along with the vegetable oil. 

All the flavor comes from the remaining ingredients! For the apples, I used a mix of Granny smith and Honeycrisp apples. Most apple types are fine for baking but stay away from Gala and Red Delicious as they tend to get mushy.

To help boost the apple flavor, this cake also uses unsweetened apple sauce. Avoid sweetened applesauce because it can throw off the sugar balance and make the cake too sweet. 

Finally to add the "spice" in this apple spice cake, I used a mix of warm fall spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom.

If you are familiar with the spices and prefer more of one over the other, feel free to adjust the ratios. It won't affect the structure of the cake, only the taste.

How to Make Apple Spice Cake

Decide whether you want to make a layered cake or a rectangular cake and prepare the appropriate sized pan by greasing with butter and lining the bottom with parchment paper. This recipe is perfect for 2 eight inch round pans or one 9x13 rectangular pan. 

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices together first in one bowl. Use a hand whisk and blend well.

Separately whisk together the oil, sugar, brown sugar, apple sauce, eggs and vanilla. You can use the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed if you prefer not to mix by hand.

Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture all at once to the oil mixture. Slowly stir by hand or low speed and mix until just combined. Finally fold in the apple chunks with a rubber spatula.  

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan or pans. When dicing the apples, keep the chunks of apples on the smaller side and push them into the batter with your finger after pouring into the cake pan and before placing in the oven. This will keep them from sticking out of the cake and the flatter top will make frosting the cake easier. 

Bake at 350F in the center rack of the oven. The time will vary depending on your oven and pan size. Two eight inch round cake pans take approximately 30-40 minutes.

Test the cake by inserting a toothpick into different parts of the cake. You should not see wet batter anywhere. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them onto a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Frost the cake as desired. For my cake, I used a thin layer of browned butter frosting between the two cake layers and over the outside.

I kept it thin because I wanted a more rustic look since we don't like large amounts of frosting on our cakes.

Tips and Variations for the Best Apple Spice Cake

Keep it simple: Bake in a 9x13 pan and serve unfrosted as an apple spice snacking cake. It's soft and moist enough to serve on it's own. 

Bake it pretty: Cut smaller chunks of apples and push them into the batter with your finger after pouring into the cake pan and before placing in the oven. This will keep them from sticking out of the cake and the flatter top will make frosting the cake easier.

Change frostings: Make a two layer cake and add frosting that pairs well with apple. Brown butter frosting is my favorite but cream cheese frosting or classic vanilla buttercream also work beautifully.

Add extra sweetness: A drizzle of homemade caramel sauce over the top takes this cake from everyday snack to holiday-worthy dessert. Plated desserts are fancy!

Change the mix-ins: Stir in ½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or golden raisins for more texture and flavor.

Storing Apple Spice Cake:

Cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three days. Unfrosted cake can be stored in the freezer for 10 days. Wrap individual cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. 

Whether you make it as a rustic apple spice snacking cake or dress it up as a two-layer frosted cake, this recipe is a keeper. The warm spices and tender apples make it the perfect fall cake recipe to share with friends and family.