If you’re craving a fall dessert this apple spice cake will give you everything you want! This apple layer cake has a smooth and creamy maple syrup frosting and flavored with cinnamon and warm spices!
😋 Taste and features
- Full of fresh diced apples and warm fall flavors
- Easy to make maple syrup frosting
- Everyday pantry ingredients
- One bowl recipe
🖊 Recipe Note
I was talking to my mom and she mentioned how a lot of my recipes have ingredients that she doesn’t usually have in her fridge (ie. buttermilk/sour cream/butter) and I wanted to create a recipe that are made with “common” pantry staples.
This apple cake can easily be converted to an apple loaf and ingredients can be omitted and played around with (spices and sugar) and it’ll still end up delicious!
If you’re craving another fall dessert this recipe has been approved by my mom – Rustic Pear Galette.
🛒 Ingredients
Apples: For this recipe I used Granny Smith Apples as they hold up better when baking but feel free to use what you have on hand!
🗒️ Step by step instructions
Before you start: Heat oven to 350F and grease 2 6-inch spring form pans.
Step 1. Mix light brown sugar, white granulated sugar, vanilla extract and oil in a mixing bowl. Add diced apples and lightly macerate the apples so that they keep their shape but release some of their juices.
Step 2. Next mix in 3 large eggs into the mixture until combined. Then pour flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and all spice into the mixing bowl and mix until just combined.
Step 3. Pour cake batter evenly between 2 pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. While cake is baking make maple syrup frosting by mixing room temperature butter, confectioner’s sugar, heavy cream and maple syrup until smooth. Wait for cake to cool before frosting and then enjoy!
👩🍳 Top tips
- Dice apples into small pieces so it’s easier to macerate them and so that you get apples in every bite!
- Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix your ingredients.
- Let your cake cool completely before adding frosting so that it doesn’t melt!
💡 Variations
While I love making layer cakes they’re definitely more fussy than just a regular loaf cake! Here’s how you can turn this apple spice layer cake into apple bread!
Apple Loaf Cake: Lower the oven temperature to 325F and bake for 1 hour in a 9×5-inch loaf pan!
Want to spice it up some more?
- Add crushed nuts (walnuts, pecans etc) into the batter
- Add 2 tsp of ginger powder into the batter for an additional kick!
🤔 Substitutions
No granny smith apples? Use Honeycrisps or Pink ladies! You want to use apples that will retain their structure even after baking!
No all spice? You can make your own by mixing 1:1:1 ratio with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
No light brown sugar? Swap the amount for an equal amount of white granulated sugar!
🧺 Storage tips
- Room Temperature: Store at room temperature in an an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: Store cake in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
🔎 Related recipes
Here are a few additional apple flavored desserts!
📖 Recipe
Apple Spice Cake
Equipment
- 2 6-inch round springform pans
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cake
- 1 2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour (200 Grams)
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder (6 Grams)
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda (2 Grams)
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon (8 Grams)
- 1/2 tbsp All Spice (4 Grams)
- 1 1/2 Cup Diced Apples (177 Grams)
- 1 Cup Vegetable Oil (240 Grams)
- 1/3 Cup White Granulated Sugar (67 Grams)
- 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar (150 Grams)
- 3 Eggs (Grade A Large)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract (8 Grams)
Maple Frosting
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter (226 Grams / 1 Stick)
- 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream (60 Grams)
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup (40 Grams)
- 3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar (360 Grams)
Instructions
Apple Spice Cake
- Heat oven to 350F and grease 2 6-inch spring form pans.
- Mix light brown sugar, white granulated sugar, vanilla extract and oil in a mixing bowl.
- Add diced apples and lightly macerate the apples so that they keep their shape but release some of their juices.
- Next mix in 3 large eggs into the mixture until combined.
- Then pour flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and all spice into the mixing bowl and mix until just combined.
- Pour cake batter evenly between 2 pans and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- While cake is baking make maple syrup frosting by mixing room temperature butter, confectioner's sugar, heavy cream and maple syrup until smooth.
- Once cake has fully cooled, add frosting and enjoy!
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