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Easy Apple Cake

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Fruit.

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I know. You must be wondering what’s wrong with me.

Me too, but don’t worry. Wait til you see how this recipe ends up.

I got it from a friend who got it from his wife who got it from someone at church who got it from …… someone who likes apples I guess.

Anyway, it sounded pretty yummy and easy. Easy being the key word here because I spent most of the weekend trying to get everything together that I’m going to need for the upcoming Cupcake Camp and Cake Pops Book Tour. Yeah, they’re both right around the corner. Like next weekend around the corner. Hope you guys come by and say hi!

Please forgive me for the following if you do.

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The main characters are chopped apples, walnuts and dates. Innocent enough. Good for you even.

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After you mix up the cake batter, stir in the chopped walnuts. (I like mine on the small side.)

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Chopped dates tossed in flour.

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And diced apples. Stir them all together and then bake in a 13 X 9 pan for about 40-45 minutes at 350.

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Take it out of the oven and when cool, poke holes in the cake so the topping you are about to add can seep inside and keep it cozy.

P.S. Remember how the cake looks here. I should have tasted it at this stage. I’m sure it was already yummy.

But then I added the topping.

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Butter, brown sugar and milk… oh dear.

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Heat it on the stove until it starts to bubble.

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Remove and pour some over the cooled cake.

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Here we go.

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Hey … I said some…………

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Not a waterfall. Yikes. I don’t know what happened.

Yes I do. I was trying so hard to get a good pouring shot… taking pictures and balancing and pouring at the same time, I didn’t notice that I bathed the cake in brown sugar.

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Bathed … as in drenched.

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But maybe that’s okay with you.

It is with me. I just need to make a dentist appointment right away : )

Seriously though, pull back on the pouring. You shouldn’t need all the topping and maybe not any. I guess I’ll have to make it again to know for sure.

Apple Cake

Easy Apple Cake

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Apple Cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 cups diced apples
  • 1 cup chopped dates rolled in flour
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Topping

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and cinnamon with a wire whisk and set aside.
  3. Combine sugar and oil using a mixer until blended. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined. Add flour mixture and mix well.
  4. Stir in nuts, dates and apples. The batter will be very thick.
  5. Pour into a greased and floured 9 X 13 pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until done.
  6. Cool cake and using a skewer, poke holes in cake.
  7. Cook topping ingredients on stove until mixture bubbles. Pour topping over cake letting some (ha… more if you like) seep into the cake.
Enjoy!

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236 comments on “Easy Apple Cake”

  1. Hi,
    Can I bake it as cupcakes instead of a regular pan?
    Thanks!

  2. Time to step up! This time I want to make something for my mom, but im not very good at cooking, maybe in Papas Games http://papasgames.us/ but not in real life :D.. The recipe doesn’t look too complicated though. Thanks!

  3. So sooo delicious!

  4. I love apple pie!!!! Especially home made ones….. mmmmmmmm…. Thanks for sharing :)

  5. I baked this and we fell in love with it! Gorgeous, quick and easy cake to bake. I highly recommended it to all. Thanks for the recipe! :)

  6. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I have to report back again – after eating this cake to completion over the next few days, I just don’t think it was that good. The cinnamon flavor obviously fades after a little while, and what was left was an oil-flavored, rather boring cake. The glaze actually made it partially soggy by the end. I have had much better apple cakes (King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking’s Legacy Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting, or America’s Test Kitchen’s Easy Apple Snack Cake come to mind), with deeper flavors. It’s just one opinion, but I thought I’d post in case it helps with future recipe development.

  7. I finally made this tonight – it was so much fun as I had bookmarked it over 3 years ago! In general I really liked it. The cinnamon flavor was awesome, and I just love a warm apple cake! I do think that I prefer a butter-based batter, though. I did some research and I guess that’s how some people feel about it. On the other hand, oil keeps it moist longer and obviously makes it easier to make, as well as a more dense texture which is nice in this cake.

  8. This looks like an awesome cake to make. Ill try to make this.

  9. YUM! Thank you. Perfect thing to make with the kids after apple picking in the Fall!

  10. I made this tonight and let me just say that I barely used any of the topping before my family was already digging in. I’m thinking this would make a really good loaf with a nice glaze over it. Either way, this was amazing!

  11. Your a great cook,but this cake look nasty!(;

  12. I made this cake yesterday for company. I realized in time that there is no salt in the recipe – can’t imagine a 3-cups-of-flour recipe with no salt; it would taste pretty flat – so I added 3/4 tsp. salt. Seemed like a lot of oil, so I reduced the oil to 1 cup. My husband watches sugar carbs, so I substituted sugar alternative (Xylitol) for one of the cups of sugar. Wanting a little more robust spice flavor, I added another 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. allspice. I almost always use white whole wheat flour to make baked products a little healthier, so I substituted that for half of the white flour. Not having dates in my pantry, I used dark raisins instead. When making the hot topping, I didn’t want to add another whole cup of brown sugar to the cake, so I only made half the recipe. My cake didn’t look quite as “gooey” as in your photos, but all things considered, it was excellent and received rave reviews. I’ll make it again with these changes, because they seemed to work. Thanks for the bare bones of the recipe.

  13. love love love apples and this recipe made me drull. great pics!

  14. I made this cake not so long ago…I think I’d classify it as a pudding though. Positively sinful

  15. I just ran across this on pinterest and made it the other day for a family gathering. It was a big hit! So yummy! I did put all the sauce on, too. =)

  16. I just ate a small pice of this and it so incredible. I only used half of the topping and I can’t believe that I could make something so good.. I did add 1/2 tsp of salt to the batter, just because I have never seen a dessert made without salt. I have to give you KUDOS on this one. AMAZING is the only word I can say
    I love this to pieces!!!!!!!!!!!

  17. I made this today and it is awesome!!!!! The only thing I changed was the topping. I cut it in half. I will make again.

  18. I made this recipe exactly as written and I can’t believe no one else had this problem. First, the cake looked exactly like yours. And I usually like a cake/bread made with oil. The cake turned into (well, the best was to describe this) mush! The ratio of butter/brown sugar used to pour over the cake was WAY too much butter. I couldn’t even hold a piece in my hands without squeezing out the fat! Someone wrote that it was almost pudding cake. I have to agree with that, it could be eaten with a spoon. If I were to attempt it again, I would cut the amount of butter by half with the same amount of brown sugar. Or, I would eliminate the pour over all together. Wish I had but I had to throw it all out. Sorry.

  19. I just made half this recipe and baked it in my cakepop maker (it made about 3 batches) and added some powdered sugar to the topping sauce to make it more of an icing. I just dipped the cake balls ( I didn’t actually put them on sticks) into the sauce half way and they looked like mini glazed donuts! This recipe is addicting – so good!

  20. I’m #217 so better late than never. I found a photo for this cake on Pinterest and I just have to make it. Holy cow it looks good. Again, you’re my hero :)

  21. I just made this .. and even though I’m unfamiliar with your ‘cups’ measurement .. so I just guessed for most of it .. it came out AMAZING. Yum yum yum! Thanks for the recipe ^_^

  22. I added coconut rum to the topping sauce…delish!

  23. thanks great recipe, but what kind of apple you used? thanks.

  24. Love this recipe, but used white whole wheat flour and dried cranberries instead of dates. Have brought it to the community lunch and for family meals. Will use for thanksgiving! YUM

  25. Would this cake freeze well after baking?

  26. Can I substitute 1/2 cup butter for margarine & 1/4 cup Milk for Soy Milk.
    This apple cake sounds great according to all the comments on this blog. I am kosher, & can’t mix meat & dairy.
    thank you in advance!

  27. WOW! This looks amazing! YUM! I am drooling

  28. I made this cake for my family and it was absolutely fantastic! Definitely my new favorite desert!

  29. I’m falling into heaven…help me!

  30. When you say degrees, do you mean celcius then? I’m quite new a this baking stuff.. :p

  31. Made this just there and it is delicious! I replaced the flour with spelt flour as my family are all wheat-intolerant and it worked just fine. Also my measurements were a little bit rough as I’m not too acquainted with cup measurements but it all worked out, I am now stuffing my face. Bakerella you are a hero :)

  32. Oh dear. Why, oh why did I see this delicious looking confection? I really must stay away from any site that has the word “bake” in it until this pregnancy is over… or I may gain enough weight to be having a full grown adult instead (along with my poor hubby)! But I think this just went on my dinner menu for tonight. Yikes. And yum.

  33. I just made this and it is delicious! I only made half the brown sugar topping and it still seemed like a lot! I will probably cut it down to 1/3 next time. Thank you for another wonderful recipe! :)

  34. I made this for a brunch and it was spectacular!!!

  35. Hello dear,
    I’ve tried this recipe this weekend and it is marvelous! I have poured the topping only on half of the cake because I wanted to try it with and without it. And I need to confess: it is very hard to say each one is better!

    Thanks to share!

    Cheers,
    Marcia
    (from Brazil)

  36. Made this today and its been a huge hit, everybody loved it, i thoght id made a mistake with the quantities when converting to uk measurements because the batter was so thick but it has turned out perfect, Thanks Bakerella xx

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