This Fresh Apple Cake recipe will be the highlight of your Fall season! The delicious moist spice cake is made with grated apples, then served with a simple caramel sauce and scoop of ice cream.
Make sure to try all of my apple recipes this season, including Baked Apples, Caramel Apples, Apple Pie, or this yummy Caramel Apple Dip to eat with your fresh apples!
Generations of love come along with this Apple Cake.
Generations of love come along with this Apple Cake.Treasured family recipes are so special; not to get overly cheesy, but I love how food can link us with loved ones who have passed on. <3 My grandmother's fresh apple cake recipe has been a favorite for generations. You don't have to peel the apples–we just grate them right into the batter, and you can really use any type of apple you have on hand. Just don't don't skip the caramel sauce because it makes this cake irresistible!
How to make Apple Cake:
Make Caramel Sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a glass bowl and place on top of a saucepan with simmering water. Let it simmer while the cake cooks.
Grate Apples: Keep the peels on the apples and grate them with a box grater or the grating attachment on a food processor.
Make Batter: Mix butter, sugar, and eggs in a mixing bowl then stir in grated apples. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl then pour into the wet ingredients and stir only until just incorporated. Don't over mix!
Bake: Spread batter evenly into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with few crumbs.
Serve with caramel sauce and a scoop of ice cream!
Freezing Instructions:
To Freeze: Let cake cool completely then cover with plastic wrap and two layers of tinfoil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Enjoy cold or rewarm the whole pan in the oven on low heat, or warm individual slices in the microwave for a few seconds.
More Apple Recipes:
- Apple Crisp
- Baked Apples
- Applesauce Muffins
- Apple Coffee Cake
- How to make Caramel Apples
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Apple Pie
- Waldorf Salad
- Applesauce
- Applesauce Bread
- Apple Pecan Salad
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Recipe
Apple Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter , room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 6 small/medium apples* , grated with peel on (discard the core)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 cup chopped walnuts , optional
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Easy Caramel Sauce (can be made ahead): Place all caramel sauce ingredients in a large glass bowl and stir to combine. Fill a saucepan with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a boil. Turn it to a low simmer. Set glass bowl over the saucepan (or use a double boiler) and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Pour into a jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the big pile of freshly grated apple.
- Dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
- Combine: Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix, just until incorporated.
- Bake in a greased 9×13 inch pan for 45-60 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with caramel sauce and whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe November 2014. Updated November 2020, October 2022 and September 2024.
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Hi! Thank you so much for this recipe. I just made it for our Xmas dinner and it was a hit. As I am not a pastry baker, I have one issue that was hoping you can help with. My cake turned out not so fluffy and light as your looks in the photo. After cooling, mine sort of went a bit flat and dense. Almost like a sticky toffee pudding texture. Still tasted great, but was hoping for a fluffy cake. Also to note, when the cake had barely cooled for approx 10mins, I cut a small peice to try, and it was perfect, fluffy and light, albeit hot. Hoping you can figure why after cooling for hours it would have gone a bit dense?
Hi John, There are so many different factors that could cause falling and denseness in a cake. Here’s a great resource that may help 🙂 https://www.chatelaine.com/food/kitchen-tips/rules-for-baking-the-perfect-cake/
Thank you Lauren. After reading the link suggestions, my assumption is maybe too much apple, which led to too much moisture? Your recipe calls for 6 small/med sized apples. Do you happen to have an approx. weight of your grated apple? Also, I fine grated my apple. Do you use a fine grater or larger grate? Or would that even matter? I am thinking maybe the fine grating let out too much juice? Also, I made a mistake in my original message to you. I described my cake texture to be similar to a sticky toffee pudding. This is wrong. I meant a bread pudding. Almost like a very light bread pudding texture.
Thanks again for your help.
Hi Lauren. I just noticed you have a video of this recipe. It answers my question of the grating size. I finely grated, and in doing so, it looks like it squeezed out a LOT more juice than in your video. Your apples look quite dry compared to the wet slop of grated apple I had. This may very well be the culprit in a more dense, compact cake. The next time I bake this cake, I will report the results.
John
Hi! Going to make, do you have any other suggestions for topping besides the caramel sauce or ice cream? Would a cream cheese icing or some sort of glaze work well with this?
Sure, that would work 🙂
I made this cake today and it is rather labor intensive. Would like to serve this on Thanksgiving. Can I freeze the cake until Thursday and let it defrost for dessert after Thanksgiving dinner? I will make the caramel sauce on Thurs too.
Thank you and have a happy Thanksgiving!
Hi John,
This cakes keeps really well in the refrigerator for about 5 days! This is the option I would recommend!
For years I have been looking for an apple cake recipe like the one my aunt use to make – with little success. Until now, I can’t tell you how many disappointing cakes I have made. This recipe is it. It tastes exactly like I remember hers. Thank you so much!!!
So fun! I’m so happy you found me and that it’s just what you were looking for!
I wonder if I could put this into muffin tins for kind of an apple muffin cake?? Anyone do this before and if so what is the name time difference?
That should work just fine 🙂 . I would start checking the muffins around 25 minutes.
Made this last night and loved it–great way to use the abundance of apples on our tree this year. However, I had to skip the caramel sauce because the time listed to make the recipe didn’t include the hour it takes to make that. Fortunately, we had some vanilla ice cream on hand, and that worked great. And we had leftover cake that I froze so I plan to make the caramel sauce next time I serve it. But you might want to note at the top that the caramel sauce needs additional time.
My granddaughter & I made this cake on Saturday. Very tasty. the sauce is very good also. I will make it again. I will save a copy of the recipe for the recipe book I am making of our favorite recipes we make together . The book will be hers
Made the Apple Cake today. Delicious. Will keep the recipe to make again. I did cut the recipe in half as it is just two people here. Thanks.
Why was my cake mushy? I grated 6 Granny Smith apples. Should they have been “small” apples? Tasted good but just mushy not cake like. Toothpick came out clean after 42 min. bake time.
It must be that the apples were extra large or maybe needed a few more minutes baking.
It is a VERY moist cake but I’ve never had it turn out mushy. If the batter seems sloppy wet, I would add 1/4 c. extra flour.
The cake was very moist and delicious.. 1 1/4 cups of sugar is plenty. I also used 1tesp of allspice instead of cloves and cinimmon. Will certainly make it again.
Thanks Joan! I’m happy you liked it 🙂