Fresh Apple Cake
Try this easy and delicious fresh apple cake! It's made with fresh honeycrisp apples, and the cake always turns out to moist, tender, and soft. The fresh apples stay crisp tender, and it's finished with a caramel drizzle.
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 554kcal
Equipment
- 3-quart saucepan for the caramel sauce
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil do not substitute with butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups peeled and diced honeycrisp apples from about 2 large apples
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Butter for greasing the pan
Caramel Sauce
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream as needed, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan with butter. Set aside.
- Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients: In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
- Gradually, whisk in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until evenly mixed, using a rubber spatula. Do not overmix. The batter will be somewhat thick.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the diced apples and chopped pecans.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan and smooth the top over. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. At the 45-minute mark, cover loosely with foil to prevent the top from browning too much.
- Make the caramel sauce: Melt all the caramel sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until thickened, stirring. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly. Note: It may look separated at first, but it will come together as it simmers.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before serving. To serve, cut into squares and drizzle with warm caramel on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use honeycrisp apples for best results. Don’t use Red Delicious apples as they will disintegrate.
- Caramel: At first the caramel might look like the butter is separating from the sugar, but it will come together as it simmers. If the caramel hardens, warm it up in a microwave for a few seconds. Stir every 5-10 seconds.
- Make ahead: This fresh apple cake freezes so well and tastes wonderful after it has been thawed and warmed up. You can make the cake as written and let it completely cool.
- Freezing: Once cooled, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then transfer to a freezer bag to keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Storage: Place any leftover cake slices in an airtight container and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 days. Any longer than that it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- Apples: Honeycrisp, Fuji, Braeburn, Gala
- Pecans: Walnuts.
- Caramel sauce: Omit or use store-bought
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 304IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 2mg