Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake Recipe

5 from 3 votes
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The best old-fashioned apple cake recipe made with fresh apples. The cake is moist with delicious chunks of apple, fruity, and full of flavor and spice.

This Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake Recipe is perfect for fall, Thanksgiving, or really any time of the year. I love having it with some ice cream on the side or some tea. So comforting!

A slice of old fashioned fresh apple cake.

Apple desserts like Homemade Apple Pie and Tarte Tatin have my heart. There’s something about apple and baking that works!

Add this old fashioned fresh apple cake recipe to your repertoire of Thanksgiving recipes. So good for fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, breakfast, or for when you just want to snack on some delicious cake.

The Perfect Recipe For Apple Season

Let me tell you something. I went shopping and I bought just apples for about $20. And I only shopped for about $30 so it was a ‘buy buy apple’ kind of day.

You guys, I bought 6 Honeycrisp apples for over $10. What? After checking my receipt and doing the math while I got back home, I almost said aloud, “Why are people so wicked?”

As in why would you sell one apple for almost $2?! Next time I am going to the apple orchard for a better bargain (and some apple picking!).

Am I the only one who scrutinizes grocery receipts after buying? I mean I get home, take out my receipt, and start to check one item after the other and the prices.

Maybe it’s the African blood in me but I always feel like the cashier is trying to/going to cheat me. Trust issues. Ha.

Landscape image of apple cake.

Best Apples For Apple Cake

Honeycrisp apples are ideal for a fresh apple cake recipe with chunks of apple because they hold their shape nicely when baked.

My second choice is granny smith apples which are also so good in apple desserts like homemade apple pie or tarte tatin.

Watch How To Make Fresh Apple Cake

This Fresh Apple Cake Recipe is so easy! And you can see how easy that is when you watch me putting it together in the video. 

To ensure you never miss any of my cooking videos, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Ingredients For Fresh Apple Cake

The ingredients for this old fashioned fresh apple cake are pretty simple:

  • Apples: Granny Smith or honey crisp apples would work.
  • Flour: You need all-purpose or plain flour for this recipe.
  • Butter: The butter should be softened at room temperature so it easily creams with the sugar.
  • Granulated sugar: Cane sugar would work as well.
  • Cinnamon powder: Essential for adding spice. Cinnamon and apples go well together.
  • Vanilla Extract: Check out my homemade vanilla extract recipe.
  • Lemon zest: Adds freshness.
  • Milk: Whole milk or evaporated milk would work. You could also substitute with buttermilk in a pinch.
  • Egg: Adds richness and binds the ingredients together.
  • Salt: Balances all the flavors.
Ingredients for old fashioned fresh apple cake.

See the recipe card below with a detailed list of ingredients and instructions.

How To Make Apple Cake With Fresh Apples

Here are the simple steps involved in making apple cake from scratch!

1. The first thing to do is core, peel, and chop the apples. Then sprinkle two tablespoons of flour on top and toss to coat them.

Adding flour to apple chunks.
Chunks of apple tossed with flour.

2. Then cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. An electric beater makes the work easier.

Creaming butter an sugar in a mixing bowl.

3. Then add in the eggs one at a time and beat lightly. Adding the eggs one at a time allows you to carefully incorporate each egg. But do not overmix.

Eggs added to creamed butter and sugar.

4. Then add in the liquid milk (check the full recipe below for quantity). Mix and add in thespices. Now I have to talk about the combo of vanilla extract, lemon zest, and cinnamon in this recipe. It is bombzilla – it gives the cake such a fresh fruity spicy taste.

Wet ingredients for apple cake with spices added.

5. Add some flour, salt, and baking powder to the dry ingredients and mix to form a batter. Do not overmix. Mix until just combined.

Flour added to wet ingredients for apple cake.

6. Once the batter is mixed, add in the chopped apples and gently fold in.

Chunks of apple on cake batter.

7. Now pour that batter into a greased cake pan, being sure to level the batter at the top.

Cake batter in a greased pan.

8. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Baked apple cake on a plate.

Hint: My apple cake is usually a light brown color when it comes out of the oven. I love it this way because it remains nice and moist. If it stays too long in the oven, it becomes dry – not good.

9. Now sieve some icing sugar over the top of the cake to take it over the top and for a beautiful presentation.

Old fashioned fresh apple cake dusted with powdered sugar.

10. Cut yourself a slice...

Triangle slice of cake cut out.

And enjoy the wonders of lovely chunks of apple in a cake. This right here is a trip to cake heaven.

Cake on plate with fork nearby.

My girls, Mr. N and I are all in love with this cake. The girls had some for breakfast this morning with some hot cocoa on the side. They totally love this apple cake made with fresh apples.

Success Tips For The Best Apple Cake!

  • If you dislike chunks of apples in your cake, shred the apples instead.
  • Once the cake is done, take it out of the oven. Any extra time in the oven will make the cake turn from moist to dry.
  • Do not over-beat the eggs.
  • Also, do not over-mix the batter. Once the ingredients are incorporated, you are good to go!
  • If you have any doubts, watch the apple cake video for clarification.

That’s it, folks. A delicious old fashioned fresh apple cake waiting to be baked by you. Let me know how you like it!

Also, do you ever cook with apples in your life? What are your favorite apple recipes?

More Delicious Treats For Thanksgiving

Other spectacular cake recipes here on the blog:

*This recipe has been updated.

If you make this recipe, please share a photo on Instagram and tag me: @preciouscore, or share a photo on my Facebook page. I’d love to see it!

If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!

Apple cake with a slice being removed.

Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake

5 from 3 votes
The best old fashioned apple cake recipe made with fresh apples. The cake is moist with delicious chunks of apple, fruity, sweet and so good! This fresh apple cake recipe is perfect for fall or really any time of the year. I love having it with some tea on the side or just as it is. SO GOOD!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g or 1/4 kg
  • 2-3 apples cored, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest from one lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar 150g
  • 1/2 cup butter – softened 113g
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup whole milk 240ml
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons icing sugar for dusting the top

Instructions 

  • Oil a 9-inch baking pan and set aside. Then preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour to coat chopped apples and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating each time you add an egg.
  • Add in milk, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon powder and stir to incorporate.
  • Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well to form a batter. Don’t overmix – stop mixing when all the flour is incorporated.
  • Add the chopped apples and gently fold in.
  • Pour batter into oiled pan and level the top.
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Notes

1. I used honeycrisp apples here but you could use another kind such as golden delicious apples.
2. Use evaporated milk instead of regular whole milk for a richer flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: International
Calories: 364
Tried this recipe?Mention @preciouscore or tag #PreciousCore!

About Precious

Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.


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28 Comments

  1. I’m so glad to have come across this page. Honestly, I’ve learnt a lot in a short while. I love the way you give a detailed explanation of the recipes and also how you suggest substitute ingredients for the scarce ones. Thank you very much madam Precious!