Fresh apple cake. Sounds like the perfect fall dessert. Or maybe year round dessert.
Let’s talk apples for a minute. There are fresh apples and then there are apples fresh off of the tree.
Oh my goodness, aren’t they amazing?
A friends brought me two plastic sacks full of of apples from their trees last week. That meant a few things needed to happen. Making homemade applesauce, baking a fresh apple cake, and lots of eating them raw. My kids ate these up. They tasted so good.
This fresh apple cake with crumb topping was incredible but I think it’s safe to say it would be just as good with store bought apples. Give me this cake over an apple pie any day. (I actually prefer a good apple crisp over the pie too. That probably makes me crazy!)
The apple to flour ratio in this cake is so good you almost think you are eating health food. 🙂
Then there is the crumble topping that puts this cake over the top.
I also love that the recipe uses all basic ingredients that anyone typically has on hand. Then there are even easy swaps you can make within these basic ingredients.
Substitute Options:
Fat: the recipe calls for butter but feel free to replace it with coconut oil (or other oil of your choice) in the cake and the crumb topping.
Flour: this recipe calls for white flour, but whole wheat flour would make the perfect substitute. Soft white wheat is my favorite for non yeast breads.
Sugar: the original recipe called for 1 1/3 cups. I have it cut down to 1 cup here and it is still plenty sweet. If your family isn’t used to super sweet desserts, you could cut it down even further. Try 3/4 cup and go from there. I would say, probably don’t use a granny smith apple if you are reducing the sugar. (You can also skimp a little on the sugar in the topping. I’d start with trying 3/4 cup once again.)
Nuts: nuts are one of those personal preference things. Do what works best for your family. My crew prefers without.
Half a recipe: this recipe is one where you can easily cut it in half. Bake in a square baking dish and decrease the baking time.
Fresh Apple Cake
- ½ cup butter, softened (oil will work as well)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups raw apples, chopped finely
- ½ cups chopped nuts (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Combine butter and sugar for the cake; add beaten eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternately with the chopped apples and nuts to the butter mixture.
- Put into a greased 9x13 inch pan.
- Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the cake batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
What’s your favorite apple recipe? Are you eh about apple pie like me or a raving fan like my husband? (But he does love this cake and apple crisp too.)
