This Fresh Apple Cake is an unbelievably moist cake that’s loaded with chunks of tart apples and crunchy pecans. One slice and you’ll be begging for more!
The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree
When it comes to baking with apples, my family has three go-to recipes that we love to make and are always a hit at family gatherings: My Mom’s Special Apple Pie, my Great Aunt Ina’s Apple Dumplings and my Great Aunt Ruthie’s Fresh Apple Cake recipe. I honestly don’t know what I would do if all three were on the dessert table at once. Just kidding, I would, without a doubt, take a generous serving of all three!
Watch Me Make Fresh Apple Cake
Step into the kitchen with me as I make a delicious Fresh Apple Cake.
The Champion of Apple Cakes
I can’t remember a time when I showed up at my Great Aunt Ruthie’s house and there wasn’t a Fresh Apple Cake in the cake stand on the kitchen counter. It is like a decoration in her kitchen except for she probably has to bake one every other day given how fast we “kids” can devour it.
Unbelievably moist and loaded with chunks of tart Granny Smith apples and crunchy nuts, this is the champion of apple cake recipes. The texture is divine! One slice and you’ll be begging for seconds. It’s a big cake that’s simple to make. Full of fresh, apples, sweet coconut and crunchy pecans (walnuts would work, too!), just the right amount of spice, making it a fabulous autumn dessert. So fresh and so fabulous and full of fall flavors!
What Do I Need to Make Fresh Apple Cake?
- Oil (vegetable, canola or coconut)
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Pecans
- Shredded sweetened coconut
- Apples (use your favorite baking apples, I used Granny Smith)
- 10-inch (12 cup) round bundt pan
How to Make Fresh Apple Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch (12 cup) round bundt pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the vegetable oil and sugar. Add the large eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon until the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are well combined.
- Stir in the pecans, coconut and fresh apples. Batter will be thick. Spread batter evenly into prepared cake pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a long wooden pick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Invert pan on wire rack until cake drops out. You might want to tap the bottom of the pan with a knife a few times to loosen the cake and make sure it came out in one piece. Slice and enjoy! Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and you won’t surely regret it!
More Fall Baking
No need to wait for the leaves to start dropping to enjoy My Favorite Recipes for Fall Baking! From perfectly-spiced pumpkin bread to pecan pie bites and savory corn bread, you’re sure to fall for these autumn treats!
If you make Fresh Apple Cake and post a pic to social, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Fresh Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 15
- Category: Dessert
Description
An unbelievably moist cake that’s loaded with chunks of tart apples and crunchy pecans. Once you have your first slice, you’ll be begging for more!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups oil (vegetable, canola or coconut)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 3 cups peeled and chopped apple (use your favorite baking apples, I used Granny Smith)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch (12 cup) round bundt pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon until well combined. Fold in the pecans, coconut and apples. Batter will be thick. Spread batter evenly into prepared cake pan and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a long wooden pick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert pan on wire rack until cake drops out. You might want to tap the bottom of the pan with a knife a few times to loosen the cake and make sure it came out in one piece. Slice and enjoy!
This is a delicious cake! Made it for my husband’s BD and it was a big hit. I followed the recipe exactly even though I really wanted to reduce the amount of oil. I also thought 325 degrees was not hot enough. But I trusted the recipe and am glad I did! I did have to bake it an hour and twenty minutes. Just checked it every few minutes. Thank you for this recipe.
I tried this tonight and although it tasted good. It did not turn out well. The batter was SUPER thick and when the cake was baked it was hollow and fell apart. I want my baking to look good as well as taste good. Sad it didn’t turn out. (And I reread the instructions 5 times to make sure I didn’t forget anything leading to it being so thick)
Hi Lauren! I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t turn out perfect for you. It sounds like the cake didn’t bake long enough. The batter should be very thick and when baked all the way through you get a moist tender cake as shown in the pictures. Did you test the center of the cake before taking it out of the oven? Did you use a bundt pan? It’s an amazing cake so I hope you’re able to give it another try.
We moved to the mountains in WNCthis past January and I’m still trying to remember about higher elevation baking. I have this cake inn the oven now, how much longer do I need to let it go to compensate being at 3,000 ft?
Hi Shannon! I hope it turned out great! I usually recommend that you increase the baking temperature by 25 degrees and then watch the cake carefully as it nears the end of the recommended baking time. It will probably take longer, but you’ll just have to check it for doneness. Enjoy!
This makes me happy! I’ve never seen anyone make this outside my family! This is exactly like my late mother’s recipe! Looked forward to her Fresh Apple Cake every fall! I’ve carried on the tradition ❤ Hope everyone tries this delicious recipe. Thanks for helping me recall some very happy childhood memories!
Aww, Vicki! That is so great to hear! It truly is such a special recipe for our family and one that comes with so many wonderful and delicious memories! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you for the recipe, my family loves it! I have an apple tree and wanted to make several cakes and freeze. Has anyone ever frozen the cake? Let me know, I may be trying it anyway!
Thanks,
Elaine
Hi Elaine! I love that you have an apple tree! I would love to have one! Yes, you can definitely bake and freeze this cake. Just let it cool completely and then wrap it twice in plastic wrap and then in foil before placing in the freezer to lock in the moisture and prevent freezer burn. Unwrap the cake before defrosting. Enjoy!
My 5 year old picked this cake on, Pinterest, for his 5th birthday get together with family. It was a big hit. I did add a maple glaze to up the pretty factor since it was for a birthday. I just recently made it with half apples/half pears since I had some I needed to use up. The pears were pretty soft so I ended up baking it for an extra 10 minutes so that it wasn’t undercooked in the center.
Do you think the recipe would work with whole wheat flour?
Thanks for the recipe it is now one of our favorites.
Hi Tricia! Love that your 5 year old picked this cake (he’s got great taste!) and that you added a maple glaze (yum!). It will definitely work with whole wheat flour and turns out great! I’ve actually baked it several times with whole wheat flour over the years. Thanks for sharing! Enjoy! 🙂
I made this cake last fall and it was so great I’m making it for my birthday soon. However, I feel like the first time I made this there was a sauce you poured over it in the pan while cooling? Am I thinking of another recipe or did you change it?
Hi Katherine! No, this recipe is the same as its always been. No sauce. I can’t think of another recipe I’ve shared where you pour the sauce in the pan while the cake is cooling, but if I think of it, I’ll let you know. This cake is amazing! No sauce needed 😉
I made plum sauce and put on mine. It was a hit. Google
Hello!
Made this cake today but the batter is as thick as pizza dough or cookie dough. I used the same ingredients as the recipe stated. What could be cause?
Also, the cake is was done on the outside but undercooked on the inside. It smells insanely good!
Hi Lea! The batter should be as thick as dough, but it bakes up beautifully. If the top of the cake is done before the center is baked all the way through, just tent the top of the cake with foil and let it continue to bake until the center is cooked all the way through. I hope you enjoyed it!
This cake is amazing!! I cannot keep it around for more than two days. In the last 8 weeks I’ve made six of them and have had five people ask for the recipe. I’m going to try making it into cupcakes this weekend. This is simply amazing! Thank you for sharing it.
I made this cake, smells delicious, I have a gas oven and had to cook an additional 20 minutes, to the 60 minutes I had originally put the cake in for . Can’t wait to taste test it .
OMG! This cake is simply amazing! I made it for the first time three weeks ago and have made three more since then. It’s hard to keep this dessert around for very long. So delicious! Thank you!