Apple Spice Cake

A moist apple spice cake fit for fall.

This apple spice cake recipe makes a big ol’ layer cake that’s moist and full of fall spices, plus a “secret” ingredient to make it stand out from all the rest. 

Meet This Apple Spice Cake

This is, quite simply, an incredible apple spice cake, especially if you like spice. It is hard to have a bad apple cake — almost all of which combine that perfect flavor combination of apples and cinnamon.

But this apple spice cake recipe from pastry chef and cake artist Monica OConnell goes several steps beyond regular apple cake, for something bigger, moister, and very flavorful — a big layer cake with a special secret ingredient to add depth and color.

This recipe comes courtesy of baker Monica OConnell. Monica is the owner and cake artist behind Curtis & Cake, a custom cake boutique specializing in high-end wedding and specialty cakes. She was gracious enough to share her recipe for this apple rye cake in accompaniment with her profile on Unpeeled.

The Bold Ingredients in This Moist Apple Spice Cake Recipe

Rye flour is uncommon in sweet baking, but you’ll use it here for subtle but great effect.

The rye flour is a great move here. I think of an apple spice cake as earthy and autumnal. Rye flour deepens the color to a darkish brown and adds a very mild tang, which seems to heighten the flavor of the mace, cinnamon, and light brown sugar.

I also love the use of baking spices. The combination of apples, cinnamon and mace smell like fall baking. The use of light brown sugar — atypical in many cakes — helps add additional color and a mild note of caramel. Bright orange zest complements the baking spice aroma, and the olive oil deepens the flavor and makes the cake super moist.

All of these ingredients — the baking spices, flour, rye flour, brown sugar, olive oil, orange — add up to one big, super moist spiced apple cake that is not afraid to be bold. This is no simple, shrinking violet apple cake. This is a bold, intense apple cake that takes a little more effort to make, but is 100% worth the effort. (Also, your kitchen will smell amazing.)

The Best Apples for Baking Cakes

There are many varieties of apples, but certain lend themselves especially well to baking. Which apples are the best for baking cakes? The best baking apples combine sweetness and tartness, and do not turn to mush when baking.

My favorite apples for baking this apple spice cake are:

• Honeycrisp: Honeycrisp apples are great baking apples thanks to their sweet-tart flavor and firmness when baked
• Macintosh apples
• Granny Smith apples: One of the most common baking apples, and great if you want something on the very tart side
• Jonagold (a combination of Jonathan and Golden Delicious)
• Braeburns

Also be sure to check out my article on the best (and worst) apples for apple pie.

Cake Ingredient Checklist

You will need the following ingredients to make this apple spice cake recipe. Most are standard baking ingredients, with the addition of the apples and rye flour, which you may not have on hand. I prefer King Arthur rye flour, but you can generally source rye flour from many supermarkets or online.

• 6 or 7 medium-sized apples (900 g.)
• 3 cups (400 g.) unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (200 g.) rye flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (no baking powder needed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon mace (nutmeg is the best substitute)
• 1 1/3 cups (280 g.) sugar
• 1 1/3 cups (280 g.) light brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups (500 ml) olive oil
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (vanilla extract works, too)
• 4 eggs

As an option, you may want to add some nuts for extra texture. In this cake, add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter. Stir the nuts in with the apples. 

Spiced Apple Cake Recipe Instructions

Here are the recipe steps to make this cake. The recipe basically follows a standard creaming method, using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, with the apples folded in at the end before baking.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 9″ cake pans with nonstick cooking spray or oil, and line the base with parchment paper.
2. Peel, core, and roughly chop the apples and lightly pulse them in a food processor. The apples should look grated or in very small pieces. You can also grate the apples on a box grater
3. Stir together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. Put the sugars, olive oil, orange zest, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix on medium speed until lightened and very smooth. Scrape the bowl with a spatula.
5. Fold in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape the bowl.
6. Stir in the apples and nuts, if using, and mix just until the batter is smooth and even.
7. Divide the cake batter between the cake pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until done. The cake will be done with the centers spring back and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean with a few crumbs, moist but not wet.
8. Let the cakes cool for about 20 minute on cooling racks, then turn the cakes out to cool fully to room temperature on a wire rack before finishing with buttercream.

Apple Spice Cake: Recipe Notes

• I baked this cake in two 9″ cake pans, which makes high layers that take about 45 to 55 minutes to bake. But you could also do three 8″ layers or two slightly less filled 9″ layers and a tea loaf or a few cupcakes.
• The cake batter will seem dry until the last step. Don’t worry. Once you add the grated apple, it will loosen and become pourable like “normal” cake batter.
• And don’t forget my #1 rule of cake baking: Scrape the bowl often. Unmixed flour and egg loves to lurk at the bottom of the bowl. (My #2 rule: Always lick the spatula. I know, salmonella. I can’t help it.)

To frost and decorate, I used a simple vanilla buttercream frosting and twisted apple peel into rosettes, but Monica also suggests a chèvre or cream cheese buttercream, and a candied walnut garnish.

The cake layers will be high, so feel free to slice each layer in half, pro-baker style, and make four thinner cake layers to fill with buttercream.

Thanks, Monica, for this beautiful cake recipe.

Love apple spice layer cake? You’ll also love these great fall dessert recipes and more:

• How to Frost a Layer Cake
  
• Deep Dish Apple Crisp
  
• Caramel Apple Pie
• Apple Cranberry Thanksgiving Cake
• Jewish Apple Cake

Moist Apple Spice Cake

Author: Lisa Ruland

A big, bold apple spice layer cake recipe made with rye flour, baking spices, and orange zest for extra depth and flavor. This cake recipe can be easily halved, and keeps for several days.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Servings: 2 9" layers or 24 - 28 cupcakes

Print Pin Save Saved!

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 or 7 (900 grams) medium-sized apples such as Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Granny Smith apples
• ▢ 3 cups (400 grams) unbleached, all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) rye flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mace (nutmeg is the best substitute)
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups (280 grams) sugar
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups (280 grams) light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 1/4 cups (500 ml) olive oil
• ▢ 1 orange, zested
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (1 teaspoon vanilla extract works, too)
• ▢ 4 large eggs

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease two 9" cake pans and line the cake pan bases with parchment paper.
• Peel, core, and roughly chop the apples and lightly pulse them in a food processor. The apples should look grated or in very small pieces. Alternatively, you can peel and grate the apples on the wide grate of a box grater.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Put the sugars, olive oil, orange zest, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix on medium speed until lightened and very smooth.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
• Stir in the apples and mix just until the batter is smooth and even.
• Divide the cake batter between the cake pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until done. The cake will be done with the centers spring back and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean with a few crumbs, moist but not wet.
• Let the cake cool in the cake pans on wire cooling racks for about 20 minutes or until cool enough to touch with your bare hands. Run a knife or small offset spatula around the edges of the cake pan, then turn the cake layers out onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

  PRO TIP: Why not just let the cakes cool in the cake pans? Two reasons. First, the cakes will be harder to remove once cool. Second, keeping the cakes in the cake pan will produce condensation, making the cakes a bit gummy.
• Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack before layering with buttercream. This cake could also be served on its own as a single layer (freeze the other one) with a simple dusting of confectioner's sugar.

Notes

This apple spice cake keeps well at room temperature for up to three days. I never refrigerate cakes; the humidity tends to dry them out.

To freeze, wrap each fully-cooled cake layer separately in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Defrost, unwrapped, at room temperature.

The best apples for baking apple cake are Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Macintosh, and Granny Smith apples. Choose any apple that is firm and crisp, with a good balance of sweet and tart flavors.

Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.