Apple Fritter Cake
This apple fritter cake boasts the same warming flavors of your favorite apple fritters, minus the hassle of frying. For maximum apple flavor, both cinnamon-sugar apples and applesauce are mixed into the cake batter!
This ridiculously moist apple fritter cake is perfectly spiced, sweet without being too sweet, and packed with three cups of apples (yes, THREE!).
To create this cake, I worked off of my apple fritter and apple bread recipes. The batter is a little thicker, but the cake is still soft with an apple fritter-like texture. The vanilla icing on top really drives home the apple fritter vibe and makes it impossible to stop at just one slice.
This recipe also takes less than 30 minutes to bake and you only need a 9×13-inch pan. It’s incredibly easy to throw together and perfect for breakfast or dessert!
Recipe Video
The Best Apples To Use
When it comes to baking cakes like this one, I prefer using Honeycrisp apples. They’re the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and they hold their shape once chopped and baked. Some other great options are:
- Granny Smith
- Braeburn
- Cortland
- Pink Lady
- Fuji
Note: I don’t recommend using Red Delicious or Gala apples for this recipe. They’re too mealy and don’t work well for baking.
How To Peel & Chop Your Apples
I like to use a vegetable peeler to peel the apples before removing the core. You can remove the core by slicing around it or using an apple corer. (You can also see how to remove the core in the video above!)
Once you’ve peeled and cored the apples, you can use a large knife to chop them into smaller pieces. I suggest chopping the apples into chunks that are about ¼ inch or so in size.
Just make sure not to chop the apples too finely. They’ll disappear into the batter as they cook and you won’t taste the pieces of cinnamon-sugar apples running throughout the cake.
Tips For A Perfect Cake
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure your milk, applesauce (or sour cream), and eggs are all at room temperature before getting started. This will ensure that the batter mixes together more evenly and prevent the melted butter from solidifying. To bring your milk to room temperature quickly, you can microwave it for 15 to 20 seconds. You can also place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes to warm them up.
- Reserve the juice from the chopped apples for later. You don’t want it to end up in your cake batter since it will make the finished cake too moist. The reserved liquid is delicious when added to the icing though. I highly recommend saving it!
- Measure your flour correctly. Don’t scoop it from the container or you’re going to end up with too much. Stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. I highly recommend using a food scale, if you have one.
- Don’t over mix the cake batter. The batter will be fairly thick, so you might be tempted to keep mixing it. Stop once everything has just been incorporated to prevent the cake from turning out too dense.
- Wait to add the icing if you plan to serve it later. The icing will melt into the cake after a few hours, so wait until it’s closer to time to serve the cake before spreading it over the top.
Can I Cut This Recipe In Half?
Yes! You can easily halve this recipe and bake the cake in an 8-inch square pan. Just make sure to reduce the baking time slightly and remove the cake from the oven once a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Can I Use Oil Instead Of Butter?
Technically yes, but I prefer using melted butter in this recipe because it adds SO much flavor to the cake. An equal amount of canola or vegetable oil will work though.
I hope you love this apple fritter cake as much as we did! The cinnamon-sugar apples inside the cake are my favorite part, but the icing on top is seriously delicious too.
If you try this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below letting me know how it turned out. Happy Baking!
Apple Fritter Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Apples
- 3 cups chopped apples (360 grams; I used Honeycrisp)
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (50 grams)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Apple Fritter Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (250 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted (113 grams; 1 stick)
- ¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (150 grams)
- ½ cup whole milk at room temperature (120 ml; microwave for 15 seconds if needed)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce (80 grams) or plain Greek yogurt/sour cream
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (180 grams)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk or reserved apple juice mixture plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9×13” pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- To make the cinnamon sugar apples: Combine the chopped apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside.3 cups chopped apples,¼ cup packed light brown sugar,½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- To make the apple fritter cake: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour,1 teaspoon baking powder,½ teaspoon baking soda,1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg,¼ teaspoon ground allspice,½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, milk, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract until fully combined.½ cup unsalted butter,¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar,½ cup whole milk,⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce,2 large eggs,1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chopped apples out of the mixing bowl and into the batter, leaving as much juice behind as possible. If you prefer, you can save the leftover juice and add it to the icing later (I prefer to do this!).
- Once all of the chopped apples are added, gently fold them in, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it around into one even layer.
- Bake for 23 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
- Note: If you plan to serve this cake later or the next day, I recommend waiting to add the icing! If you add the icing and cover the cake, it will start to melt after several hours.
- To make the icing: Add the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk (or some of the reserved apple juice mixture from earlier), and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined and no lumps remain. If the icing is too thick, add ½ teaspoon of milk at a time as needed. Pour the icing all over the top of the cake and spread it around.1 ½ cups powdered sugar,2 to 3 tablespoons milk or reserved apple juice mixture,½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Allow to set for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
