Easy Apple Cake (One Bowl, 9×13)

This is the apple cake for the bag of apples sitting on your counter. It’s more apple than cake, honestly: four cups of diced fruit held together by a soft, cinnamon-spiced crumb, with a thin crackly layer of cinnamon sugar on top. It’s the kind of cake that gets cut into “just a sliver” all afternoon until the pan is empty.

It’s also very forgiving. Everything gets whisked in one bowl, there’s no mixer and no frosting, and it actually gets better the day after you bake it. Bring it to a potluck in the pan and nobody will complain.

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Ingredient notes

• Apples. I like a mix of one tart apple, like Granny Smith, and one sweet, like Honeycrisp or Pink Lady. The tart one keeps the cake from tasting flat, and both hold their shape in the oven. Avoid soft, mealy apples. They collapse into mush and make the cake gummy.
• Oil. Oil-based cakes stay moist for days, much longer than butter cakes, which start to dry out once they’re cold. A neutral oil like vegetable or canola lets the apple and cinnamon do the talking.
• Sour cream. It adds a little tang and makes the crumb extra tender. Plain whole-milk yogurt works the same way.
• Brown and white sugar. Brown sugar brings moisture and a caramel note. White sugar keeps the crumb light.
• Spices. Cinnamon is the star, with a small pinch of nutmeg in the background. Don’t skip the cinnamon sugar on top. It bakes into a thin, crisp crust that contrasts with the soft cake.

How to make apple cake

1. Prep the pan and the apples. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), grease a 9×13-inch pan, and line the bottom with parchment. Peel the apples and dice them into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. Keep the size even so they all soften at the same rate.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg go into a medium bowl. A quick whisk spreads the leaveners and spices evenly.

3. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the oil and both sugars until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, then the sour cream and vanilla. The mixture should look smooth and slightly thick.

4. Fold it together. Add the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until you still see a few streaks of flour, then add the apples and keep folding until everything is coated. The batter will be very thick, almost like cookie dough with apples in it. That’s correct. The apples release juice as they bake and loosen everything up.

5. Top and bake. Spread the batter into the pan with the back of the spatula, pushing it into the corners. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The cake is done when the top is deep golden, the center springs back, and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick hits a piece of apple, it’ll come out wet, so test in a couple of spots.

6. Cool before cutting. Give it at least 30 minutes in the pan. Warm apple cake is tempting, but it’s still setting, and slices will crumble. It’s lovely slightly warm, perfect at room temperature, and even better the next day.

Troubleshooting

• Gummy around the apples. The apple pieces were too large, too juicy, or a soft variety. Dice smaller and stick to firm apples.
• The middle sank. It needed more time. Thick apple cakes take longer than you’d think, and the center is the last part to set.
• Dry edges. Probably a dark metal pan or a few minutes too long. Check at 40 minutes the next time.
• The top got too dark. Lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan for the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Ways to dress it up

• Caramel drizzle. Warm some store-bought or homemade caramel sauce and drizzle it over each slice.
• Cream cheese frosting. Skip the cinnamon-sugar topping and frost the cooled cake. Apple and cream cheese are a great match.
• Add nuts. Fold in 1 cup of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans with the apples.
• Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an easy fall dessert.

If you have more apples to use up, try my apple cinnamon muffins. For something with pumpkin, my moist pumpkin bread is a fall staple.

Storing and freezing

Cover the cooled cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. The apples keep releasing moisture, so the cake actually gets softer and more flavorful by day two. After that, move it to the fridge, where it keeps for up to 5 days.

To freeze, cut it into squares, wrap each one in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the counter, or warm a slice for 15 seconds in the microwave.

Apple cake questions

Can I use butter instead of oil?

Yes, use 1 cup (226 g) melted and slightly cooled butter. The flavor is richer, but the cake firms up more when it’s cold and won’t stay as moist after the first day.

Do I have to peel the apples?

No, but peeled apples melt into the crumb more nicely. If you leave the skins on, dice the apples a little smaller.

Can I bake it in a bundt pan?

You can. Grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup bundt pan very thoroughly, skip the topping, and bake for 55 to 65 minutes. Let it cool for 15 minutes before turning it out.

If you bake this, tell me in the comments which apples you used. I’m always looking for a new favorite.