When the weather turns cooler, my thoughts turn to apples and my buttery apple cake recipe ….sigh.
It’s a cake I’ve enjoyed for as long as I can remember. It was first introduced to me as an Italian Apple Cake and after a few changes to the recipe the results were a this moist delicious cake that’s easy to make and easy to adapt to the fruits you have on hand.
And the best part about this cake is it only takes two-thirds a cup of flour to make.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make a Buttery Apple Cake. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What kind of apples should I use?
Whenever anyone mentions baking and apples, the first thought turns to Granny Smith. It may be sacrilege, but I don’t like those apples. And because I’m baking for my family I use the kind of apples I like. Feel free to use your favorite apple for this cake.
These are the varieties of apples I use for baking:
- Gala
- Fuji
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
- Winesap
- Jonathon
Can I use canned or frozen apples?
Yes you can. I’ve never used canned apples for this cake, but I’m pretty sure they would work. I just wouldn’t cook the canned apples in butter, just use them straight from the can (without any extra juice).
Do I have to use apples in this cake?
No, you don’t. This is a very forgiving cake recipe and can be used with a variety of fruit. These are some of my favorites.
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Peach
- Blueberries
- Pears
**You don’t have to cook berries or stone fruit for this cake, but any firmer fruits like pineapple or pears would benefit from sauteing with butter. You can also mix different fruits together if you don’t have enough of any one variety.
How to Make an Apple Cake
Follow along with my easy instructions to see how to make an apple cake in your own kitchen.
The first step is melting the butter for the cake. Reserve six tablespoons of butter for the batter, using the rest to saute the apples.
Add the apple chunks to the pan and cook until tender over medium heat, 7-10 minutes. Remove the apples from the pan and allow to cool.
**Don’t remove any of the butter that may be left in the pan
While the apples are cooling, prepare the ingredients for the apple cake.
- In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In a large bowl beat the whole eggs and egg yolks until blended. Add the butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Add the flour mixture and sauteed apples to the egg mixture, mix just enough to blend in the flour.
Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. The batter may seem a little loose, but trust me, as long as you follow my recipe, it will turn out great.
CHEF DENNIS TIP**
Add parchment to the bottom of the pan before you add the batter. It will be much easier to remove the finished cake from the pan.
Bake until the cake is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Don’t expect this cake to rise very much. There isn’t enough flour vs butter in the cake to get much of a rise. I use standard 9-inch baking pans. An 8-inch cake pan will give you a taller cake.
Invert the cake onto a plate to remove the pan, and then invert again on your serving dish.
Serve warm from the oven with a sprinkle of confectioner sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, everyone suggests Granny Smiths for baking. Personally, I don’t like them. I suggest using Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Winesap, or Jonathon.
It’s not a high-rising cake and needs less flour than you might think. Trust the recipe, and it will be a moist, delicious cake!
Yes, you can. I’ve never used canned apples for this cake, but I’m pretty sure they would work. I just wouldn’t cook the canned apples in butter; just use them straight from the can (without any extra juice).
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Apple Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 3 large Gala apples cut into chunks (feel free to use your favorite apple). – about 4 cups
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar (if you like a less sweeter cake cut the sugar back to ¾ of a cup)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 375º. Butter and flour a 9” round cake pan. Place a piece of parchment in the bottom of the pan.
- In a large frying pan over low heat, melt all of the butter, reserve 6 tbs for later use.
- Add the apple chunks to the pan with the remaining melted butter and cook until tender over medium heat, 7-10 minutes.
- In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In a large bowl beat the whole eggs and egg yolks until blended. Add the reserved 6 tablespoon of butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Stir in flour mixture and sauteed apples (leave out any butter left in the pan). Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake until the cake is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes.
- Invert the cake onto a plate to remove the pan and then invert again on your serving dish.
- Serve warm from the oven with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar, whipped cream or ice cream.
Vito Boccuzzio
Dear Chef,
Made this fabulous cake today, it came out just like the picture and it tastes so good!!!
Thank you~
Vito B
Judith Cahill
1 stick of butter = 8 oz, not 4. Does the recipe call for 1/2 stick (4 oz) or 1 stick (8 oz)?
Chef Dennis Littley
one pound of butter has 4 sticks. One stick of butter is 4 ounces. one half pound of butter (two sticks) is 8 ounces
Temple
Where does the tablespoon of lemon go? It’s in the ingredients list, but not in the instructions….
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for catching that, I recently rewrote the recipe and left the lemon juice out. It goes in step five with the butter, sugar and other ingredients.
Kari Alana | Chef and Steward
Chef Dennis, you had me at buttery. This is the perfect hassle free autumn dessert and perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Gail Montero
This apple cake would pair perfectly with my morning cup of tea! Love all the chunks of apples in it.
Kushigalu
Apple cake is my favorite and I love to try different variations every single time. Next time I bake I am going to give this cake a try. Looks so delicious and moist.
Emily
Apple pie really is the All American dessert! Your recipe was so delicious and my kids loved it with homemade vanilla ice cream!
Mirlene
I need to try this recipe ASAP. Looks moist, delicious and is perfect for fall.
Ramona
This apple cake is amazing and super delicious! I definitely recommend making it as it was one of the best apple cake recipes I have ever made. I can’t wait to make it again, thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jacqueline Debono
I love apple desserts and this apple cake is so calling my name! It looks and sounds easy and delicious! Bookmarking for later!
Julie
This cake is amazing. The apple flavor is perfect and the spices came out just right. What a great dessert for fall! Can’t wait to make again.
Alexis
My family and I loved this as a special treat this weekend. It was moist and super delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Beth
Everything about this cake sounds delicious, from sauteing the apples in butter to the fact that it doesn’t rise very much. My family would love the flavors and the density of this lovely dessert. And I’m so happy to hear you say you don’t like Granny Smith for baking. Around this time of year I buy as many Jonathan apples as i can reasonably use!
Marta
I love that this gives me the apple pie feel without the apple pie crust work, Apples make me feel like fall is in full effect. Thanks for sharing.
Maria
This cake sounds delicious and I love that you can see the chunks of apple in it! I’m a huge fan of Granny Smith apples for baking as well! Can’t wait to try this recipe!