Crisp, juicy Granny Smith apples are the star player in this delightful and easy apple cake recipe along with sour cream, brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon. This is the BEST apple cake!
Whenever I have a surplus of apples on hand, I know exactly what to do with them. Make apple cake. 😉 This recipe is not too sweet which makes it a lovely breakfast or brunch treat and, of course, it's an apple lover's dream dessert. Its old-fashioned bakery aroma alone makes baking it so worth it!!
And if you like this apple cake recipe, you might also want to try this simple apple crisp for more apple-y goodness.
🌿 Ingredients
The ingredients are minimal and wholesome for this recipe. I opted for brown sugar instead of white, and sour cream and coconut oil instead of butter to lighten things up a little. It's a lot like a delightful little French apple cake, but without the rum.
For the apples, I like to use Granny Smith apples, but Honeycrisp or any other variety also work well.
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with a little coconut oil and use a flour duster to dust with a very thin coating of flour.
Next, peel and chop the apples into bite-size pieces. I actually think a little variety in the size of the chunks makes this recipe even more charming, so don't worry if they're not all uniformly sized!
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
In a separate larger bowl, whisk the eggs a little and then add the brown sugar, sour cream, coconut oil and vanilla and whisk again.
Pro tip: To melt the coconut oil, place it in a glass measuring cup or bowl and microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds, watching it closely and removing it when it just melts (the color will change from cloudy to clear.) Add a little extra microwave time if needed.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a silicone spatula until they are just incorporated (but don't over mix!)
Finally, fold the apples into to the batter and then pour everything into the pan and use the spatula or your fingers to level out the top layer of the batter.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes, and then carefully flip the cake out onto a serving plate. Use a flour duster filled with powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake.
📋 Substitutions
- Gluten free - use gluten free all-purpose flour; I tested with Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour and it worked well
- Brown sugar - substitute coconut sugar or white sugar
- Sour cream - substitute plain Greek yogurt
- Coconut oil - substitute canola oil
🔪 Equipment
Here is the equipment I used to make this recipe:
- 9-inch cake pan
- flour duster
- vegetable peeler
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- medium and large mixing bowl
- whisk
- silicone spatula
🍱 Storage
This cake will stay fresh covered for up to 4 days in the fridge or for up to 2 months in the freezer.
🎉 Top tip
This apple cake recipe is super easy and practically foolproof; just don't over mix the cake batter. 😉
Enjoy!
🍳 Recipe
Perfect Apple Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium apples (see notes)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with a little coconut oil and dust with flour. Peel and chop the apples into bite-size pieces (don't worry if they're not all uniformly sized.)
- Mix the dry ingredients: Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl and use a whisk to incorporate.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a larger bowl, use the whisk to beat the eggs a little, then add the brown sugar, sour cream, coconut oil and vanilla and whisk again.
- Make the batter: Using a silicone spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated (don't over mix.) Fold the apples into the batter and then pour everything into the pan and use the spatula or your fingers to even out the top.
- Bake: Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, carefully flip the cake out onto a serving plate, and use a flour duster filled with powdered sugar to dust the top of the cake.
- Enjoy: Serve immediately, or save covered for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
Miquel Asaeli
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you've hit the nail on the head.