My Apple Cake Recipe is lovely served for breakfast or ideal for dessert, especially served alongside a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. No matter when you decide to enjoy this beautiful Apple Cake, you will be delighted by the fine moist crumb.
For several weeks I’ve been sharing some of my favorite apple recipes to celebrate apple season. Most of my apple recipes are for baked goods, so you should be ready for family and friends visiting this holiday season, provided we can do that. If you did not have a chance to see my Apple Rosemary Martini, well it’s Friday so check it out today!
This cake actually comes from an old Norman recipe that’s why cinnamon is nowhere in sight. The French simply have not adopted the apple cinnamon combination, what’s up with that? Feel free to add some if you like! The traditional recipe would also call for walnuts instead of pecans since pecans are not readily available in France.
Apple Cake is a straightforward recipe and requires only one bowl. The ingredients go together like a quick bread and could easily be baked in a loaf instead of a cake pan.
Apple Cake
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling
1 ¾ cup flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1 lemon zested
3 apples peeled and cored
½ cup pecans plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan. Beat eggs and sugar together using a hand mixer for 4 minutes until mixture is pale and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder, Baking soda, salt, lemon and milk to the bowl and beat to combine. Cut one apple into ½ inch chunks and add them along with pecans that have been chopped and add them to the batter. Cut the remaining apples in thin slices and set aside. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the apple slices on top of the cake. Dot the top of apples with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cake is golden and apples are tender. Allow to cool before removing from pan. Garnish with pecans in the center if desired.
I hope you will gather some apples and make this pretty Apple Cake recipe soon!
Have a lovely weekend!
Reader interactions
8 Replies to “Apple Cake Recipe”
Can’t wait to give this a try! Looks amazing!
It really is a beautiful cake!!
Looks delicious! What type of apple do you recommend for this recipe?
Great question! Granny Smith, Macintosh, Pink Lady would all be good, You want firm, and tart and it’s ok if the apple is sweet too!
Can I sub for brown sugar?
You absolutely can substitute brown sugar in this recipe. This one is very forgiving!! Let me know how it turns out!
This cake was delicious! I added cinnamon, like you suggested, and I added vanilla. It was so good, that I had to make another cake a week later!
Bonjour, Lorie – I plan to make this beauty at the week-end. Am i correct in thinking that i add the zest of one whole lemon, leaving the juice for another purpose? Merci bien. [FYI : I landed at your site grâce à Carol at ParisBreakfasts and her morning newsletter today.]