Fresh Apple Cake
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Fresh Apple Cake smells so amazing when it's cooking, you'll think you're in an apple orchard! This vintage apple cake is loaded with honey crisp apples, pecans, and cinnamon for intense autumn flavor.
Why You'll Love This Cake
- loaded with fresh apples and cinnamon
- smells like autumn in a bundt pan!
- feeds a large crowd
- tastes great with a glass of milk or a big scoop of ice cream
- an old fashioned recipe with tons of flavor!
Ingredients You'll Need
- 3 cups tart apples peeled and diced
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
How to Make Fresh Apple Cake
To make Fresh Apple Cake, start with the tartest apples you can find. I like to use Honey Crisp, but any tart apple will do like Granny Smith or Braeburn. Small apples yield about ½ cup, so you'll need at least 6 small or 3 large apples for this cake.
Peel the apples first, then dice them and set aside while making the batter.
You'll need vegetable oil to make this cake moist, plus white sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon for the dry ingredients. Gather three eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla, chopped pecans and powdered sugar to dust the cake after it cools.
Beat the oil and sugar together first, then blend the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add eggs to the oil mixture, then alternately mix in the dry ingredients. Finally, fold in vanilla, apples and pecans, and pour the cake batter into a bundt pan (ad) that has been greased and floured.
Bake the apple cake at 300 degrees for one hour and fifteen minutes. And guess what? It turns out perfectly! Just the smell alone will take you down memory lane in an instant.
This fresh apple cake is not just any cake mind you, but the beloved recipe of Mary Lois, who was like another mother to me when I was growing up.
It seems like I spent more time at Mary Lois' house than I did my own during my childhood. Her daughter and I were best buddies...and still are after all these years! I have fond memories of eating her Fresh Apple Cake with a big ole' glass of milk at her kitchen table.
If you love this cake, try my Apple Pie Filled Cinnamon Rolls which are also loaded with apple flavor!
Recipe FAQS
I wouldn't use canned apples because they have too much liquid in them. Fresh apples work best in this cake.
Yes, you can freeze Fresh Apple Cake in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To thaw, let it sit out on the kitchen counter overnight, or thaw in the refrigerator.
Store leftovers that have been wrapped tightly with foil on the kitchen counter for up to 1 day, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More Vintage Cakes to Love
- Vintage Prune Cake
- Double Chocolate Chip Cake
- Vintage Strawberry Cake
- The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Loaded Carrot Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Dump Cake
Recipe Card
Fresh Apple Cake
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Ingredients
- 3 cups tart apples peeled and diced
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Peel and dice apples, set aside.
- Beat oil and sugar together in a mixer. (ad)
- Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add dry ingredients alternately with beaten eggs to the oil and sugar mixture.
- Fold in vanilla and mix well.
- Stir in apples and pecans.
- Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt tube pan.
- Pour cake batter into bundt pan (ad) and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Cool cake for 10 minutes and invert pan onto serving plate.
- Remove cake from pan, then sprinkle with powdered sugar once cooled.
Notes
- Fresh Apple Cake tastes even better the day after it's been baked!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
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Does it have to be baked in a bundt pan?
Hi Karla. I've never baked apple cake in anything else, but I bet it would work well in a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake pan.
Delicious Apple Cake! I’m having some with coffee this morning! My new go-to apple cake recipe thank you!!
That's awesome Jane! I love this apple cake too. It just screams fall!
Very moist and not overly sweet. Thanks for sharing your deliciousness!
Made this cake last night! I subbed walnuts for the pecans and melted butter for the oil. Hubby insisted on taking some to work with him. This cake is delicious and perfectly moist! This one's a keeper! Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Thank you Mary! So glad you tried this cake and loved it! 🙂
Looks amazing Debi! Thanks for sharing at the Fabulous Friday Linky Party!
Thanks Erin!
This looks fantastic! Pinning. Also, I love your blog name. It made me laugh. Very clever!
Haha...Michelle, I love my blog name too. Thanks for stopping by!
Yummy! Love making a cake that my husband enjoys and this was it! Had the perfect amount of sweetness. We had to indulge before it even cooled. I’m thinking it will be even better (if that’s possible) after it cools. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Debbie! I love to eat it in the morning with a hot cup of coffee! 🙂
Thanks Debi for the yummy memories baked by mom! Best fall cake ever!
Everybody who had a bite of this cake loved it! Yay for Mary Lois!