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This simple Apple Spice Cake features tart Granny Smith and sweet Honeycrisp apples with warm fall spices and a tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s a stunning single layer cake perfect for fall dinner parties and Thanksgiving dessert.
Pair your slice of cake with an Apple Cider Slushie, Apple Cider Mule Mocktail, Apple Cider Sangria, or my favorite Apple Cider Bee’s Knee’s Mocktail.
You know the term “humble apple pie?” Well this is my humble apple cake! It’s a rustic, single layer cake chock full of apples and warm fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Plus there’s a tangy cream cheese frosting that’s sure to give you all the fall feels!
What sets this Apple Spice Cake apart is it’s blend of two apple varieties, tart Granny Smith and sweet Honeycrisp. The best part? There’s no mixer required! And when you’re ready to impress at fall dinner parties or Thanksgiving gatherings, you can double the recipe to create a stunning two layer cake that’ll have everyone asking for seconds.
For more apple desserts, try my Applesauce Cookies, Apple Crumble Tart, Caramel Apple Pie Dip, 2 jar Cinnamon Applesauce, or these Apple and Plum Crumble Bars.
Apple Spice Cake Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make this recipe, and a couple notes too.
- Apples: In this recipe we will use a mix of tart apples (Granny Smith Apples) and sweet apples (Honey Crisp Apples) for the best moisture, texture, and apple flavor. Make sure you wash and peel them before beginning.
- All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to properly measure it using the spoon and level method. Just fluff up your flour with a spoon, scoop it into a measuring cup and once it’s piled high, level it off with a butter knife.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: These leavening agents give the cake it’s perfect texture. Just make sure they’re not expired.
- Spices: We will use a blend of ground cinnamon, ground ginger for warmth, ground nutmeg, and a little salt.
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll want this to be melted, but not hot or boiling. I recommend warming the butter until it’s almost completely melted, then allow it to sit and continue to melt.
- Light Brown Sugar
- Egg: Brought to room temperature.
- Cream Cheese: Soften it to room temperature or your frosting will be a lumpy odd texture.
- Powdered Sugar
How to Make Apple Spice Cake
1. Bake the apple spice cake. Whisk together the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients and apples, continue folding until combined. Spread the batter into an 8 inch cake pan and bake.
2. Whip up the cream cheese frosting. While the cake cools, beat together the cream cheese and unsalted butter. Once that is light and fluffy, add the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.
3. Decorate and serve. Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting over the Apple Spice Cake. Cut into 8 slices and serve!
Find the complete recipe instructions with measurements below.
Storing and Freezing Leftovers
Any leftover Apple Spice Cake should be stored in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. At room temperature it’s best within 3 days, and in the refrigerator within 7 days.
You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months. For the best results you’ll want to freeze slices of the cake, wrap them in plastic wrap, and then store those slices in a sealable freezer bag. Allow them to come to room temperature before eating or serving.
Helpful Recipe Tips
Squeeze juice out of the shredded apples. Believe it or not, but half an apple holds a lot of juice. Leaving that juice in the apples adds way too much moisture which will alter the texture of your cake and how it bakes. Squeezing out the excess keeps any unwanted problems from happening.
Other fun toppings. If you don’t want to use the cream cheese frosting, I have more options! Drizzle it with my homemade 3 Ingredient Caramel Sauce, dust it with powdered sugar, add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can even
Double this recipe and make a layer cake. This is the perfect option for holidays and larger dinner parties! In the recipe card below hit the 2x button and it will automatically double the measurements for you. Just make sure you prep two 8 inch cake pans rather than one.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Single Layer Cakes You Might Enjoy
We absolutely love small single layer cakes here. They’re easy to make, rustic, and you can get your cake fix without spending all afternoon in the kitchen.
Apple Spice Cake
EQUIPMENT
- cake pan - 8 inch
INGREDIENTS
Apple Spice Cake
- 1 Granny Smith apple - room temperature, peeled, half coarsely grated and half finely diced in 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 Honeycrisp apple - room temperature, peeled, half coarsely grated and half finely diced in 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 cup all-purpose flour - measure using spoon and level method
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - melted, and slightly cooled
- 1 cup light brown sugar - very lightly packed
- 1 egg - room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese - full fat, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - softened to room temperature
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- dried apple slices - * optional garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Prepare an 8 inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper and non-stick cooking spray
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
- Prepare the apples by washing and peeling them. Coarsely grate half of each apple, squeeze out excess juice and place in a bowl. Dice the remaining halves of each apple in 1/2 inch chunks and place in same bowl as the grated apple. Add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, toss together, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted unsalted butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, and fold a few times with a spatula. Pour in the flour-coated apples and fold together until just combined. Do not overmix the cake batter.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared 8 inch cake pan, and smooth out until distributed. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick test comes out with few crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before inverting onto cake plate. Then allow it to cool completely before frosting and decorating.
- Using a whisk, beat together the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter until smooth and light in texture. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and continue beating until fully incorporated.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting over top of the completely cooled cake. and top with dried apple slices.
- Cut the Apple Spice Cake into 8 equal slices and serve!
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION
- Room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 7 days.
- Frozen, slices wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a sealable plastic bag, for up to 3 months.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
