Best Apple Cake Recipe - Moist and buttery cake filled with chunks of sweet apple and topped with a wonderfully delicious vanilla and brown sugar glaze.

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Fall is right around the corner, and that means it's the perfect time for cozy sweaters and a little apple picking. This truly is the Best Apple Cake, and the recipe is a wonderful use for the fresh apples you pick up at the orchard or farmer's market and will leave the whole house smelling like fall!

This apple cake recipe has the perfect balance of sweetness and spice, and is super easy to prepare! The super moist cake is mixed with tart apples and topped with a decadent frosting that is guaranteed to please the whole family.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST APPLE CAKE FOR FALL

Before you get started, make sure you have the following ingredients:

Vegetable oil
Sugar
Eggs
Flour
Baking soda
Vanilla extract
Chopped pecans
Peeled and chopped apples
Butter
Brown sugar
Evaporated milk

Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients, follow the steps below for a sweet and simple recipe!

PREPARING THE APPLE CAKE

Begin by preheating the oven to 350ºF. Then, grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and set it aside.

Combine the oil, sugar, and eggs.
Stir in the flour and baking soda.
Add the vanilla, pecans, and apples, and stir well.
Spread the batter in your prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until the center of the cake is set.

MIXING THE APPLE CAKE FROSTING

Allow the cake to cool for about 2 hours.
To prepare the frosting, add all ingredients to a medium saucepan.
Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Set the pan in a bowl filled with ice water until it thickens.
Beat or mix the icing until you achieve a "spreadable" consistency. Then, spread it over the cake and serve!

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST APPLE CAKE RECIPE

If you’re looking for other topping options for this cake, consider adding confectioners’ sugar or a delicious salted caramel glaze!
Be sure to use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
If you’re not a fan of pecans, try using walnuts or almonds. Or, if you’re not a not a fan of nuts at all, this recipe will still taste great without them!
Try to aim for ¼ to ½ inch chunks of apple for this cake.

close up of a piece of apple cake with a pecan on top

WHAT KIND OF APPLES SHOULD I USE FOR THIS RECIPE?

There are so many apples that go great in this recipe! Granny smith, honey crisp, pink lady, fuji, and gala apples to name a few. They should all hold their shape in the oven!

Feel free to combine different varieties of apples and have a mix of sweet and tart apples for the best flavor!

fork next to piece of apple cake with glaze

WHAT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO PEEL APPLES?

You can use a traditional paring knife or vegetable slicer to peel your apples. You can also use a table-top peeler which cores and slices the apples as well as peels them.

If you’re super short on time, you can buy peeled apples at the grocery store! However if you don’t mind the apple peel, feel free to just slice the apples and keep the peel!

apple cake on a white plate surrounded by pecans

CAN I MAKE APPLE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME?

You can make this apple cake up to two days ahead of time by storing it in the fridge before glazing. You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months and then thaw overnight and glaze before serving.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO STORE APPLE CAKE?

Store leftovers of this recipe covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or at room temperature for 2 days.

Best Apple Cake Recipe