Easy Moist Apple Cake
Print Pin VideoThere is nothing as comforting as a home-baked apple cake. This easy, super moist recipe is packed with fresh apples, cosy spices and a crunchy crumble topping. It is irresistibly good!
IMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 3 medium/large apples - any red baking apple (Royal Gala, Honey Crisp, etc.)
For the Sliced Apple Topping
- ⅓ cup (66 g) soft brown sugar
- ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
For the Crumble (Streusel Topping)
- ¼ cup (50 g) soft brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (66 g) white granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - melted
For the Cake Batter
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour in some countries
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp powdered ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (150 g) soft brown sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- ¼ cup (70 g) Greek yoghurt - room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 1 if you don't have a fan function) and grease or line a 9 inch springform cake tin (I use my homemade cake release to grease my tin).
- Peel all the apples. Halve and remove the core of two of the apples and slice them in thin slices (about 2-3mm in thickness).
- With the remaining apple, grate it using the largest holes on your grater (see note 2), and set it aside to use in the cake batter later on in the recipe. You should end up with 120g of the shredded apple, give or take a few grams.
Sliced Apple Topping
- In a bowl combine soft brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and then add in the sliced apples. Mix well so that all the apples are coated in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Set aside for later.
Crumble (Streusel Topping)
- In a bowl combine soft brown sugar, white granulated sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.
- Next add in the melted butter and mix until well combined. I like to use my fingers towards the end to ensure everything is mixed well. The crumble should resemble thick/coarse crumbs (see note 3 if it doesn't). Set aside for now.
Cake Batter
- Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine soft brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, Greek yoghurt and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Add the grated apple from earlier (along with any liquid that's come out of the apple) and using a spatula, fold it into the wet mixture until well combined.
- Finish off by adding the presifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture, and fold until just combined. Do not overmix, so only fold until you can't see any more streaks of flour running through the batter.
Assembly
- Pour the cake batter into the springform cake tin. Evenly spread the batter out and drop the cake tin lightly on the counter once to remove any large air bubbles.
- On top of the cake batter, evenly spread out the sliced apples, discarding any liquid at the bottom of the bowl that has come out of the apples (see note 4).
- Finish off by evenly spreading the crumble on top of the apples. It may seem like a lot of crumble, but be sure to use it all up!
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. There should be no wet batter on the toothpick, but moisture/cinnamon from the apples is okay :)
- Let it cool in the cake tin for 10 minutes, before removing the sides of the springform cake tin. Let it cool for a further 20 minutes before transferring to a serving platter/cake stand. No need to let it completely cool, you can serve it warm (which is how I like mine!).
Video
Notes
Note 1. In this recipe I use an oven with the fan function turned on. The fan forced function cooks cakes faster, so if your oven doesn't have a fan option, then you will need to increase the baking temperature to 175°C (350°F) so that the cake bakes at the same rate as mine 🙂
Note 2. When grating the apple, you want to have individual strands of apple. If you use the smaller holes on your grater, then you will end up with mashed apple. Don't worry, if it ends up mushy you can still use it and the cake will still turn out fine :)
Note 3. If your crumble is too wet, then add in a little more flour. If the crumble is too dry and it's not forming into little chunks, then add a little more melted butter.
Note 4. We don't want too much liquid with our sliced apples otherwise it takes too long for the cake to fully cook. Simply discard any liquid at the bottom of the bowl (or use it in a jam or filling).
Nutrition
Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 298IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
Tried this recipe?I love hearing from you! Tag me @cakesbymk.nz on instagram so I can see your amazing creations :)