Homemade Apple Cake Recipe

This delicious Homemade Apple Cake is so moist, and juicy. Made with fresh sweet-tart apples, and spiced with some warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve this warm, spiced cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or just a sprinkle of some powdered sugar. Enjoy this fall favorite made from scratch in no time.

HOMEMADE APPLE CAKE

Apple cake is a popular dessert made with fresh sweet-tart apples. Traditionally, apple slices or diced apples are added to a plain cake base to add a nice, sweet aroma. Occasionally, apple cake is spiced with various spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, which adds a unique flavor. In addition to spices, crushed or chopped nuts such as walnuts, and almonds also make a great addition to them. Apple cake can be topped with crumbles, meringue, or simply a dusting of powdered sugar.

INGREDIENTS FOR APPLE CAKE

FOR APPLES

3 granny smith apples, (about 2 ½ cups)

½ cup WALNUTS or PECANS, chopped (optional)

2 tablespoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon GROUND CINNAMON

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

FOR CAKE BATTER

1 ½ cup flour

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

½ teaspoon GROUND CINNAMON

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ tablespoon baking powder

2 large eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoon orange juice/apple cider

FOR DUSTING THE PAN

cooking spray/oil

1 tablespoon flour

FOR INSTANT POT COOKING

1 cups water

Pic Shown: Homemade Apple Cake

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE APPLE CAKE

This homemade apple cake is so easy to make and comes together in just 3 easy steps. I have shared instructions on how to make Apple Cake using Instant Pot and also in an oven. Whichever method you pick, this apple cake will sure become your family favorite. Enjoy this warm, spiced apple cake with some vanilla ice cream.

PREP FOR APPLE CAKE

You will need a Cake pan

Grease the cake pan with some cooking spray, and dust it with some flour. Set it aside.

FOR APPLES

Peel, core, and dice apples.

In a bowl, toss apples, walnuts (optional), brown sugar, and cinnamon and set aside.

FOR THE CAKE BATTER

In a large bowl, whisk oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in orange juice, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until ingredients are well incorporated, with no large lumps.

Note: The consistency of apple cake batter is dense and thick, unlike the regular cake batter.

Spoon half the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Using the back of the spoon, smooth out the batter. Next, layer half of the apple mixture evenly on top of the batter.

Repeat the process. Spoon the remaining cake batter on top of the apple mixture. Using the back of the spoon, gently smooth out the batter. Finish with the remaining apple mixture on top of the batter.

INSTANT POT APPLE CAKE

You will need INSTANT POT 

Cover the pan with a piece of paper towel, and then cover the entire pan with foil.

Note: It is important to cover the whole pan, this helps prevent any excess moisture in the cake.

Add 1 cup of water to the inner pot. Place a trivet, gently place the cake pan onto the trivet.

Close the lid, vent sealed. Set MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK (high) for 60 minutes. Allow natural pressure release, around 10 minutes.

Carefully remove the cake from IP and remove the foil, and paper towel. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring the cake onto a serving plate.

Enjoy a slice of warm, apple cake with some vanilla ice cream!!

OVEN APPLE CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place the cake pan in the center of the oven.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring the cake onto a serving plate.

Enjoy a slice of warm, apple cake with some vanilla ice cream!!

PRO TIPS FOR DELICIOUS APPLE CAKE

The best apples for this recipe are baking apples, as they are slightly tart, hold their shape while cooking, and are less juicy. Baking apples such as Granny Smith, Honey Gold, Fuji, Gala, Jonathan, Cortland, are a good choice for this recipe. You can use one or a combination of variety for more flavor and texture.

Apples can be sliced, diced, or even grated. I prefer chunks of apples in the cake as it adds a nice texture.

Nuts are optional. However, they add a nice flavor and texture to the cake. Apples and nuts go great together.

Orange juice, apple cider add flavor to the cake. You can also use some rum instead of juice.

The consistency of this apple cake batter is dense and thick, unlike regular cake batter.

This is important, regardless of what pan you pick, wrap the entire pan tightly with foil, to prevent any extra moisture into the cake. Yes, this extra little step does help with the texture of the cake. The cake is not too dense, or gooey.

Apple cake is pressure cooked for 1 hour. Allow a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes, before removing the cake from the pot.

FAQ ABOUT APPLE CAKE

WHAT APPLES TO USE

The best apples for this recipe are baking apples, as they are slightly tart, hold their shape while cooking, and are less juicy. Baking apples such as Granny Smith, Honey Gold, Fuji, Gala, Jonathan, Cortland, are a good choice for this recipe. You can use one or a combination of variety for more flavor and texture.

WHAT SPICES TO USE

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, all-spice add a nice warmth to this cake. I like a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg, adds a nice touch to this cake. What's fall without apples and cinnamon?

WHAT TYPE OF CAKE PAN TO USE

For Instant Pot cooking, a 7 - 8 inch pan works great for this recipe. You can use a spring-form, removable bottom pan, or a simple cake pan. Make sure the pan fits into your IP.

I used an Ekovana Stainless Steel Cheesecake Push Pan Round 8 inches. This 8-inch pan fits well into my 8 quarts Instant Pot. I love this pan as it easily fits into IP, unlike the spring-form pan, where the clips make it quite harder to fit in the Instant Pot.

Secondly, you can push the cake up the bottom, which makes it a lot easier to remove the cake from the pan, without causing any damage to the sides of the cake. Here's an amazon link to this pan:

TOPPINGS FOR CAKE

This cake tastes so good, cooled and dusted with some powdered sugar. Serve it with a scoop of some vanilla ice cream.

TRIED THIS RECIPE?

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