You likely already have most of the ingredients for this apple cake in your pantry. We love a nice tall cake over a flat one, so my ingredient quantities (detailed below) are a bit more generous than in some other recipes.

Apples: Choose aromatic, juicy apples that are firm rather than mealy, with a slight tartness. But honestly, this cake works with any apple variety you enjoy. My favorites are Rubinette, Boskoop, Elstar, and Topaz. Smaller to medium-sized apples look best, as they can be arranged beautifully in the springform pan.
Flour: You’ll need regular all-purpose flour or light spelt flour for this recipe. Whole grain flour works too, but it requires more liquid and makes the cake a bit less delicate.
Butter: As with any batter cake, it’s crucial that the butter is soft and at room temperature. So, take it out of the fridge the night before or at least 2 hours before baking. If you only have margarine on hand, you can use the same amount, but in my opinion, nothing beats the rich flavor of butter.
Eggs: It’s best to use (organic) eggs in size M. Like the butter, they should be at room temperature so they mix seamlessly with the butter, ensuring a smooth batter.
Sugar: I use classic white granulated sugar but keep the quantity on the lower side. This way, the apple cake remains sweet but not overly sugary, allowing the fruity apples to really shine. You can replace about 20g of the sugar with Bourbon vanilla sugar for a lovely aroma.
Salt and Spices: A pinch of salt enhances the flavor in any sweet recipe—so don’t skip it. For extra warmth, cinnamon is ideal (kids love it, and it’s perfect for fall!). Grated tonka bean, lemon zest, or a few drops of bitter almond or rum flavoring also add delightful notes.
Milk: I use low-fat cow’s milk, but whole milk or plant-based alternatives like oat or soy milk work just as well.

Step-by-Step Apple Cake Recipe

Grease the Pan: For this apple cake, it’s important to grease and flour your springform pan well so the cake releases easily later. I usually line the bottom with parchment paper and only grease the sides, ensuring nothing sticks to the bottom.
Prepare the Apples: Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Then, use a sharp knife to score the curved side of each quarter like a fan. This will make them curve beautifully, giving the apple cake a lovely appearance. Brush the apple quarters with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning.
Make the Batter: To keep the apple cake fluffy and moist, the mixing order is key. Start by creaming the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Up until this point, you can mix for longer rather than shorter. But once you add the flour, baking powder, spices, and milk, mix only briefly until just combined, to avoid making the batter tough.
Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the prepared apple quarters evenly on top, pressing them lightly into the batter. Don’t place them too close to the edge; there should be some batter between the apples and the side of the pan. Bake the cake for about 32-38 minutes until golden. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil after about 25 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if it’s done—if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Serve the Cake: You can keep it simple by dusting the cake with powdered sugar, or give it a glossy finish by brushing it with apricot jam. This adds a fruity flavor and extends its shelf life.

Delicious Variations

With a few small tweaks, you can give this cake a fresh twist every time. And if you’re baking for a large crowd, try the similar sheet pan apple cake.

Extra Moist: For an especially moist apple cake, replace a small portion of the flour (up to 80g) with blanched, ground almonds or very finely ground hazelnuts, just like in apricot cake.
With a Splash: If no kids are eating, add a bit of alcohol, like 40 ml of Amaretto or rum. Adjust the milk accordingly.
Healthier: You can substitute white sugar with raw cane sugar, raw sugar, or Muscovado sugar, as in healthy apple cake. This will make the batter slightly more caramelized and darker. If you want to skip cow’s milk, use lactose-free or plant-based milk and margarine. For a fully vegan option, my vegan apple cake is perfect. For a low-carb version, try the low-carb apple cake, which uses only almonds instead of flour. The gluten-free apple cake is based on rice flour, cornmeal, and starch.

Storage Tips

Recipe Recommendation

Classic Scottish Shortbread

This easy Scottish shortbread is made with a sandy mixture and traditionally cut into oblong strips, known as "shortbread fingers."

Freshly baked and still warm from the oven, this simple apple cake is absolutely irresistible. But it also keeps well for about 2-3 days if stored in a cool place and wrapped tightly in a cake box with a lid or in a large airtight container. You can also freeze individual slices and thaw them slowly at room temperature.

Happy baking and enjoying! If you have extra apples on hand, I highly recommend trying the delicious apple crumble, Grandma’s apple strudel, or some baked apple muffins.

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Apple Cake

Super simple and quick apple cake made with batter, just like Grandma’s. A classic that’s always a hitt

Prep Time20

Baking Time35

Servings: spring form

Calories: 3021kcal

Equipment

1 spring form 10 inch / 26 cm

Ingredients

For the batter

150 grams (¾ cups) butter, soft
120 grams (⅔ cups) sugar
3 medium eggs, room temperature
250 grams (2 cups) flour
2 pinches salt
2 ½ teaspoon baking powder, slightly heaped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
90 mililiter milk

For the topping

600 grams (5 cups) apples, around 4
2 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Line the bottom of a 26 cm springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Core, peel, and quarter the apples. Score the curved side of each quarter with a knife (not all the way through, just like a fan). Brush the apple quarters with lemon juice to prevent browning, and set them aside.
Cream the softened butter with the sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix the flour with salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the butter-egg mixture, mixing just until the batter is smooth and falls heavily from a spoon.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Arrange the prepared apple quarters evenly on top, pressing them lightly into the batter. Don’t place them too close to the edge; there should be some batter between the apples and the side of the pan.
Bake the cake for 32-38 minutes until golden. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil after about 25 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if it’s done.

Notes

My sunken apple cake rises quite high because we prefer it that way. If you want less batter, you can reduce the ingredients (except the eggs) by ⅙, so use 125g butter, 210g flour, etc. You can also adjust the amount of apples as desired (about 500-750g). The apples shouldn’t be too large so they can be nicely arranged side by side.

The batter can be wonderfully refined and adapted, for example with vanilla, tonka bean, or bitter almond flavoring in the batter. You can replace some of the milk with Amaretto or rum. The cake becomes particularly fine when you replace a small portion of the flour with blanched, ground almonds.

You can serve the cake dusted with powdered sugar or apricot glaze. An apricot glaze adds a beautiful shine, a fruity flavor, and extends its shelf life. To make it, heat about 2 tablespoons of apricot jam with 1-1.5 tablespoons of water in a small pot until boiling. Brush the warm cake with it immediately after baking. If your jam has chunks, strain it through a sieve before brushing.

The cake keeps well wrapped and stored in a cool place, such as in a cake box with a lid in the refrigerator, for about 2-3 days. You can also freeze individual slices and thaw them slowly at room temperature.

Ingredient substitutions

Do you want to replace some ingredients? Here you find tips for baking ingredient substitutions!

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