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Apple Cake

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baked goods•american•vegetarian, contains eggs, contains nuts
1 hour 35 minutes•12 servings•

Ingredients

  • unsalted butter – for greasing pan
  • 3 cups apples – peeled, cored, and chopped into 0.5-inch pieces (~2.5 medium apples)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup walnuts – chopped (optional)
Apple Cake

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with unsalted butter.

2. Peel, core, and chop the apples into 0.5-inch pieces; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until thickened and slightly pale, about 1–2 minutes.

5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined with no dry patches.

6. Fold in the chopped apples and the walnuts (if using) until evenly distributed.

7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the top is deep golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 45–55 minutes.

8. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Apple Cake is a moist, warmly spiced cake studded with tender chunks of apple. The fruit keeps the crumb soft and succulent while cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg lend familiar, comforting aromas. It’s the kind of everyday cake that’s equally at home as an afternoon snack or a simple dessert.

Rooted in home baking, this style of apple cake took firm hold in American kitchens through church and community cookbooks and midcentury tube-pan baking. Its lineage traces to Old World apple cakes from Europe, but the American rendition favors an easy oil-based batter and plenty of fruit. Over time it became a potluck staple, often baked in a 9x13-inch pan for convenience and shared across seasons whenever good apples are on hand.