When the day starts off with that crisp early morning air, you know that Fall has arrived. People are apple picking, visiting the pumpkin patch, cozying up with blankets and movies and this Apple Spice Cake is the best addition to a fun Fall day. Honey crisp apples are swirled throughout the cake batter that is filled with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves and the brown sugar icing on top is the perfect finishing touch! Now that I’ve made brown sugar icing, I want brown sugar icing on all the things. I think it would be totally delicious on my carrot cake bread and pumpkin banana bread, too! The cake is great because it comes together quickly (in less than a hour), is delicious with a cup of coffee and is loaded with fresh apples that melt into the cake as it bakes! One of my other favorite apple desserts than comes together quickly is this Puff Pastry Apple Tart; everyone loves this one with ice cream on top!
4 Reasons to Love This Apple Spice Cake Recipe:
No mixer required!! And so much easier than a layer cake. The brown sugar icing: I love pouring it on the cake when it’s still warm and it melts into the cake. Brown sugar has this molasses-like crave-able sweetness and it compliments the spices in the cake so well! Packed with fresh apples that require no chopping or peeling: just grate them using a box grater, skin on and all! Fluffy and moist: thanks to the sour cream, it adds moistures and richness to the cake batter that takes it to the next level.
If there is one apple that is the perfect balance of sweet and tart it is the Honey crisp. I love working with Honey Crisp apples because they are known for their honey-sweet flavor and since they are so juicy they can’t help but make my Apple Spice Cake the most moist cake you will taste this fall. Granny smith apples are the classic go-to baking apple thanks to their yummy tart flavors. Braeburn apples are a delicious crisp apple that also works magnificently well in baked goods.
All purpose flour: spoon and level by using a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and use the back of a knife to level off the top of it. This helps prevent you from using too much flour than is necessary. Spices: you’ll need cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Be sure to check the expiration dates on your spices! You’ll want fresh for the best flavor. Apples: 2-3 large honey crisp apples will be plenty. You’ll grate them using the large holes on a box grater. I find this application of preparing the apple (as opposed to dicing into cubes or slicing) works best because the apples basically melt into the cake when it bakes. Vegetable oil: at the end of the day, vegetable oil is really great for keeping a cake supremely moist and tender. Olive oil may work, but note the flavor will be changed. This recipe hasn’t been tested with melted butter. Sour cream: another key contributor to the moist, tender crumb in this cake. Be sure it’s at room temperature. Eggs: use room temperature eggs so they mix better in the batter. Other ingredients needed: sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla extract, salted butter and heavy cream.
