There’s something magical about the smell of apples and warm spices filling the kitchen as the weather turns crisp. This spiced apple cake is the perfect way to embrace the cozy flavors of fall, whether you’re enjoying it as a holiday breakfast or a comforting dessert on a chilly evening. 

Bursting with sweet, juicy Honeycrisp apples and the warmth of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this cake brings together everything I love about fall. 

It’s also a great way to use up those extra apples from your apple-picking adventures or local farm market haul. 

Let’s dive in and see how easy it is to fill your home with fall’s irresistible scent and flavors!

What You Will Need to Make the Cake

As with any cake, both the ingredients and the process you use to put it together will determine how light and fluffy or dense and moist the cake is. This one is incredibly moist. Much of that comes from the apples, apple cider, and just a bit of oil.  Here’s what you need to make this cake:

Canola Oil

Just a little oil is used in this cake. Most of the moisture comes from the apples.

Dark Brown Sugar

This gives the cake a dark, spiced cake appearance and adds a bit of a molasses flavor. You can use light brown sugar instead but the cake will have a lighter color and less “rich” flavor. 

Granulated Sugar

Too much brown sugar would be overwhelming and weigh the cake down so I used a blend of regular granulated sugar and dark brown. 

Eggs

Eggs help give the cake some lift and texture.

Flour

All-purpose flour works well in this cake but you could use a whole grain all-purpose flour instead. The texture of the cake may be denser so you may want to start with a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat.

Baking Powder

This works with the apple and apple cider liquid to help the cake rise.

Spices

I used a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, and kosher salt. These are the same spices you would find in a spice cake plus, they just work well with the apples. The little bit of salt helps balance the sweetness.

Apples

Honeycrisp apples add a little bite along with some sweetness, but you could also try Granny Smith if you like a more tart flavor or Gala apples if you like a sweeter flavor. (If you want to learn more about the different flavors of apples, check out Washington Apples for full descriptions.)

The recipe calls for about 1-½ pounds of apples. Either 3 large apples or 4 medium-sized apples will be plenty.

Apple Cider

The cake batter needed just a little extra liquid so to amplify the apple flavor I added some apple cider from our local farm.

Toasted Walnuts

Chopped, toasted walnuts add a bit of crunch and a nutty flavor, and they are super nutritious adding a good dose of heart-healthy fats to this cake. Taking the extra time to quickly toast the walnuts will amplify the nutty flavor.  Don’t skip that step!

How to Make it

Step 1: Shred the Apples

I made longer shreds by just cutting the apples in quarters and coring them. Then placed the quarters (with the skin) in my food processor with the shredding blade. You could cut the quarters in half if you want shorter shreds too. 

If you don’t have a food processor, a box grater will also work it will just take you a bit longer. 

Step 2: Beat the Oil and Sugars

Beat the oil and sugars in a large bowl for about 1 minute until completely combined.

Step 3: Beat in the Eggs

Add the eggs and beat the mixture on medium using a hand mixer for 2 minutes. The mixture should be a medium-brown color and a thick, creamy texture. 

Step 4: Add the Dry Ingredients, Spices and Cider

Slowly beat in the flour, baking powder, and spices. To make sure the spices are evenly distributed I like to add the spices to the flour and baking powder and whisk them together before adding them to the wet ingredients. 

Once the dry ingredients are partially mixed in, add the cider and beat until just combined. The mixture will be thick. Thicker than many cake mixes, but that is okay. You’ll get more moisture from the apples that are mixed in next.

Step 5: Mix in the Apples and Walnuts

Gently stir in the apples and walnuts. Do this by hand so you don’t over-mix the batter. 

Step 6: Bake the Cake

Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the cake in the middle of your preheated oven and bake for about an hour. To check the doneness, the top should bounce back if you gently press on it, or pierce the middle of the cake with a cake tester or toothpick. If it comes out clean (with no batter on it) the cake is done.

Step 7: Cool

Cool the spiced apple cake in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 15 pieces (2-1/2″x2″ pieces).

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. 

• Top the cake with a dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and chopped walnuts.

• You could make a light buttercream or cream cheese frosting if you want a heavier cake. Sprinkle the frosting with chopped walnuts. 

Variations

• If you don’t have apple cider, orange juice will add a nice flavor to the cake. I’ve made it both ways and the orange juice gives it a slight citrusy flavor.

• Replace the walnuts with pecans.

Storage Tips

This cake can be made ahead and frozen. Cut it into pieces and then wrap them with plastic wrap or store them in a reusable container with a tight-fitting lid. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge. You can reheat the pieces in the oven just before serving.