Apple Spice Cake
Apple spice cake is a layered cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. The fresh apples and cinnamon in the cake make every bite flavorful!
When it comes to fall baking, I will pick apple over pumpkin any day. I love the crisp texture and flavor apples give to baked goods and this apple spice cake is no exception. Each layer of this cake is coated with rich cinnamon cream cheese frosting and the cake itself is loaded with apples and fall spices. Each slice is moist and flavorful!
Why this recipe works
The cake batter has not only fresh apples, but also applesauce, which helps with the flavor and moisture in the cake. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg provide plenty of spice while the cinnamon cream cheese frosting adds a rich element to every bite.
How to make apple spice cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour three 6-inch round cake pans.
- Make cake batter: Whisk dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, mix wet ingredients until well combined. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Stir in chopped apples.
- Bake cakes: Divide cake batter among prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Allow cakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon and mix until smooth.
- Frost cakes: Place one cake on a cake pan, top with frosting. Repeat with remaining layers, then frost the outside of the cakes. Garnish with pecans and apple slices.
Helpful tips
Apple spice cake turns out best when all the cake ingredients are room temperature as this will help the ingredients blend together better. It’s also helpful to weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale for the most accurate measuring. Try my magic cake pan release to prevent cakes from sticking to the pan.
For the cream cheese frosting, make sure the cream cheese and butter are softened, but still cool. If cream cheese is too warm, the frosting will be goopy. Before frosting the cake, make sure the cake is completely cooled and level off the cakes with a serrated knife to prevent a lopsided cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples are best for baking. Braeburn and Northern Spy are good options too.
Apple cake is best when it is served within in a day or two of baking, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for three days or in the refrigerator for five days.
Yes. Let the cakes cool completely, then double wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before bringing to room temperature and frosting. Freeze the frosting separately, defrost in the refrigerator and rewhip at room temperature before frosting.
It’s likely the cream cheese and butter were too warm. You want them softened, but still cool to the touch. The other issue may be that the frosting was over mixed. To fix this, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then remix the frosting for 5 to 10 seconds.
Related recipes
Apple desserts are the best all year round, but especially during the fall. Here are a few of my favorites:
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Get the Recipe: Apple Layer Cake
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cake
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (52 g) unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and diced apples, about 2-3 large apples (I used Honeycrisp)
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 cups (450 g or 16 oz) cream cheese, softened, but still cool
- ½ cup (113 g or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (480 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Apple Spice Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray or my magic cake pan release and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in three parts, mixing just until combined after each addition. Stir in apples with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake cakes for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with little to no crumbs. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon, then mix just until combined, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Assembly
- If the cakes domed while baking, use a serrated knife to level them until flat. Place the first cake on a plate, then top with a scoop of frosting and spread evenly. Top with the second layer and frost again. Top with third layer and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and outside of the cake. Garnish with chopped pecans (or spiced pecans), cinnamon sticks and/or apple slices.
6 Comments on “Apple Spice Cake”
This cake was so moist and just the perfect taste of sweetness! My entire family loved it.
How would I adjust for 3 9 inch layers? Thanks in advance.
Hi Em – You would need to double the recipe. 6×2 pans hold 4 cups. 9×2 pans hold 8 cups.
I was looking for a recipe for apple spice cake recipe to make for a friend for his birthday this weekend, but I only have two 8-inch cake pans and don’t want to buy more before this weekend. Do I need to adjust the recipe for that, if so, what should I change? Thank you!
This recipe will work for two 8×2 round pans. No need to change anything!
I made this cake for a baby shower and everyone loved it. The flavors are to my liking and I don’t usually care for fruit baked goods. Also the recipe was easy to follow and the tips were very useful. I also made the pumpkin cupcakes. It was nice that the icing was the same so I was able just to make a big batch for everything. Thank you.