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Fruity and moist apple cake studded with nuts and topped with a decadent sauce. This is the only apple cake recipe you could ever want.

Fresh Apple Cake

Friends, it’s that time of year again. It’s apple pickin’ time!

Every year my mom heads up to the local orchard (often more than once) and brings home bags and bags of apples. When I was in college she would send bags of them bigger than my dorm room fridge back to school with me.

One of the advantages to being friends with me while I was in college (aside from the fact that I was a nerd and probably knew the answers to the homework) was the many baked goods that Momma would also send back with me.

(I probably would have had better luck with dating in school if the boys had realized that dating me would mean a huge influx of baked goods for them…)

Fresh Apple Cake with Pecans

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. So every year about this time the apple picking and the baking would culminate into one beautiful masterpiece: The Apple Cake.

People, this apple cake is legendary among my friends. It is the one thing that they repeatedly request when they get the chance. I don’t think I have ever seen it last more than a day and a half.

Now, while this cake is amazing by itself, what really takes it to that next level – to truly over-the-top, unbelievably good – is the sauce that goes with it.

Fresh Apple Cake with Apple Dessert Sauce

Ohhhh, the sauce. It’s the sauce that my father could eat alone. In fact, he usually has some cake with his sauce…

This cake is a bit unusual in its construction, and at some point you are going to be convinced that you’ve messed up and your batter is too thick and oh no, life is over.

It’s not! You’re on the right track! This batter is just weirdly thick. The moisture from the apples is what ultimately gives it the liquid it needs to go from dense and weird to moist and delicious. Well, that and the dessert sauce.

Fresh Apple Cake with a decadent dessert sauce

Fresh Apple Cake

Easy cake brimming with fresh apples and topped with a sweet sauce.
4.63 from 27 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 16

Ingredients 

For the cake:

  • 4 cups peeled sliced apples
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

For the dessert sauce:

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 5- ounce can evaporated milk
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, stir together apples and sugar. Add the flour, baking soda and salt; stir well.
  • In a separate bowl, beat eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the apple mixture, blending until thoroughly moistened. Batter will be very thick! Stir in pecans.
  • Press batter into a greased 13×9-inch pan. Bake 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed.
  • To make the sauce: Place ingredients in a saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly before serving warm with the cake.

Notes

Makes 1 13×9-inch cake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg

28 Comments

    1. I just use whatever I have at the time. Doesn’t much matter, though I would stay away from red delicious or Granny Smith. I probably usually use golden delicious.

  1. I am so happy I came across this recipe ! It is absolutely delicious and I can’t thank you enough for sharing …my Dad thanks you too !!! ????????

  2. This looks delicious along with the sauce. Just wondering, is there cinnamon in the cake? No specified in the recipe but pictures appear to have cinnamon. Thanks,

  3. Wow! What a delish dessert! It does look weird but It comes out perfect! Next time I will double the sauce as I had some little piggies slurping up the sauce. Will be following you!

  4. May I ask where this recipe came from? I’ve been looking for it for years! My grandmother made a cake and sauce just like this, but I’d never been able to find quite the right thing (mostly recipes with caramel sauce). Thanks so much for this!

    1. Hi Erika! It has been so long since my mom first found the recipe that I don’t remember where it first came from. The original source has long since been lost! I am so glad you found what you’ve been looking for!

  5. Your recipe for Fresh Apple Cake is not on your website. Where can I find it. It sounds like just what I’m looking for!

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