20+ Apple Cake Recipes to Make This Fall

August 18, 2020
Photo: Jennifer Causey
What's one of the best ways to enjoy fresh, in-season apples? Apple cake, of course. These apple cake recipes celebrate fall's flavors in full force, and best of all, you don't have to be an expert baker to master them. From oven-baked to skillet-cooked, we rounded up our top-rated cakes that celebrate fall's bounty of apples and spice.
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Caramel Apple Cake

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Caramel Apple Cake Recipe

This cake is topped with sauteed apple slices and drizzled in a delicious Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce. 

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Apple Bundt Cake with Brown-Sugar Glaze

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps
Apple Bundt Cake with Brown-Sugar Glaze Recipe

Try this Apple Bundt Cake drizzled with a delicious brown-sugar glaze for a fabulous fall dessert. 

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Whole-Grain Apple Cake with Yogurt Cream

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Whole-Grain Apple Cake with Yogurt Cream Recipe

There's a trifecta of textural awesomeness here, as the buttery-crisp topping meets silky-smooth yogurt cream on moist, tender cake. By using whole-wheat pastry flour in place of all-purpose, we triple the fiber per slice to a hearty 4 grams. For a chunkier cake texture, use chopped apples instead of shredded. This cake is great served warm or at room temperature.

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Carrot-Apple Spice Cake with Browned-Butter Glaze

Photo: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart
Carrot-Apple Spice Cake with Browned-Butter Glaze Recipe
We challenged ourselves to come up with a showstopping dessert that uses boxed cake mix as a starting point—and we succeeded. Fresh carrot and apple plus a splash of bourbon boost the flavor of the layers, while the browned-butter glaze is, well, the wildly delicious icing on the cake.

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Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Ginny Branch
Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake Recipe
Fall flavors and cream cheese are a match made in culinary heaven. Drizzle with praline frosting to seal the deal.

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Cinnamon-Apple Cake

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Cinnamon-Apple Cake Recipe
Among our most popular cakes—the 5-star rated Cinnamon-Apple Cake gets its moisture from cream cheese in the batter.
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Double Apple Cake

Oxmoor House
Double Apple Cake Recipe
Let the batter—flavored with dried apple slices and applesauce—sit in the slow-cooker for a couple hours and you've got double the delight in this Double Apple Cake.

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Apple Bundt Cake with Apple-Cream Cheese Glaze 

Darcy Lenz
Apple Bundt Cake with Apple-Cream Cheese Glaze  Recipe

This incredibly moist bundt cake gains its strong apple flavor from 4 cups of shredded Granny smith apples baked into the batter, as well as a concentrated apple liquid (made by reducing apple juice and apple liqueur) that is brushed over the warm cake after baking and used to create the cake’s sweet-tart apple and cream cheese glaze. Grating the apples, as opposed to chopping them into pieces, makes for more even distribution of moisture and apple flavor throughout this dense and delightful cake. While we opted to keep the spice factor simple here (to avoid overpowering the apple) with just a teaspoon of cinnamon, feel free to mix it up and add other favorite spices—such as cloves, ginger, nutmeg, or allspice. You can also swap the vanilla bean paste for 11/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract. If you can’t find apple liqueur, simply substitute apple flavored brandy or 1/4 cup more apple juice. 

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One Bowl Apple Cake

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro
One Bowl Apple Cake Recipe
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Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Cider Glaze

Caitlin Bensel
Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Cider Glaze Recipe

Don't be afraid to go 100% whole-grain with desserts; we use all spelt flour here with amazing results. The nutty flour boosts the taste of the butter, spices, and vanilla, unlike all-purpose flour, whose bland nature would dilute those flavors. Be sure to weigh the flour for accuracy; using too much will make the cake dry.

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Apple Stack Cake

Apple Stack Cake Recipe
A naked layer cake filled to the brim with cinnamon cooked apples is sure to be a show piece at your next party.

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Fresh Apple Cake

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Amy Burke
Fresh Apple Cake Recipe
Thinly sliced apples and toasted pecans make up the bulk of this recipe. Topped with your choice of three types of frosting and you've got your family's newest addiction.
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Fort Davis Apple Cake

Randy Mayor
Fort Davis Apple Cake Recipe
Not only is this glazed apple cake recipe a sure-fire hit, but it's super low-maintenance too—no mixer required!

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Honey-Apple Cake

Photo: Charles Walton
Honey-Apple Cake Recipe
Top your apple cake with a generous scoop of icing and a drizzle of warm honey sauce, and guests will start begging for seconds.

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Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake Recipe
Think the apple, pecan, and sugar mixture bubbling in the skillet is enough? Add cake batter and you've entered true euphoria.
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Upside-Down Apple Polenta Cake

Photo: Beatriz Da Costa
Upside-Down Apple Polenta Cake Recipe
Cornmeal gives the upside down cake the perfect texture underneath a layer of tender skillet-cooked apples.

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Nutty Apple Spice Cake with Quick Butterscotch Sauce

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Nutty Apple Spice Cake with Quick Butterscotch Sauce Recipe
The sugar caramelizes into a crunchy top layer that's best eaten the day it's made, so go ahead and have another piece.

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Apple Oven Cake

Photo: Leo Gong; Styling: Karen Shinto
Apple Oven Cake Recipe
This (pan)cake puffs to perfection in the oven for a not-too-sweet breakfast main dish or rustic dessert option.
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Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake

Photo: Howard L. Puckett; Styling: Lydia Degaris-Pursell
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake Recipe
Everyone loves apple-cinnamon oatmeal, right? Now make it a cake! Sweetened with apple sauce and topped with a fluffy whipped frosting—it's a perfect fall dessert.

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Autumn Apple Cake

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
Autumn Apple Cake Recipe
This not-too-sweet cake recipe works best with sweet, crisp apples such as Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Sundowner.

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French Apple Cake

Photo: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
French Apple Cake Recipe

This French Apple Cake is super easy, can be made very quickly, and transforms into a fancy cake perfect for a dinner party or special occasion. Plus, all the ingredients are easy to find. The rum and the warm apples wrapped in fluffy cake gives you the perfect bite. Add some whipped cream on top and it becomes delightfully sweet. If you don’t have any rum on hand, it’s okay to leave it out—however, the rum really elevates the cake. Serve with coffee or tea at your next cozy gathering.

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Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes

Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes Recipe

Finish the cakes with one of the three toppings. Toss together the Streusel Topping before you start baking. Both glazes can be prepped while the cakes cool.

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Apple Cream Torte

Photo: Jennifer Causey
Apple Cream Torte Recipe

A cream torte is like a cross between a cake, a custard, and a dutch baby. The tender-sweet varieties of apples used here soften more readily than some when baked, making them a better match for the delicate cake. Look for Northern California and Northwest varieties at your local grocery store or farmers' market from August through November. Five great Western apple varieties in the Cameo, Gravenstein, Ida Red, Pink Pearl, and Sierra Beauty.

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