Cakes, Desserts, Recipes

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake

Sarah

Umm, so you know how some things are best eaten straight out of the oven, standing at the kitchen counter with a fork poking into the still-too-hot-it’s-burning-your-mouth cake? But you don’t care because it’s just so delicious that if you don’t seize this moment you may very well regret it? Or is that just me?

Well, this is that dessert.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake | thepajamachef.comCinnamon Sugar Apple Cake. It’s what dreams are made of.

Oh–not your dreams? Well, think again. This cake is uber moist [sorry, all you who are averse to that work–I’m not sure how else to describe it] and spongy. The crunchy topping is sugary sweet to the max, a perfect contrast to the fruity sweetness of the cake’s little bits of chewy apple delight. We enjoyed this cake for dessert and also breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like Lindsay and her husband, Ben and I ate the whole pan in a matter of days. It is just that good. I hope you enjoy it too!

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake

  • Servings: 20
  • Print

[from Pinch of Yum]

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk [I subbed milk and lemon juice]
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped apples [I used Gala once and then Gala/Granny Smith round 2, and didn’t peel them.]
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg and buttermilk. Then stir in baking soda and vanilla. Lastly, mix in flour and apples. Pour batter into prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and butter, mixing gently with a fork. Spread it evenly over the batter. It will not fully cover the batter, but it will bake up fine.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes:
This recipe is very forgiving. Here are some ways you could alter the original recipe if desired. I do NOT recommend making all the changes at once!
  • Use less brown sugar in the cake: I’ve reduced the brown sugar to 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 before. It’s less sweet but not noticeably so.
  • Substitute the buttermilk for Greek yogurt: I have not tried this but others have.
  • Use white whole wheat flour in place of the all-purpose: I’ve done a straight substitute. I have not tried whole wheat flour though, only white whole wheat which is lighter.
  • Add warm spices to the cake: like 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Some people think the cake is too bland without it. I think adding the spices to the batter takes away from the topping and from the apple-y flavor of the cake, but it’s up to you.
  • Add salt to the cake: some people think the cake batter is too bland without salt. The original recipe did not have salt and since I don’t use salt in baking except for breads, I didn’t see the need to add it. I don’t know how much you would add but you can look at other recipes for cakes made in a 9×13 inch pan and see what amount they use.
  • Double the topping: the topping is not meant to cover every square inch of the cake when it is unbaked. However, when the cake is baked, the cake rises and makes all sorts of yummy nooks and crannies with the topping.

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.
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Published by Sarah

Librarian. Runner. Wife. Jesus follower. Loves reading, Indiana basketball, trying new recipes, coffee, cuddling with my kitties, cozy scarves, and cardigans.

200 thoughts on “Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake”

  2. This IS the thing dreams are made of! And I’m reconciling myself to the word ‘moist.’ You’re right–sometimes there’s no other word in the world of cookery that can describe that.

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  6. Pingback: Marionberry Cherry Crumb Cake Recipe | Barbara Bakes

  7. I made this cake tonight for my cousin (we are 1 yr apart) and my little brother. We all loved it! It was delicious. Moist and flavorful.

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    1. Christina, so happy that you guys liked it!! This is definitely one of our favorites… now I want some! 🙂 Thanks for coming back and letting me know 🙂

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  8. Hi, this recipe looks awesome! I plan on making this today,so I have a question. Is granulated brown sugar fine for the job?

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    1. I haven’t tried it so I don’t know for sure, but I would imagine so! The sugar is just a sweetener after all. Hope you enjoy it! I’d love to hear how it turns out. 🙂

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      1. Everyone loved it! though I did find that the cake was a little less sweet. But it doesn’t matter, I suppose. Thankyou! 😀

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    1. Hi Jamie! You could definitely try!! You would want to compare the volume of your bundt pan with a 9×13 pan (~15 cups according to the resource I have). Baking time would probably be adjusted too. I’m curious to know how it goes, as I don’t make bundt cakes very often! 🙂 if there’s extra batter you could make a few cupcakes 🙂 good luck!!!

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  11. Pingback: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Sauce | The Pajama Chef

  13. Made this today and I used Greek yogurt instead of the buttermilk. Turned out fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe ☺️

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  18. Made this and it tasted great! The house smelled of wonderful cinnamon 🙂 I did have one question: what type of apple would you recommend to produce the strongest taste/flavor? I used gala and I would have like the apple taste to be a little stronger.

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    1. Hi Danielle! Thanks for your comment! So happy you tried this cake. It’s delish! As for apple taste, I think that’s all up to your preferences. Did you leave the skin on? Part of “apple flavor” to me is the skin, so that could help. You could also use more apples too. If you google “best apples for baking” you will get tons of conflicting responses. Apples like gala, braeburn, granny smith, and golden delicious are supposed to be good for baking. Pink Lady apples have a ton of flavor and I think I used them in this cake once. You can also check out this chart from my favorite orchard that we used to visit all the time (before we moved–tear!), it has lists of best kinds of apples for different kinds of uses. http://www.apple-works.com/perfect.html I hope that helps! One other idea I had to get more apple flavor was to replace some/all of the buttermilk with apple juice or cider. I’m not sure how that would affect things but it’s worth a shot if you like to experiment. If you use a sweetened juice or cider you might want to reduce the amount of sugar in the cake too. Let me know if you experiment with this recipe! 🙂

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    1. Yes, as in I baked it the night before to serve the next day. I haven’t made the batter the night before to bake the next day but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. I hope that helps! Enjoy!

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