Spiced Apple Cake

This Spiced Apple Cake, full of deep apple flavors, is probably the easiest, simplest, and most delicious apple cake recipe to try this fall. Super moist brown sugar cake loaded with spices, and apples and topped with a super simple ginger apple compote is the ultimate recipe to try this time of the year. You will love it!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best recipe
• 📝 Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🎓 Expert tips
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🍎 More Apple dessert recipes
• Spiced Apple Cake

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

1. It is rather easy – As fancy as it looks, making this Apple cake is extremely easy! Both the sponge cake, as well as the spiced apple topping comes together really easily and quickly using a handful of easily accessible ingredients
2. It is super delicious – I never compromise on taste! Super moist brown sugar yogurt cake with spiced apple topping will blow your mind! The cake has the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth texture with just the right sweetness! It is so super refreshing, you will love it
3. It is an honest, detailed tutorial – While this Apple Spice cake recipe might look a bit long, all the information I have written here, every tip and trick will help you achieve the perfect results without any issues on the way. Remember, baking is science, and every little detail written here is to help YOU
4. It is super pretty - The beauty of this Apple spice cake with fresh apples is that the topping is actually the decoration as well. The apple topping makes this cake super pretty and a touch of gold glitter does not hurt
6. No special equipment is needed – All you need is a round cake tin to bake and assemble the cake

📝 Ingredients

For the cake

1. Oil: this is an oil-based Apple spice cake (no butter) that keeps the cake super moist, soft and fluffy. Butter-based cakes tend to harden a lot in the fridge, with oil we won't have this issue. Use no flavor vegetable oil
2. Sugar: I am using a combination of granulated white and brown sugar. I absolutely love the brown sugar deep molasses flavor and regularly use it in autumn theme recipes.
3. Egg: Room temperature as always
4. Yogurt: Use high-fat content Greek or Turkish style thick yogurt. Its creaminess helps keep baked goods moist
5. Flour: I am using pasty flour but all purpose flour works too, they are so-called “soft flour” which is low on protein resulting in a delicate, tender texture. If you want to be a Pro when it comes to deciding what type of flour to use in your baking, please read my flour guide
6. Baking powder + Baking soda: Makes the cake tender and helps the rise
7. Salt: We always need at least a pinch of salt in any cake batter to balance the flavors
8. Spices: This is a Spiced Apple cake so you must be using delicious spices! I recommend a combination of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamon, they all pair well with apple and smell like the best autumn day ever
9. Apple: There is one apple in the cake itself cut into small pieces. You might feel tempted to add more however too much apple makes the cake too wet and difficult to bake

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the apple compote

1. Apple: Well obviously we will need some apples to make the apple compote topping, you can use for example Granny smith apples. I find it looks better if some part of the compote is actual apple and some part apple puree
2. Ginger: I recommend to chose one hero spice to flavor the apple compote. As mentioned above, I use cardamon, ginger, and cinnamon in the cake and decided to go with ginger only for the compote. I am using a fair amount of ginger that makes the compote wonderfully flavourful
3. Sugar: Simple white granulated sugar is working perfectly fine
4. Lemon juice: Juice of lemon, freshly squeezed. Remember, lemon juice balances the flavors, just like salt in the cake
5. Gelatine sheet: It´s an odorless, tasteless, and colorless thickening agent, very often used in mousse cakes like this Apple spiced cake. Powder or sheet versions are available, in my recipes I always use gelatin sheet (1,7 g gelatin/sheet), which I found easier to handle. Powder gelatin can be used 1:1 so when I state 1 gelatin sheet that means 1,7 g gelatin powder. For more info on gelatin, how to substitute gelatin, how to boom gelatin etc. please read my gelatin guide

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. How to make a spiced apple cake

This is a super moist, fluffy cake with velvety crumbs, incredibly delicious. It is also easy to prepare, the key is not to overwork the batter.

• Ingredients must be all measured with a Digital scale
• Pre-heat oven to 180 C / 356 F (no fan) and prepare a baking pan with parchment paper
• Whip oil, eggs, and the 2 different kinds of sugar with an Electric hand mixer for a good 3-5 minutes until fluffy
• Then, fold yogurt in until fully incorporated with the help of a Rubber spatula
• Sift dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices) before adding to the mixture. You can use a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a mixture of other Fall spices
• Dry ingredients must be folded in by hand (using Rubber spatula). Do not use a mixer at this point
• Then, fold in the apple pieces. It is a good idea to slightly dry the apple pieces with paper towels before using them in the cake
• Pour cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door during baking
• After 30 minutes check the middle of the cake with a toothpick. Bake until the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let it cool on a cooling rack

💡 Top Tip: Eggs as well yogurt must be at room temperature for the proper emulsification. Yogurt can form lumps easily if used cold

2. How to make the spiced apple compote topping

Apple compote is a brilliant addition to pancakes, donuts, cupcakes, or filling cakes. It is so easy and so delicious and it is worth playing with different kind of spices. Vanilla bean, tonka bean, ginger, cinnamon, 5 spices, and cardamon are all brilliant choices!

1. In the meantime prepare apple chunks and apple puree
2. Soak gelatine sheets in cold water
3. Cook the apple chunks, apple puree, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes
4. Remove the saucepan from heat, squeeze excess water from gelatine sheets and stir them into the compote

I am using a 15cm / 6 inch tin, make sure to adjust the quantity of the apple compote and other ingredients if you are using a larger cake tin.

💡 Top Tip: Gelatin can be substituted with agar agar. Check the substitution ratios on the packaging or read my gelatin substitution guide

3. How to assemble this Spiced Apple Cake

First and foremost make sure your cake is cooled even chilled in the fridge for half an hour then start preparing the apple compote. Place the chilled cake into a Mousse cake ring (adjustable in size) set to 15cm / 6 inches.

Pour warm apple compote over the cake and smooth the top with an Offset spatula. Chill the cake 4 hours then carefully remove the mousse ring and acetate cake collar. Alternatively use a springform tin instead of the mousse ring.

💡 Top Tip: Use acetate cake collar around the ring inside for neat-looking end results.

🎓 Expert tips

1. While making the sponge, make sure all ingredients are at room temperature for proper emulsification
2. Do not over-bake your sponge as that would result in a dry texture
3. Apple can be easily substituted in the recipe with pear, peach, plum, apricot, etc.
4. You can use various Fall spices both in the topping, as well as in the sponge, or stick to the good old-fashioned ground cinnamon to turn this cake into a classic Apple cinnamon cake
5. Make sure that you let the Apple cake rest in the fridge for the gelatin to set
6. No frosting is really necessary for this cake, however, on the side, cream cheese frosting or whipped cream would be actually lovely

❓Recipe FAQs

🍎 More Apple dessert recipes