Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake (13x9)

Fresh old fashioned apple cake on a plate featured image.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: old fashioned fresh apple cake

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 55

Servings: servings

Calories: 421kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

This 13x9 inch cake is an old fashioned fresh apple cake that's moist, easy to mix and covered in a rich brown sugar and butter glaze.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the Cake:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups peeled, chopped apples (Chop into approximately ½ inch sized pieces. I used about 2 ½ medium sized honeycrisp apples.)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

For the glaze:

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
½ cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)
3 tablespoons milk
1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar (sifted after measuring)

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 inch glass pan with baking spray.
Peel and chop the apples into about ½ inch cubes. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, oil, sugars, eggs and extract. Whisk well.
Add in the dry ingredients (not the apples yet) to the liquid ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or an electric mixer. Mix just until the ingredients are combined.
The batter will be thick, but do not add any extra liquid.
Stir in the chopped apples and nuts, then mix with a wooden spoon.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. If the top starts to brown too quickly, lay a piece of foil over it. The cake is fully baked with a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter.
Once baked, set on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes while you make the glaze.

For the glaze:

Add the butter and brown sugar to a medium sized sauce pan and melt over medium heat. Stir often until the sugar melts and is mostly dissolved. This will take a few minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the milk, then let the mixture come to a soft boil. Let it boil for 30 seconds. Make sure to contantly stir. The mixture will foam up.
Take the mixture off the heat source and add confectioner's sugar and mix well. Work quickly as the mixture will begin to thicken up. If there are confectioner sugar clumps, pour the mixture through a strainer to remove them. Work fast so the mixture doesn't thicken too much for you to pour onto the cake. Once the confectioner's sugar is mixed in well, immediately pour the glaze over the cake and spread evenly.
(If the glaze thickens up too much before you can pour it over the cake, heat it in the microwave for about 15 seconds at a time and stir to thin out he consistency a bit.)

Notes

* The glaze can be omitted if you prefer a plain, less sweet cake although the glaze does lend a nice deep flavor because of the boiled brown sugar.

This cake can be stored at room temperature, covered well, for several hours. After that, it should be stored in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

This cake can be eaten chilled, or at room temperature, but is best served warmed. If cold, add slices to a plate and microwave for about 15 seconds or so.

Nutritional values are an estimate. Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer any questions you may have.

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Nutrition