Baked Apple Cake (Print Version)

A warm, comforting Dutch-inspired cake with tender apples and aromatic spices. Ideal for cozy breakfasts and brunches.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Apples

01 - 3 large apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
02 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

→ Dry Ingredients

03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
08 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

→ Wet Ingredients

09 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 1 cup whole milk
13 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
14 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→ Topping

15 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
16 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
04 - In another large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract, whisking until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Avoid overmixing.
06 - Fold in the prepared apples. Pour batter into greased baking dish and spread evenly.
07 - In a small bowl, mix topping sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.
08 - Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
09 - Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy warm, optionally with powdered sugar or crème fraîche.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • No flipping required, just pour everything into one pan and let the oven do the work while you make coffee.
  • The apples get tender and jammy, soaking into the cake so every bite tastes like warm pie filling.
  • It feeds a crowd without doubling recipes or standing over a griddle for half an hour.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully and taste even better the next day when the spices have had time to settle in.
02 -
  • Don't skip greasing the pan well, or you'll spend ten minutes prying out the first slice and the rest will follow in crumbles.
  • Let the melted butter cool before adding it to the eggs, or you'll end up with scrambled bits instead of smooth batter.
  • Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears, because overmixing activates the gluten and turns your tender cake into something chewy and dense.
  • If your apples are really tart, add an extra tablespoon of sugar to the batter so the sweetness balances out.
03 -
  • Slice your apples thin and uniform so they cook evenly and don't leave hard chunks in the finished cake.
  • Use room temperature eggs and milk if you remember, because they blend more smoothly into the batter and give you a lighter crumb.
  • If the top starts browning too fast, tent the pan loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes so the inside finishes cooking without burning the crust.
  • Let the cake rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting, or the slices will fall apart and you'll lose that perfect square shape.
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