Fresh Apple Cake

This fresh apple cake is perfectly moist and flavorful, studded with nuts and topped with a decadent sauce. This is the only apple cake recipe you could ever want and is one you’ll make year after year.

Friends, it’s that time of year again. It’s apple pickin’ time!

Every year growing up, my mom would head to the local orchard (usually more than once) and bring home bags and bags of apples. When I was in college, she would send bags of them bigger than my dorm-room fridge back to school with me.

One of the advantages to being friends with me while I was in college (aside from the fact that I was a nerd and probably knew the answers to the homework) was the many baked goods that Momma would also send back with me.

She’d send back batches of easy apple dip, sugar cookies, quick breads, and every fall the apple picking and baking would culminate in one beautiful masterpiece: this fresh apple cake.

My mom’s decadent fresh apple cake recipe

Y’all, this apple cake was legendary among my college friends. It was the one thing that they would repeatedly request when they got the chance. I don’t think I ever saw it last more than a day and a half.

It’s as popular with my friends as my cream cheese ranch roll ups, and that’s saying something.

The cake is absolutely PACKED with fresh apples and chopped pecans. We’re talking loads of apple in every single bite. There aren’t a lot of ingredients in the cake itself, but trust me when I say that it’s not lacking in flavor. 

All of those apples also make this a very moist cake. You’ll think there was a bunch of brown sugar in the cake, but nope! It’s just that magical.

Now, while this cake is amazing by itself, what really takes it to that next level – to truly over-the-top, unbelievably good—is the sauce that goes with it.

My dad would usually just pour tons of this sauce on top of his cake and would have happily eaten it with a spoon. (He did once or twice.)

This cake is a bit unusual in its construction, and at some point you are going to be convinced that you’ve messed up and your batter is too thick and oh no, life is over.

It’s not! You’re on the right track! Most of the liquid in this recipe comes from the apples themselves, so trust the process. I promise I won’t lead you astray.

If you still have lots of apples left to use, try my mom’s Danish apple cake or my friend Megan’s homemade apple pie filling.

How to make this fresh apple cake

You’re only going to need a couple of bowls to make this recipe. You won’t even need a mixer! It’s honestly really easy, so let’s walk through it.

Ingredients you’ll need

To make the cake portion of this recipe, you will need:

• 4 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples 
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

You’ll need about 4 large apples to get 4 cups of sliced apples. You can peel, core, and slice these by hand, or you can use an apple peeler/corer/slicer to make it go faster.

I suggest using baking apples. Golden delicious, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady apples are some of my favorites, but Granny Smith apples will work, too.

If you’re allergic to pecans, feel free to omit them.

To make the dessert sauce, you will need:

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Evaporated milk is the key to this sauce. You can find it in the baking aisle. Be sure to buy evaporated milk, NOT sweetened condensed milk, for this recipe.

Making this cake

Remember that this easy apple cake recipe has kind of a weird construction. Just stick with me and trust the process, ok?

Start by adding the sliced apples and sugar to a large bowl, stirring to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir again to coat the apple slices in the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla until well combined. Add this mixture to the apple, stirring with a spatula until there are no more spots of dry ingredients left. 

The batter is going to be really thick! Again, don’t panic. You’re doing great.

Stir in the pecans if you’re using them.

Use a spatula to spread the batter into a greased 9×13-inch cake pan. Bake at 350℉ for 50 minutes. When it’s done, the cake should spring back in the center when lightly pressed.

While the cake cools, make the sauce.

Add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan. Bring the mixture a boil over medium heat, then boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

That’s it! Let the sauce cool slightly before serving it warm on top of the cake.

Other serving suggestions

In my family, suggesting that you could serve this apple cake with anything other than the accompanying sauce would elicit a “But why?”

But if you do want to consider other options, a scoop of vanilla ice cream would be delicious. 

Or you could try it with a drizzle of bourbon caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.

Fresh apple cake make-ahead and storage tips

Store leftover fresh apple cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Store the dessert sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

The sauce can easily be reheated in the microwave. Microwave it for about 30-60 seconds (depending on your microwave) and stir it well before enjoying.

Since the sauce keeps for up to 5 days and can be reheated, you can easily make the sauce a few days ahead of time.

You can also make the cake the night before you plan to serve it. 

Frequently asked questions