Apple Spice Cake Recipe

This isn’t just any apple spice cake recipe. This is the kind of homemade apple cake that becomes a family tradition—the one you’ll turn to every fall, for every Thanksgiving gathering, and whenever you find yourself with a basket of beautiful seasonal apples. With its impossibly moist crumb, perfectly balanced warm spices, and that dreamy cream cheese frosting on top, this fresh apple spice cake recipe delivers everything you could possibly want in a fall dessert.

And here’s the beautiful part: despite looking and tasting like something from a fancy bakery, this easy apple spice cake is wonderfully straightforward to make. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting your baking journey, this recipe will guide you to success every single time.

Why This Apple Spice Cake a Dream

Let me tell you what makes this the best apple cake recipe you’ll find:

Unbelievably Moist Crumb: The secret? A generous amount of sour cream (or yogurt) works together with fresh apples to create a tender, impossibly moist cake that stays fresh for days. This isn’t one of those dry cakes that crumbles apart—every forkful is pure, soft perfection.

Perfectly Spiced: I’ve spent years perfecting the spice blend in this cinnamon apple cake. The warm embrace of cinnamon leads the way, supported by nutmeg’s subtle sweetness and just a whisper of ginger and allspice. It’s autumn in every bite, without any single spice overwhelming the others.

Loaded with Fresh Apples: We’re not skimping here! Every slice is generously studded with tender pieces of apple that add natural sweetness, moisture, and those lovely little bursts of fruit throughout the cake.

Dreamy Cream Cheese Frosting: This tangy, sweet, utterly luxurious frosting is the perfect complement to the spiced cake. It’s that classic apple cake with cream cheese frosting combination that just works—the slight tang balancing the sweetness beautifully.

Makes Your House Smell Amazing: Forget expensive candles. This moist apple spice cake baking in your oven creates the best kind of autumn potpourri. Your home will smell absolutely divine, and your family will come running to the kitchen.

Foolproof & Easy to Follow: I’ve written this recipe with crystal-clear instructions that work every single time. No mysterious steps, no complicated techniques—just a reliable, tested recipe that delivers perfect results for bakers of any skill level.

Apple Spice Cake Recipe Overview

Chef’s Tip: While the total time looks long, most of it is hands-off cooling time. The actual work takes less than an hour, making this truly an easy apple spice cake that fits into a busy schedule!

The Best Apples for Baking

One of the questions I get asked most often is: “What are the best apples for cake?” It’s such an important question because the right apple variety makes all the difference in your fall cake recipe.

You want apples that hold their shape during baking and offer a good balance of sweet and tart flavors. Here are my top recommendations:

• Honeycrisp: Sweet with a hint of tartness, they hold their shape beautifully and add wonderful flavor
• Granny Smith: The classic baking apple with a firm texture and tart flavor that balances the cake’s sweetness
• Braeburn: Crisp and slightly spicy-sweet, they’re perfect for this spiced cake
• Gala: Mildly sweet and tender, they blend beautifully into the batter
• Jonagold: A fantastic all-purpose baking apple with balanced sweet-tart flavor

Pro tip: I love using a combination of two varieties—perhaps a Honeycrisp with a Granny Smith—for more complex, layered apple flavor.

Diced vs. Shredded Apples

You have two options for preparing your apples, and both work beautifully:

Diced apples (my preference for this recipe): Creates distinct, tender apple pieces throughout the cake. You’ll bite into lovely little morsels of fruit. Peel and dice into ½-inch pieces.

Shredded apples: Distributes apple flavor more evenly throughout and adds even more moisture. The apple essentially melts into the cake. Use the large holes on a box grater.

Apple Spice Cake Ingredients

Let me walk you through exactly what you’ll need for this incredible moist apple spice cake. I’ve included measurements in standard US cups and spoons for easy following.

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Key Ingredients

• For the Apple Spice Cake:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour (300g) – see my tip below on proper measuring

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves (optional, for extra warmth)

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened (1½ sticks)

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar (200g)

• ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup sour cream or full-fat plain yogurt, at room temperature (this is our moisture secret!)

• 3 cups peeled and diced apples (about 3 medium apples or 450g)

• For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (1 block – this MUST be block-style, not spreadable!)

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)

• 3½ to 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (420-480g)

• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

Chef’s Tip: Room temperature ingredients are absolutely crucial for this recipe! Softened butter, room-temperature eggs, and room-temperature sour cream create a smooth, evenly mixed batter that bakes up perfectly tender. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to curdle or mix unevenly. For the frosting, properly softened cream cheese and butter are the secret to a lump-free, silky-smooth result. Take them out of the refrigerator about 1-2 hours before you start baking.

How To Make Apple Spice Cake

Let me guide you through making this beautiful fall baking masterpiece. Take your time, follow these steps, and you’ll have perfect results!

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Instructions

• Prep Your Pan and Oven
  Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your 9×13 inch pan (or two 8-9 inch round pans) generously with butter or baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal, then grease the parchment too. Lightly dust with flour, tapping out any excess. This double insurance means your cake will release beautifully.
• Prepare Your Apples
  Peel, core, and dice your apples into ½-inch pieces. Place them in a bowl and set aside. If you’re working ahead, toss them with a tiny splash of lemon juice to prevent browning, but this isn’t necessary if you’re using them right away.
• Mix the Dry Ingredients
  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Whisk thoroughly to ensure the spices and leavening agents are evenly distributed. Set aside.
  Chef’s Tip: To properly measure flour, use the “spoon and level” method. Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge. Never scoop directly from the bag or pack it down—this can result in too much flour and a dry cake.
• Cream Butter and Sugars
  In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes. You want this mixture light, fluffy, and noticeably paler in color. This creaming process incorporates air, which helps create that tender crumb we’re after.
• Add Eggs and Vanilla
  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. The mixture should look smooth and cohesive.
• Alternate Dry and Wet Ingredients
  With your mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. The pattern looks like this:
  Add ⅓ of dry ingredients, mix just until combined
  Add ½ of sour cream, mix just until combined
  Add ⅓ of dry ingredients, mix just until combined
  Add remaining sour cream, mix just until combined
  Add remaining dry ingredients, mix just until combined
  Chef’s Tip: Here’s where the “don’t overmix” mantra becomes critical! Mix only until you can’t see any more flour streaks. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes your cake tough and dense instead of tender. When in doubt, err on the side of slightly undermixed—a few small flour streaks are better than an overworked batter.
• Fold in the Apples
  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the diced apples into the batter. Use a folding motion—cutting down through the center, sweeping along the bottom, and bringing the spatula up and over. This gentle technique distributes the apples evenly without deflating the batter.
• Bake to Perfection
  Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan(s). Smooth the top with your spatula.
  For a 9×13 pan: Bake for 40-45 minutes For two 8-inch round pans: Bake for 30-35 minutes For two 9-inch round pans: Bake for 28-32 minutes
  Your cake is done when:
  The top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched
  A toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter)
  The edges are pulling slightly away from the pan
• Cool Completely
  This step requires patience, but it’s absolutely non-negotiable! Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. Then, carefully turn it out onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, and let it cool completely—this takes at least 2 hours.
  Why this matters: If you frost a warm cake, the cream cheese frosting will melt into a puddle. I know waiting is hard when your kitchen smells so incredible, but trust me on this!
• Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
  In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the bowl.
  With the mixer on low, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Once all the sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and salt. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy, and incredibly smooth.
  Chef’s Tip: If your frosting has lumps, it means your cream cheese or butter wasn’t soft enough. Let it sit at room temperature for another 30 minutes, then beat again. For perfectly smooth frosting, both ingredients should leave a slight indent when you press them with your finger—soft but not greasy or melting.
• Step 11: Frost and Decorate
  Place your cooled cake on a serving platter. If making a layer cake, place the first layer on your stand, spread with about ⅓ of the frosting, add the second layer, then frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
  For a sheet cake, simply spread all the frosting evenly across the top, creating beautiful swirls with your spatula.
  Optional decorative touches:
  Sprinkle with a light dusting of cinnamon
  Arrange chopped pecans or walnuts around the edges
  Add a drizzle of caramel sauce
  Garnish with thin apple slices (brush with lemon juice to prevent browning)

Tips for Apple Spice Cake Success

Let me share some professional secrets that will guarantee your best apple cake recipe turns out perfectly every time:

The Tender Crumb Secret: Overmixing is the enemy of a tender cake. Once you add the flour, mix only until combined. Those few extra seconds of mixing can be the difference between a light, tender crumb and a tough, dense cake.

Room Temperature = Smooth Frosting: I cannot stress this enough—both the cream cheese and butter must be fully softened for lump-free cream cheese frosting. Set them out 1-2 hours before you need them. If you’re in a rush, cut them into small pieces to speed softening (but never microwave cream cheese for frosting—it will get grainy!).

The Proper Flour Measure: Always use the spoon-and-level method for measuring flour. Scooping directly from the bag packs too much flour into your cup, resulting in a dry, dense cake. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with a straight edge.

Apple Prep Timing: Dice your apples just before you need them, or toss them with a bit of lemon juice. Apples oxidize (turn brown) when exposed to air, and while this doesn’t affect flavor, brown apples in your batter aren’t as appealing.

The Cooling Rule: This bears repeating because it’s so important—your cake must be 100% completely cool before frosting. Even slightly warm cake will cause the frosting to slide right off. When in doubt, wait longer. You can even refrigerate the cooled cake layers for 30 minutes before frosting to be extra sure.

Don’t Skimp on Quality: Use real butter (not margarine), full-fat sour cream or yogurt (not low-fat), and block cream cheese (not spreadable). Quality ingredients make a noticeable difference in this moist apple cake.

Delicious Variations & Topping Ideas

One of the joys of this easy apple spice cake is how adaptable it is! Here are some wonderful ways to make it your own:

Add Nuts

Fold ¾ to 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the apples. The nuts add wonderful texture and that classic fall flavor combination.

Caramel Apple Spice Cake

Once your cake is frosted, drizzle with homemade or store-bought caramel sauce. The caramel-apple-cinnamon combination is absolutely heavenly. For extra decadence, sprinkle with a touch of flaky sea salt.

No Frosting? No Problem!

If you prefer a simpler approach (or just aren’t a frosting person), this cinnamon apple spice cake is beautiful and delicious with:

• A simple dusting of powdered sugar
• A vanilla glaze (1 cup powdered sugar + 2-3 tablespoons milk + ½ teaspoon vanilla)
• Served warm with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Streusel-Topped Apple Spice Cake

For a bakery-style crumb topping instead of frosting, sprinkle this streusel over the batter before baking:

Mix together:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

Use your fingers to work the mixture until crumbly, then scatter over the unbaked cake. Bake as directed (you may need an additional 5 minutes).

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Replace 1-2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar with pure maple syrup for a lovely maple flavor that complements the apples beautifully.

How To Store Your Apple Spice Cake

This fresh apple spice cake recipe is wonderful for planning ahead, making it perfect for holiday entertaining!

Storing Frosted Cake

Because of the cream cheese frosting, your finished cake needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or place it in a cake carrier. It will stay fresh and delicious for 4-5 days.

Before serving: Remove the cake from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before serving. The flavor and texture are best when the cake comes to room temperature—it becomes more tender and the flavors bloom.

Make-Ahead Tips

Bake the cake layers ahead: You can bake your unfrosted cake up to 2 days in advance. Let it cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature. Frost the day you plan to serve.

Prep the frosting ahead: Make your cream cheese frosting up to 3 days ahead and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Before using, let it come to room temperature and give it a quick beat with your mixer to restore its fluffy texture.

Freezing Instructions

Unfrosted cake: Wrap cooled cake layers individually in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before frosting.

Frosted cake: This is trickier but doable! Freeze the frosted cake uncovered for 1 hour until the frosting is firm, then wrap carefully in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, still wrapped, before serving.

FAQs About Apple Spice Cake

Can I use applesauce instead of fresh apples?

While I strongly recommend fresh apples for the best texture and apple flavor in this moist apple spice cake, you could replace 1 cup of the diced apples with ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce. However, you’ll lose those lovely pieces of tender apple throughout the cake. I’d suggest keeping at least 2 cups of diced fresh apples in the recipe.

Why is my cake dry?

A dry cake usually results from one of three culprits:

• Overbaking: Check your cake 5 minutes before the minimum time listed, as oven temperatures vary
• Too much flour: This is why the spoon-and-level measuring method is so important
• Overmixing: This develops too much gluten, resulting in a tough, dry texture

Follow the recipe carefully, check for doneness early, and mix gently—you’ll have a perfectly moist cake every time!

Can I use a different size pan?

Yes, with some adjustments:

• Two 9-inch rounds instead of 8-inch: Your layers will be slightly thinner; reduce baking time by about 5 minutes
• Bundt pan: This batter works beautifully in a 10-12 cup bundt pan; bake for 45-55 minutes
• Three 6-inch rounds for a tall layer cake: Bake for 25-28 minutes

Always use the toothpick test to check for doneness when changing pan sizes!

Can I reduce the sugar?

I’ve carefully balanced this recipe for optimal moisture, texture, and flavor. While you could reduce the sugar by up to ¼ cup total (reducing from both the brown and white sugar proportionally), keep in mind that sugar doesn’t just add sweetness—it also contributes to moisture and tender texture. Reducing it too much may result in a drier, denser cake.

How do I make this apple cake with cream cheese frosting gluten-free?

You can substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend that contains xanthan gum. The cake may be slightly more delicate in texture, but it will still be delicious!

A Sweet Autumn Conclusion

There’s something profoundly satisfying about pulling a golden, fragrant apple spice cake from the oven and knowing you’ve created something truly special. This isn’t just dessert—it’s the feeling of crisp autumn mornings, of harvest time abundance, of gathering around the table with people you love. It’s comfort, tradition, and pure deliciousness all baked into one perfect cake.

This fall cake recipe has become my go-to for every autumn occasion. Whether I’m bringing it to a Thanksgiving potluck, baking it for a cozy Sunday dinner, or making it just because I found beautiful apples at the farmers market, it never fails to bring smiles and requests for the recipe. The combination of tender, spiced cake studded with fresh apples and crowned with that luscious cream cheese frosting—it’s simply perfection.

I hope this becomes a cherished recipe in your baking collection too. I hope you make it when the first autumn chill hits the air, when your apple basket is overflowing, and when you need to bring comfort to your table. I hope you share it with the people you love and create warm, delicious memories together.

Now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear how your apple spice cake turns out. Did you add pecans? Try the caramel drizzle? Bake it in a bundt pan? Leave a comment below and share your experience—I read every single one and love connecting with fellow bakers. And if you love this recipe as much as I do, please share it with your friends and family. Let’s spread the joy of fall baking together!

Happy baking, dear friends. May your kitchen always smell like cinnamon and apples, and may your heart be as full as your cake stand.

More Quick and Easy Cake Recipes

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• Eggnog Pound Cake Recipe