This simple vanilla apple cake is one of my favourite Autumn bakes – delicious with a cup of tea or serve with lashings of vanilla custard for a cosy pudding!
I’m all about baking with apples and pumpkin right now. There’s just something about those cosy Autumn flavours that make me feel happy. For instance, these salted caramel apple and cinnamon scones are perfect for this time of year, as are these pumpkin spice muffins.
I came across this vanilla apple cake recipe a few years ago in Good Food magazine. It looked so inviting in the picture – a deep, fluffy looking sponge, topped with sliced apples and a sprinkling of crunchy demerara sugar. The picture just screamed “bake me now” so that’s exactly what I did.
My cake definitely didn’t look as pretty as the one in the magazine, but once I tasted it I really didn’t care. Buttery and light with a deep vanilla flavour, the cinnamon sugar topped apples which had softened in the heat of the oven….I was completely sold.
As lovely as the original recipe is, I’ve slightly adapted it. Instead of merely crowning the top of the cake with sliced apples, I’ve also added some apple chunks to the sponge as well, so you’re getting apples in each and every bite.
If you’re looking for a nice, simple apple sponge, look no further. It’s easy enough to make for even the most inexperienced baker.
vanilla apple cake ingredients
- butter. You can use block butter or a baking spread such as Stork. Whatever you use, it must be soft so it creams easily with the sugar.
- caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- self raising flour
- vanilla extract
- fresh eating apples. I used Gala but you can use any kind of apple you like.
- demarara sugar and ground cinnamon, for sprinkling over the top of the cake
what kind of apples should i use?
When baking an apple cake or any dessert containing apples, such as this caramel apple bundt cake, apple crumble muffins or these caramel apple cheesecake bars, it’s very important to use apples that will hold up in the heat of the oven.Apples such as Pink Lady, Gala, Braeburn, Granny Smiths or McIntosh apples are all good choices for baking.
Bramley apples cook down to a fluffy, soft consistency when heated, so they are more suitable for making apple sauce or a crumble (this recipe for toffee apple crumble is the ultimate comfort food on a cold, rainy day).
how to make vanilla apple cake
This recipe comes together quickly and easily. It uses the creamed method – in other words, cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs and vanilla, then fold in the flour and chopped apples.
I use an electric hand mixer to make the sponge, but quite frankly, this can be done with a wooden spoon if you don’t mind a little arm workout.
Step one: Start by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Step two: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Step three: Using a large metal spoon, fold in the flour until you have a smooth batter. Take care not to overmix. Finally, fold in the chopped apples.
Step four: Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin and level the top, but don’t worry about making it too perfect.
Step five: Combine the sliced apples with the demerara sugar and ground cinnamon. I place the apples in a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon and mix well with my hands to coat the apples in the cinnamon-sugar.
Step six: Place the sliced apples on top of the cake batter. You can do this in a decorative fashion if you feel like it, but most of the time I just arrange them on top. The sponge puffs up and bakes around the apples anyway, so any pattern is kind of lost once the cake is baked
Step seven: Bake the cake at 180C/160Fan for 40-50 minutes, or until it is golden, shrinking away from the edges of the tin and springs back when lightly pressed in the middle.
Leave in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the tin. Allow the cake to cool almost completely on a wire rack.
Why almost, you might ask? Well, I feel it is my duty to tell you that this cake is absolutely delicious served slightly warm. It will be quite crumbly to cut and you won’t get very neat slices, but believe me, you won’t care.
storing apple cake
This cake will keep for about two or three days in an airtight container at room temperature. It’s never lasted longer than two days in my house!
recipe notes
As I’ve mentioned above, I like to serve apple cake while it is still slightly warm. I can usually only wait for about one hour after removing it from the oven before having a piece – the aroma of cinnamon, apples and vanilla sponge is pretty hard to resist!
And of course, it goes without saying that apple cake is also lovely served as a dessert with custard or cream – just like the classic Eve’s pudding.
Looking for more easy apple bakes?
Vanilla Apple Cake
A simple but delicious vanilla cake with juicy apple slices and a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping. Using real butter and good quality vanilla extract will give you the best flavour.
Ingredients
- 250g very soft butter
- 250g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- 250g self-raising flour
- 150g apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
- FOR THE TOPPING
- 2-3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges
- 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
- Grease and base line a deep (not a sandwich tin) 23cm round cake tin.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Sieve the flour over the creamed mixture and using a metal spoon, fold the flour in, taking care not to over mix. Fold in the chopped apples.
- When the mixture is smooth, pour into the lined cake tin and level the top.
- Place your apple wedges on top, making a pattern if you like.
- In a small bowl, mix together the demerara sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apples.
- Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for about 15 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool
Notes
I've used a variety of different apples for this recipe and Pink Lady, Bramleys, Gala and Cox's all work beautifully.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 442Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 488mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 3gSugar: 35gProtein: 5g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
I love cakes that easily double as pudding. This looks like delicious simplicity itself!
Thank you Kellie! This cake makes such a lovely pudding ?
Such a cozy and delicious cake. And it does look really pretty too 🙂
Thank you Esha ?
Really love the flavours you’ve used in your cake, so deliciously autumnal.
This looks delicious – I love baking with apples so much.
Thank you Cat ?
Thank you ? Me too, apples are so lovely to bake with. So many options!
If I could eat one cake for the rest of my days I would have a very hard time deciding between apple and chocolate! This looks SOOOO good!
I’m the same…I wouldn’t know what to choose! It would depend on my mood at the time.