Apple Snacking Cake

From mixing bowl to your mouth in just an hour

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 45 mins

Cooling Time: 30 mins

Total: 90 mins

Servings: 9 to 12 servings

Yield: 1 8-inch square cake

Allow me to introduce you to your new favorite fall cake, the only cake you’ll need—or want—to bake all autumn long: apple snacking cake.

What Is a Snacking Cake?

A snacking cake, for those not in the know, is an easy-peasy cake, typically assembled in a single bowl, as this one here is, with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry, or can easily find at your local grocery store, and baked in an 8 or 9-inch square pan.

Snacking cakes are the kind of cakes you make when a sweets craving hits and needs to be satiated, stat (ie: this apple cake is literally assembled and baked in less than an hour). A snacking cake, and this apple one in particular, is not an all-day “project bake,” but a spontaneous, “I need cake,” weeknight bake.

And not only is it a speedy cake to prepare, it is also delicious: a cinnamon-scented moist cake, with a soft crumb, studded with chunks of tart apples that turn jammy while baked. We like granny smith here, as they are crisp and tart and not only hold their shape post-bake, but offer a wonderful flavor contrast to the sweet cake.

How To Make Apple Snacking Cake

To make this simple cake, you merely whisk together melted butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and a little milk. You sprinkle in your baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, fold in your flour, transfer the batter to the pan, and decoratively place your chopped apples over the top.

Turbinado sugar, or raw sugar, is a wonderful last minute addition to the cake pre-bake, as it provides gorgeous sparkle and a delightful crunch. The most labor-intensive part of making this cake is the peeling, coring, and chopping of the apples. Once you’ve done that, the rest is smooth (scrumptious) sailing.

How To Serve Apple Snacking Cake

Serve slices with just a dusting of confectioners' sugar, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of softly whipped and slightly sweetened cream.

Tips for Baking Up A Perfect Apple Snacking Cake

Don’t overheat your butter—To melt the butter AND cool it simultaneously, stop melting the butter when you still see visible butter chunks. Then whisk the chunks in to melt them.
How to cut your parchment—Be sure to cut the parchment into a long strip, only as wide as the pan’s bottom so that you can use the overhang to easily lift the cake from the pan.
Peel then slice—Be sure to peel your apples before you slice them!

Make Ahead

This apple snacking cake can be made up to one day in advance.

«This apple snacking cake is wonderful with tea or coffee. The flavors remind me of fall, but I’ll definitely be making this year-round. I love the Granny Smith apple chunks, which sink into the top of the cake while it bakes. This is a great way to use any apple in your fruit bin.» —Diana Andrews

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, more for the pan
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (90 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks, about a rounded cup
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sprinkling, optional
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting, optional

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F.
Grease an 8-inch square cake pan with butter. Line with a long piece of parchment paper that extends up and over two opposite sides of the pan.
Whisk together 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (90 grams) packed light brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract in a large bowl until combined.
Whisk in 2 large eggs, one at a time, and then 1/2 cup whole milk.
Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt into the bowl one at a time, vigorously whisking after each addition.
Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour with a flexible spatula just until the last streak disappears.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or butter knife.
Scatter 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks over the batter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, if using.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway point. The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb or two.
Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let cool until you can safely touch the edges of the pan without burning yourself, about 10 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan by the parchment overhang, running a butter knife around the edges if it resists.
Let cool to room temperature before removing and discarding the parchment paper. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the cake, if using. Slice and serve.

How To Store and Freeze Apple Cake

The cake will keep tightly wrapped in plastic wrap on the counter for up to 3 days. Or it can be frozen for up to a month in a zippered plastic bag. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

Use other fruits—You can substitute a variety of fruit for the apples: pears, peaches, even mixed berries.
Use oil instead of butter—You may substitute oil for the butter.
Experiment with spices—Ground cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, or allspice can be used instead of the cinnamon.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories	217
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g	12%
Saturated Fat 5g	26%
Cholesterol 52mg	17%
Sodium 169mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 31g	11%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 63mg	5%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 73mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.