A rich double apple snack cake made with warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, and ginger – sweet apples on the inside and on top
*This recipe was developed in partnership with Kerrygold USA. All opinions are 100% my own as always. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make Lion’s Bread possible.This
The Best Apples for Baking
There are hundreds of varieties of apples, and some are definitely better suited to baking. You want to bake with apples that are very firm, crisp, and more tart.
Some of my favorite varieties are: Jonagolds, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Braeburn, and Fuji. I usually stay away from Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, because while I think they’re too sweet when paired with rich sour cream cake– they don’t give any of the contrasting tartness that you really need here.
Want more apple recipes? Be sure to check out, Rainbow Apple Galette, Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake, Apple Cider Churros, Apple Cinnamon Sour Cream Pancakes
How to make Double Apple Spice Cake
This cake is really straight forward to make! You could even call it a snack cake because it comes together so quickly, there’s very minimal fuss, and you could have it for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert! Truly my favorite kind of cake.
First you’ll start by combining the sugars, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and melted butter in a large bowl, and whisk to combine really well. Then, mix up your flour, kosher salt, baking powder, and spices in a another medium size bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and use a spatula to incorporate. Next, add the diced apples to the batter before the flour is fully incorporated, and fold in.
Pour the batter into a prepared 8×8″ pan. Smooth out the top using an offset spatula, and shingle the remaining apples on top. Finally, you’re going to bake the cake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes, then sprinkle it with powdered sugar once it has cooled. It’s that simple!
PRO TIP: Be sure not to over mix the batter after you add the apples! If you over mix the batter, you could start to develop the gluten in the flour which will make your cake chewy, instead of tender and soft. Less is more 🙂
Ingredients
- Brown Sugar – I prefer to use dark brown sugar in most of my baking, and this recipe is now exception. The extra added molasses adds a real caramel flavor that goes really well with the apples.
- Organic Large AA eggs – Make sure your Large eggs are at room temperature. Room temperature eggs will incorporate into the batter much better. Forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge? No problem. Just fill a tall glass with hot water, and submerge the eggs in the hot water for about 3-4 minutes, and voila! Use organic free range eggs if you can. There’s a significant difference in flavor, quality, and richness. You can tell a lot by the color of the yolk. A deep orange yolk says a lot! It means that the egg is more nutrient dense, and that the chicken likely had a nutritious, varied diet.
- Sour Cream – I use full fat sour cream for these muffins. the sour cream makes the crumb super tender and moist. If you don’t sour cream, use Greek yogurt in a pinch.
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour – I love to use unbleached all purpose flour from King Arthur Baking Company here. It gives the cake a light, tender crumb, and works very well with the juicy apples. I would NOT substitute a whole grain flour here, as it would yield a heavier, dense cake.
- Ground Spices – I try to buy whole spices when possible and then grind them myself in small quantities to maintain the freshness and flavor. Or if I’m buying them ground, I like to buy smaller jars. Since ground spices tend to go stale and lose their freshness when sitting in jars at room temperature, I store them in the fridge or in a cool, dry place.
ingredients
How to Store
Any leftovers of this Double Apple Spice Cake are best stored at cool room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. That being said, I definitely recommend enjoying it the same day that it is baked.
Make sure to tag me @lions.bread on Instagram and comment below if you make this Double Apple Spice Cake. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Make this cake? Leave a comment below!
Double Apple Spice Cake
Rich Apple Snack Cake made with warm spices and sour cream
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream full fat
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 stick salted butter 8 tablespoons, melted
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 3 apples 1 peeled and diced, 2 sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8x8” cake pan with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- To a large bowl, add the brown sugar and eggs. Whisk for about a minute until thoroughly combined and creamy. Add the sour cream, pure vanilla extract, and melted butter. Whisk well.
- In a separate medium size bowl, combine the all purpose flour, kosher salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and allspice. Whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold in gently. Before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add the diced apples to the bowl. Continue to fold in until no streaks of flour remain.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan, then use an offset spatula to smooth out the top. Shingle the thinly sliced apples on top of the cake batter. The sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown, and the apples on top are soft.
Recipe Notes
This cake is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Allow the cake to come back to room temperature before serving, and sprinkle with more powdered sugar.
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