Apple Spice Cake

Apple Spice Cake

This apple spice cake is delicious and super moist and the cinnamon cream cheese glaze on top sends it right over the top!

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An apple spice cake on a cake stand with two pieces of cake on two white plates in front and a couple of apples on the side.

What Apples to use for Apple Spice Cake

If you’re looking for a delicious coffee cake or a dessert to serve in apple season, here it is! This apple spice cake is easy to make and with the decadent cinnamon cream cheese frosting, it will become a fan favorite in your house every fall. You can really use any apple you like for the cake, but I prefer Honeycrisp, Red Delicious or Pink Lady for this recipe. If you’re curious about the best use for each apple variety, check out my apple chart which tells you how best to use each type of apple. 

Ingredients for apple spice cake on a wooden counter, including wet ingredients in a bowl, dry ingredients in a bowl, apples diced in a bowl and a floured angel food cake pan with a red and white checked kitchen towel.

Spices for Apple Spice Cake

The spices for Apple Spice Cake are exactly what you’d expect them to be: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and allspice. These fall flavors shine in this cake, giving it a burst of spice reminiscent of the season. Whisk them into the dry ingredients before adding everything to the wet ingredients and stirring just until no more streaks of white remain.

Transferring apple spice cake batter to an angel food cake pan.

What Pan to Use for Apple Spice Cake

There are options. Ideally, you want to use a tube pan for this cake, but it could be an angel food cake or a Bundt® pan if that’s what you have at home. If you don’t have a tube pan (one with a hole in the middle), then of course you can bake this cake in a 9-inch cake pan or 9 x 13-inch pan, but the timing will need to be tweaked. It will take a little longer to bake, so add 10 to 15 minutes and check the cake with a skewer inserted into the center of the cake. It should come out clean with no batter on it. 

Baked but un-iced apple spice cake on a cake stand.

Frosting for Apple Spice Cake

You don’t have to top the cake with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting, but I will say that the frosting for this apple spice cake is just delicious! How can you go wrong with cream cheese? Do yourself a favor and make sure the cream cheese and butter are room temperature before you try to beat it all together. If you don’t want the full monty on this cake, you can dust the top with powdered sugar instead, which really is very pretty too.

Hands dusting an apple spice cake with powdered sugar.

Storing and Freezing Apple Spice Cake

If you want to make this cake ahead of time, no problem! You can bake it, but don’t ice it. Wrap it well and store in the refrigerator for a couple of days, or freeze it for up to three months (well-wrapped!). Then, defrost or bring the cake to room temperature and either dust with powdered sugar or pour over that delicious cream cheese frosting and enjoy!

 

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Apple Spice Cake

Nutrition Info Print Recipe
  • Prep Time: 20 m
  • Cook Time: 55 m
  • Total Time: 1 h 15 m
  • Servings:
    12
    people

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup oil
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 cups diced apples 2 to 3 Honey Crisp and Red Delicious or Pink Lady
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze:
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 ounces butter room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a tube pan (angel food cake pan) or Bundt pan with butter and dust with flour. Shake off the excess flour.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in a bowl.
  3. In a second bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sour cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture is smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined. Fold in the apples by hand and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes.
  5. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. If using a tube pan, lift the cake out of the pan and allow it to cool for another 30 minutes before unmolding. If using a Bundt pan, cool in the pan for 20 minutes before unmolding by inverting it onto a plate.
  6. To make the glaze place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the cinnamon and powdered sugar, continue to whip until combined. Add 3 tablespoons of milk and vanilla extract and whip into a pourable consistency. Add more milk as needed.
  7. When cake is completely cooled, pour the glaze over the top of the cake allowing some to drip down the sides. Cut into slices to serve.
  8. Store refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Enjoy,
If you made this recipe, please add your comments and ratings below.

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