This apple cake lands right in the middle of fruit-to-batter ratio, moist enough to sit on the counter through Thursday, and it comes together in one bowl with a wooden spoon. Any pan you already own will work.
A 13×9 metal dish bakes in 35 minutes; glass drops the oven 25°F and tacks on ten. Either way, three cups of diced Granny Smith, peeled to a quarter inch, keeps the crumb from turning one-dimensional and sweet.
Ingredients
Everything for this cake fits in one bowl with no mixer required.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-3/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil (keeps the crumb moist longer than butter)
- 3 large eggs (the range runs 2-4; 3 lands the texture right in the middle)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 cups diced apples, about 3 medium (peeling is recommended for the best texture; I use 3 cups)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
The apples are the variable.
Two cups gives you a cake with fruit in it; four cups edges toward an apple square held together by batter. Three cups has become my standard.
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Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish or a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment. The parchment saves you from the cake sticking in the corners where a quick grease job always misses.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and whatever spices you’re using. Cinnamon is standard, though I sometimes add a pinch of allspice if the apples are especially sweet.
- In another bowl, stir together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. No mixer needed; a wooden spoon works fine. The mixture will look slightly grainy, which is normal.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet gradually, stirring until just combined. This is where overmixing happens and where tender crumb goes to die. Stop when you no longer see dry flour; small lumps are fine.
- Fold in the chopped apples and walnuts or pecans if you’re using them. The batter is thick and barely coats the fruit, which looks wrong but bakes right.
- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 35 to 70 minutes depending on pan size; a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Start checking at 35 minutes for a 13×9, but a deep round pan can take the full hour.
- Cool on a wire rack before cutting. The texture firms up as it sits, and warm cake falls apart on the knife.
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Apples for Baking
Firm, tart apples are what you want here. Granny Smith is the safest bet, with a bright acidity that cuts through the sugar and keeps the crumb from tasting one-dimensional.
Honeycrisp and Fuji both work too, and a mix of tart and sweet gives the cake more depth than a single variety alone.
Tartness matters because this is a sweet cake.
Without that counterweight, the finished slice turns flat and cloying. The best bakers all say the same thing: peel the apples.
The skin stays tough in a quick-baking cake and never softens enough to disappear into the crumb. Small dice, about ¼ inch, cook through cleanly and let the flavor spread evenly.
Betty Crocker puts the practical point best:
Our top choices for this apple cake recipe are tart baking apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn. They stand up to baking without getting mealy or mushy and their tart flavor pairs beautifully with the sweet flavor of the cake. However, if we’re going to be practical, the best apples to choose are the ones you have readily available!
That last line is worth remembering. Because the apples are diced small, the exact variety matters less than it would in a slab pie or tart where the fruit carries half the visual weight.
Use what is in your drawer, but if you are buying for this recipe, reach for Granny Smith or Braeburn first.
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Baking Time and Doneness
Baking time spreads across a wider stretch than most recipes admit, and the pan in your cabinet is the reason why.
Metal heats fast and gives the edges a light, crisp bite, while glass takes longer to warm and holds that heat, which risks overbaking the sides.
If glass is what you have, drop the oven by 25°F and add five to ten minutes.
An 8-inch square metal pan runs closer to the shorter end of the range; a 9-inch round stays about the same, while a 9 x 9 square bakes faster and needs checking at 55 to 60 minutes.
Loading in extra apple pushes the timer upward too, since the fruit releases moisture as it softens.
The toothpick test still works: a clean pick, or one carrying just a few moist crumbs, means the center is set.
Wait for the top to turn golden and the edges to pull slightly from the pan sides. The one move that undoes tender crumb is overmixing.
Once the flour streaks disappear, set the spoon down. Tough cake comes from working the batter past that point, not from any flaw in the oven.
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Serving and Storage
Cool the cake to room temperature before you try storing it; any lingering warmth traps condensation and turns the crumb gummy.
Once it is fully cool, an airtight container keeps it at room temperature for up to three days. The refrigerator stretches that to five days, though the cinnamon flavor may fade and the top grows stickier over time.
For longer storage, wrap the cooled cake tightly: two layers of plastic wrap followed by foil, or slip it into a resealable freezer bag.
It holds for up to three months frozen. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or leave it on the counter for a few hours, and bring it to room temperature before slicing.
For serving, warm a piece in the microwave, covered, and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. A dusting of powdered sugar works too if you want something simpler.
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Oil or Butter
Oil keeps an apple cake moister for longer than butter does, because it stays liquid at room temperature.
That is why most easy recipes call for a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil. Butter brings more flavor, but it firms up as the cake cools, so the crumb can turn dry and tight by the next morning.
Some bakers split the difference and use half butter, half oil. The oil holds moisture while the butter adds that richer taste.
If you go this route, olive oil works better than you might expect; the cinnamon and apple cover any grassy notes, and you still get the keeping quality that makes an oil-based cake worth the swap.
The Betty Crocker version goes all-in on softened butter for flavor, while the one-bowl recipes from Taste of Home and The Floured Table stick with oil for tenderness and simplicity.
For a weeknight cake that sits on the counter and stays eatable through Thursday, oil wins on moisture. Butter only makes sense if you plan to serve it warm the same day.
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Variations
A plain apple cake needs nothing more than good fruit and a light hand with sugar, but the same batter bends in several directions without extra work.
Double the cinnamon and add a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg if you want the warm, spiced version that reads as classic fall baking.
The French style keeps the batter even simpler, often with less spice and a more custardy crumb that lets the apples themselves do the talking.
Frosting turns the cake into something you could serve after a birthday dinner. Cream cheese frosting spreads well on a fully cooled cake and cuts the sweetness with its tang.
A brown sugar glaze, melted with butter and a pinch of salt, pools into the top and gives you a caramel-apple flavor that works especially well if you under-sweetened the base.
Caramel topping or maple syrup drizzled over individual slices does the job faster.
Nuts fold in without changing anything else about the method; a half cup of toasted pecans or walnuts stirred into the dry ingredients adds textural contrast that the plain cake lacks.
Pears, stone fruit, or berries swap straight across for the apples if that’s what you have. A 13×9-inch pan is standard, but two 9-inch rounds or a 12-inch skillet will bake through in roughly the same window.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What type of apples are best for apple cake?
Granny Smith is the safest choice for this recipe, with Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Braeburn all working well too. A mix of tart and sweet varieties gives the cake more depth than using just one kind.
The apples are diced small, so the exact variety matters less than it would in a pie, but tartness helps cut through the sugar so the crumb does not turn flat and cloying.
Can I freeze apple cake?
Yes, the cake freezes for up to three months. Wrap the fully cooled cake in two layers of plastic wrap followed by foil, or slip it into a resealable freezer bag.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours on the counter, and bring it to room temperature before slicing.
How do I know when the cake is done?
Insert a toothpick in the center; it should come out clean or carrying just a few moist crumbs.
The top will be golden and the edges will pull slightly from the pan sides. Start checking at 35 minutes for a 13×9 pan, but a deep round pan can take a full hour or even 70 minutes.
Do I need to peel the apples?
Yes, peeling is recommended for the best texture.
The skin stays tough in a quick-baking cake and never softens enough to disappear into the crumb. Small dice, about 1/4 inch, cook through cleanly and let the flavor spread evenly through the cake.
Can I use oil instead of butter?
Yes, and this recipe uses oil specifically because it keeps the crumb moist longer than butter does.
Oil stays liquid at room temperature, while butter firms up as the cake cools and can turn the crumb dry and tight by the next morning.
For a cake that stays eatable on the counter through Thursday, oil wins on moisture.
What’s the secret to a perfect apple cake?
Stop stirring as soon as the flour streaks disappear.
Overmixing past that point is what turns the crumb tough; small lumps in the batter are fine. Using tart apples and peeling them before a small dice also keeps the texture and flavor balanced.
What is the best apple cake recipe?
The best apple cake recipe is the one you will actually bake, and this one-bowl, no-mixer method removes most of the barriers.
It uses common pantry ingredients, lets you adjust the apple amount from 2 to 4 cups based on what you have, and bakes in whatever pan you own.
What is an easy and quick recipe for apple cake?
This recipe fits one bowl with no electric mixer needed; a wooden spoon works fine.
The batter comes together in about 10 minutes of active time, and the oven does the rest. A 13×9 pan bakes fastest, starting at 35 minutes, while a deep round pan takes longer.
What is The Pioneer Woman’s best apple cake recipe?
The oil-based, one-bowl method here draws from recipes by Taste of Home, The Floured Table, and Betty Crocker, with Betty Crocker offering a butter-based alternative if you prefer flavor over keeping quality.
