Warm and cozy apple fritter cake is just the dessert for apple season! It has all the flavor of an apple fritter but without all the effort of frying individual donuts. The cinnamon brown sugar cake is SO soft and moist with sweet spiced apples swirled throughout and a thin, sticky glaze to finish it off. It's truly a slice of warm and cozy on your plate!

apple fritter cake on parchment lined wire rack

If you know me (or literally spend 5 minutes with me) odds are I'm going to let you know that I hate summer. And I'm always either waiting for fall or enjoying fall (for like all 2 days it goes on).

Because of that, apples are really a girl's best friend since they're available all year round. And this apple fritter cake is perfect for any time of year (but it's especially a fun cold weekend baking project!)

It's layers of soft, spongy, and CRAZY moist brown sugar cake, sweet spiced apples, and a sticky icing on top. It really feels like the classic fried dessert in terms of flavor but so much easier to make - with all of it just dropped into a square pan and baked to perfection.

sliced apple fritter cake on parchment lined wire rack

apple fritter cake ingredients

To make this apple fritter cake, you'll need a few simple ingredients. Nothing fancy, but all of them come together into apple cake perfection:

Apples - Obviously! The star of the show! I go into more detail about some of the best apple varieties below.
Brown sugar & powdered sugar - We're using brown sugar for both the apples and for the cake. It adds a hint of warm molasses flavor and also makes for an extra moist cake! You'll also need powdered sugar for the icing.
Spices - You can really get creative with what spices you use! I personally went the traditional route and used cinnamon and nutmeg for that classic apple pie flavor.
Butter & oil - The ultimate cake duo. This cake is made with mostly butter plus a tiny bit of oil. The butter adds flavor while the oil keeps the cake moist and spongy!
Eggs
Sour cream - It adds richness and makes the cake extra moist! It also helps the cake rise because the acidity in it helps activate the baking soda. You can CLICK HERE to see how to make a sour cream substitute using regular yogurt if that's all you have.
Vanilla
Flour
Baking powder & soda
Salt
Milk - A splash is added to the cake batter to thin it to the right consistency. Then you'll also need a tiny bit of milk or water for the icing (either one works).

sliced apple fritter cake on parchment lined wire rack with spatula lifting one slice up

best apples for fritter cake

When choosing an apple for baking or cooking, you want a variety that has just the right balance of sweetness and tang and one that holds up well to heat without breaking down into something mushy / grainy.

A few great options include Honeycrisp (which is what I used here), Granny Smith (my other go to), Pink Lady, Fuji, or Braeburn apples. Each one has a slightly different level of sweetness, so pick one that matches what you like to eat. You can even mix and match and use several different varieties.

Avoid apple varieties like Red Delicious or Gala - these can break down a lot when they're heated and tend to bake up mushy or grainy.

As for prepping the apples, after washing, you can choose to either peel the apples or leave the skin on. I personally left the skin on (~~because I was lazy~~) because it adds some color! Core the apples then cut into roughly ½" sized cubes. You can cut them slightly smaller if you want less bite to them or slighty larger for a chunkier cake.

apple fritter cake chopped apples on wooden cutting board

apple fritter cake apple mixture tossed together in bowl

how to make apple fritter cake

This apple fritter cake looks like a fancy, complicated dessert - but it's honestly SO easy to make! It starts with tossing together all of the ingredients for the apple layer to combine - then you can work on the batter.

The brown sugar cake batter comes together in one bowl and is easy enough to whisk by hand. It simply involves whisking together the wet ingredients (minus the milk) then alternating mixing in the dry ingredients and milk (half dry - all milk - remaining dry).

The cake batter and apple mixture are then layered together in a pan and they're ready to bake!

Lastly, after the cake is baked up and cooled slightly, the simple powdered sugar icing is made by whisking together sugar and water / milk to make a smooth glaze. It's then drizzled over the cake to finish everything off.

apple fritter cake wet ingredients whisked together in bowl

apple fritter cake batter and spiced apples layered together in baking pan before baking

baked and iced apple fritter cake in baking pan

Although this recipe is so so easy to make, for the best results, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Measuring the flour: Whenever possible, it's always best to measure flour with a scale to ensure you have the right amount. If you prefer to measure with cups, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the cup. Don't scoop the cup itself directly into the bag of flour or this will pack it in and leave you with more weight per cup! Mismeasured flour is one of the most common culprits behind dry, brittle cakes!
Room temperature ingredients: To ensure the batter whips together properly, make sure all the fridge ingredients are at room temperature before you mix them together. Using cold ingredients will cause the melted butter to seize and will leave you with chunks of butter in the batter. These create pockets in the batter and will cause the cake to bake up with an uneven texture.
Mixing the batter: Once the flour is added to the cake batter, it's important to watch out for overmixing. Overmixing will overwork the gluten in the flour and create a tougher, denser cake.
Baking: This cake is VERY difficult to overbake. But to know when it's ready to come out of the oven, the surface should be puffed and golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center should come out with a few moist cake crumbs but no wet batter.
Icing: The best time to ice the cake is when it's a little warm but not too hot. If it's too hot, the cake will just absorb / melt the icing. You could also ice the cake when it's room temperature if you prefer, but I like serving the cake warm so that's when I ice mine.

FAQs

Can you make this cake with other fruits?
Yes! Any fruit with a similar texture to apples would work really well here! Pears would be the closest alternative but peaches would also be really good for a summery twist.

Can you use canned apples?
I personally find they get a little too soft, so I would recommend sticking with fresh.

Can you use other spices?
Yes! Feel free to use whatever spices you like. Chai spice mix would also go SO well here!

Can you use granulated sugar or dark brown?
Brown sugar offers more moisture and flavor, so I would stick with light brown or dark brown.

How do you store apple fritter cake?
Once the cake has fully cooled to room temperature, cover tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days. It can technically keep longer, but the apples will cause the cake to soften as they sit. If they sit for too long, the cake can become TOO moist.

check out these other apple recipes!

• Easy Apple Crisp
• Apple Pie Cookies
• Apple Crumb Muffins
• Apple Coffee Cake
• Apple Crumble Cheesecake
• Baked Apple Donuts

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

Apple Fritter Cake

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Author: Mimi
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 1 (9x9") cake

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Description

Ingredients

For the spiced apples:

2 cups (220g) honey crisp apples, diced
¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the brown sugar cake:

½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral flavored oil)
1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup (120g) full fat sour cream, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups (290g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (120g) milk, room temperature

For the icing:

1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoon water or milk

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Instructions

Spiced Apples:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9x9" baking pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
Prep the apples: You can peel them or leave the peel on (whatever you prefer). Wash, core, and dice 1-2 large apples until you have 2 cups worth of chopped pieces.
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the spiced apples and toss to coat. The sugar will look quite dry sitting on the apples but it will dissolve slightly as they sit. Set aside.

Brown sugar cake:

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, oil, brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
Add in about half of the flour along with all the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until it's mostly combined, but stop while there are still a few dry streaks of flour.
Mix in all of the milk followed by the remaining flour. You should have a streak free batter now. Be careful not to overmix.
Pour about half of the cake batter into your prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
Give the apple layer another little toss with a spoon - the sugar should be mostly dissolved and you should have a sticky syrup on the bottom. Spoon about half of apples over the cake batter in your pan. They won't fully cover the batter.
Drop small scoops of the remaining cake batter evenly on top, trying your best to cover as much of the apples as you can - but it's OK if they're not fully covered. Lastly, spoon over the remaining apples and any syrupy juice in the bowl.
Bake the apple fritter cake in the center of your preheated 350F oven for 55-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
Cool the cake in the pan for 45 minutes before making the icing.

Icing:

In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of water until smooth and pourable. If the icing is too thick, mix in a splash more water until it reaches your desired consistency.
Drizzle the icing over the slightly warm cake. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to set and then slice and serve!