This apple fritter cake recipe has all the flavor of fried fritters—even the icing! But no frying is needed since the buttery, rich treat bakes in the oven.
Apple Fritter Cake
Updated on Nov. 25, 2024
Any bakery or apple orchard worth its salt has fresh apple fritters: soft, craggy donuts with chunks of apple, fried to a deep brown then covered with a gleaming coat of icing. But if the bakery runs out, it’s no problem—our apple fritter cake recipe has all that decadent flavor, even the sweet glaze, with no frying required.
Apple fritter cake recipes start with chopped apples tossed in butter and cinnamon, and then you add apple cider and applesauce for even more apple flavor. This is one of our favorite easy apple desserts, and apple fritter cake is also quite tasty as a special breakfast treat or an afternoon snack.
Ingredients for Apple Fritter Cake
- Apples: The best types of apples for baking have some tartness (to balance the sugar) and hold up well in the oven. If you’re trying to figure out how many apples make a cup, one medium-sized apple equals about 1-1/3 cups cubed apple.
- Brown sugar: If your brown sugar has dried out, don’t worry: You can save it. Soften brown sugar with foods like bread, marshmallows or sliced apples.
- Spices: For the apples and the cake, use your favorite type of cinnamon, like spicy Vietnamese or mild Ceylon (but skip brands with high levels of lead in cinnamon). A small amount of nutmeg complements the cinnamon and apple. Use a microplane to grate whole nutmeg for the freshest flavor.
- Melted butter: The chopped apples are tossed in melted butter, along with brown sugar and cinnamon, before they are added to the batter.
- Oil: This cake’s tender texture is due to vegetable oil in the batter. Choose a neutral-flavored oil, such as soybean or sunflower.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is blended with brown sugar to sweeten this recipe for apple fritter cake. (The apples contribute sweetness too!)
- Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs to get a smoother batter and more volume in the baked cake. Take the eggs out of the fridge beforehand, or warm them quickly in hot water.
- Applesauce: Applesauce gives this cake even more apple flavor and helps create a moist and tender crumb.
- Apple cider: Fresh-pressed apple cider has an intense apple flavor that’s delicious in this apple fritter cake recipe. If you don’t have apple cider, use apple juice instead.
- Vanilla extract: The best vanilla extracts have pure vanilla flavor, which is what you want here.
- Flour: For apple fritter cake recipes, use regular all-purpose flour. Sift the flour with the other dry ingredients using a whisk or mesh strainer to remove lumps.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Both powders help the cake rise. Baking powder is activated twice when mixed with liquids and heated in the oven. Acidic ingredients like apple cider and brown sugar activate the baking soda.
- Salt: A little salt in the batter helps enhance the other flavors, making the whole cake more flavorful.
- Glaze: A simple, sweet glaze makes this apple cake taste like fritters. Confectioners’ sugar dissolves smoothly, making it the best choice for this icing. Combine it with milk, plant-based milk or even apple cider.
Directions
Step 1: Coat the apples
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Fold in the apples and set them aside.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13×9-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, beat the oil, sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar at medium speed until the mixture is combined, for one to two minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is pale in color, for two to three minutes.
Beat in the applesauce, apple cider or juice, and vanilla extract until incorporated, one to two minutes.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients and apples
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just incorporated.
Fold in the chopped apples.
Step 4: Bake the cake
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the oven.
Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the cake for 20 minutes. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes every two inches in the cake.
Step 5: Top with the glaze
In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and milk.
Pour or drizzle the glaze over the cake. Slice the cake into squares and serve.
Apple Fritter Cake Variations
- Give it some crunch: Add nuttiness to the cake by stirring chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans into the batter. Toast the nuts first to enhance their flavor.
- Top it with rum sauce: Poke holes in the cake as directed, then cover the top with a hard sauce made with real rum or rum extract.
- Add dried fruit: The flavor of raisins or dried cranberries is a perfect fit with this cake. Stir the dried fruit into the batter with the chopped apples.
- Make a caramel apple cake: Instead of the simple glaze, ice the apple fritter cake with a creamy caramel frosting—if desired, thin it with extra milk to make it more glaze-like.
How to Store Apple Fritter Cake
To keep the apple fritter cake fresh, wrap it tightly or transfer the cake pieces to an airtight food storage container. Because it’s made with fruit, store the apple fritter cake in the fridge to protect the flavor and quality.
How long does apple fritter cake last?
While the apple cake is likely to disappear the same day it’s baked, if there are leftover pieces, they’ll last for three to four days in the fridge. Keep the cake tightly covered to keep it moist.
Can you freeze apple fritter cake?
Yes, you can freeze this apple fritter cake to extend its shelf life. Transfer the cooled cake to a freezer-proof container and cover it tightly. Store the cake in the freezer for up to three months. To defrost, move the container to the fridge and let the cake thaw overnight.
Apple Fritter Cake Tips
What are the best types of apples for apple fritter cake recipes?
While many types of apples can be used in this recipe for apple fritter cake, since the cake is sweet, we recommend a tart variety like Granny Smith, Cortland or Gravenstein. These apples hold their shape for the best texture in the fritter cake.
Can you make apple fritter cake in a different size pan?
This is one of our best 13×9 apple recipes, but it’s also versatile enough to make in other baking pans. Turn the apple fritter cake into a skillet cake by pouring the batter into an extra-large cast-iron skillet or another oven-proof skillet. You can also divide the batter between two 9-inch round pans or 8-inch square pans. The cake will bake more quickly in these smaller pans, so check it with a tester after about 30 minutes.
What can you serve with apple fritter cake?
Apple fritter cake recipes are delicious with scoops of ice cream, whether the best vanilla ice cream brand or an easy homemade three-ingredient ice cream. The cake is also delicious with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy a slice of apple cake with a cup of chai tea or slow-cooker apple cider.
Glazed Apple Fritter Cake
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
45 min
Yield
15 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups chopped peeled apple
- CAKE:
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider or juice
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- GLAZE:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Fold in chopped apples, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat oil, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until combined, 1-2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixture is pale in color, 2-3 minutes. Beat in applesauce, apple cider or juice and vanilla extract until incorporated, 1-2 minutes.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Gradually add dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just incorporated. Fold in chopped apples.
- Pour batter into greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 20 minutes. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes every 2 inches in cake.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour glaze onto cake. Slice into squares and serve.
Nutrition Facts
1 slice: 354 calories, 18g fat (3g saturated fat), 42mg cholesterol, 217mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate (28g sugars, 1g fiber), 4g protein.
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Enjoy the classic fall flavors you crave in a fantastic from-scratch cake. Glaze when it's still warm to create that irresistible fritter-like finish. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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