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Apple Spice Cake

Apple spice cake with a moist, densely packed crumb studded with grated or finely diced apples, baked until a toothpick comes out clean. Finished with a rich brown butter cream cheese frosting for a golden-brown, warmly spiced slice.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 0.5 tsp cloves
  • 0.5 tsp allspice
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar packed
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 3 cup apples peeled and grated or finely diced
Brown butter cream cheese frosting
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 0.25 cup browned butter browned butter
  • 2.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp milk

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 2 cake pan

Method
 

Prep and bake the cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F, then grease a 9x13 pan or two 9-inch rounds so the cake releases cleanly.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt until the spice blend is evenly distributed.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream until combined and smooth.
  4. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined, then fold in the apples.
  5. Bake for 50-55 minutes in a 9x13 pan or 35-40 minutes for 9-inch rounds, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back.
Cool and frost
  1. Cool the cake completely before frosting so the cream cheese frosting stays thick and doesn’t melt.
  2. Beat the brown butter cream cheese frosting ingredients until smooth, then generously frost the cooled cake.

Notes

Pro tip: for the densest, most even apple distribution, keep the apples peeled and either grate them on the large holes or finely dice them and fold gently until just combined. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze frosted cake slices only if tightly wrapped for up to 2 months. Dietary swap: use a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free version (spice and bake times may vary slightly).