Apple Dapple Cake
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This old-fashioned apple dapple cake recipe is the darling of fall baking. Every moist bite is positively infused with chunks of juicy apple, toasted pecans, and an amazingly sweet and buttery brown sugar glaze.
Mama has been making this old-fashioned apple dapple cake for as long as I can remember. It’s always signaled the arrival of apple season for us! So this apple season, pick some fresh apples and bake this easy apple cake recipe. All you need is typical baking ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs, milk, and butter), plus some chopped pecans for extra crunch.
The wonderful thing about Mama’s vintage apple dapple cake recipe (and I do mean WONDERFUL) is that the resulting flavor is a perfect blend of fresh apples and buttery brown sugar. With the special caramel-like brown sugar soaking sauce poured over the cake and allowed to soak in before removing the cake from the pan, it is by far the moistest and densest cake I’ve ever baked.
As if the flavor (and smell) were not enough, the slices are gorgeous too. Thick slices showcase bits of apple and the slightly granular texture around the edges of the tender crust is brought on by the brown sugar. Don’t you just love the taste of brown sugar? I mean, all on its own, I just love brown sugar. Whenever I am baking with it, I can’t help but get a pinch out for myself. Lucky is the day when I find a few precious lumps within the bag!
If you’ve ever wanted to win someone over through their stomach, THIS cake is a home run. All of our cake recipes are to die for so make sure you check out some of them like Apple Crumble Cake, Chocolate Sundae Cake, Coca-Cola Cake, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, and Sams Club Strawberry Cake (Homemade Recipe).
Recipe Ingredients
- Apples
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Pecans
- Brown sugar
- Milk
- Unsalted butter
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Apple Dapple Cake
In your mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until blended.
You can do this by hand or using an electric mixer. Go with your mood.
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add this to your wet ingredients and mix until blended again.
Like this.
It’s a nice thick dough at this point.
Peel and chop apples into little chunks.
Add chopped apples and pecans to the cake batter.
Stir those together until they are fully incorporated.
Prepare your pan either by greasing with shortening and flouring or by using one of those handy, dandy cooking sprays.
Spoon your apple dapple cake batter into your pan.
My mother uses a tube pan but whenever I bake this I just use a bundt pan. Either one is fine.
Bake this in the oven at 350 for one hour.
Making the Brown Sugar Sauce
About 10 minutes before your cake is done, you need to make this AMAZING sauce to pour over the cake while it is still hot in the pan.
Place milk, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepot.
Stir this together on the stove eye at medium to medium-high heat, bringing to a gentle boil.
Once it starts boiling gently, keep stirring and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Remove hot delicious cake from the oven.
Look at that beauty!
While the apple dapple cake is still piping hot in the pan, pour the sauce over it and let it all sit until it soaks it up.
OH MERCY!
I mean, LOOK AT THAT CAKE!
The sauce will soak up, just be patient.
Leave the cake in the pan until it has cooled completely.
Have you ever seen a more beautiful apple cake?
I hope you get to make it soon!
Might oughta make two 😉.
Storage
- Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Double wrap them in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to avoid freezer burn and thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
- For extra flavor, add 2 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning. That might be 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of nutmeg, apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice. All work well with this apple cake recipe.
- If you want to add more texture, some apple dapple cake recipes include 1 cup of flaked coconut and 1 cup of raisins as well. Fold them in when you add the chopped apple and pecans.
- Speaking of, feel free to substitute the chopped pecans for chopped walnuts instead. If you like, toast them for about 5 minutes in the oven beforehand for extra crunch and texture.
- Another substitution you can make is to swap the milk in the glaze for heavy cream.
Recipe FAQs
What kind of apples should I use?
As pictured, I always use Granny Smith apples due to how the tart flavor combines well with the sweetness of this dish. You can also use Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonathan, Jonagold, or even Golden Delicious works.
Where does apple dapple cake originate?
The origin of apple dapple cake is unknown, as Amish, Southern, and Jewish cultures all make their own version that are very similar to this recipe.
You might also enjoy these appetizing apple recipes:
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups fresh apples, peeled and finely chopped
Sauce
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks)
Instructions
- Spray a bundt cake pan or a tube pan liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.1 cup vegetable oil, 2 cups granulated sugar, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking soda. Then add this to the wet ingredients before folding in the pecans and diced apples.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup chopped pecans, 3 cups fresh apples, peeled and finely chopped
- Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
- Place sauce ingredients into a small saucepot over medium-high heat. Stir constantly and bring it to a gentle boil. After it begins gently boiling, continue to stir and allow to cook for about 3 minutes.1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup butter
- Pour the sauce over the hot cake while it's still in the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Nutrition
Hi Cristy! Congradulations “Editor at Large’!!!” Girl, your recipes are wonderful! Your Apple Dapple Cake is nearly the same as my Mother’s Apple Walnut Cake. Her recipe calls for taking up the cake & pouring the warm icing over it several times, letting it soak in between ‘coats’. She was from Tennessee, maybe why the names different. My friend in Michigan calls hers Dutch Apple Cake! (They live near an Amish community.) I made it with my granddaughters today & they loved it. I think pouring the sauce on in the pan is easier than keeping the sauce warm & re applying it. Your recipes bring so many people together, keep up the good work!
Isn’t it funny how the same recipe can have so many different names depending on the region? I am so glad you and your granddaughters loved the cake though!!
I agree. The vanilla wafer cake has always been known in my family as French Christmas Cake. It was in my first printing of Cotton Country Cooking back in 1971-72. Mymother used to make the Apple Dapple Cake when I was a child. Delicious cake and can’t wait to make one today.
Christy, those granny smith apples, does it matter what kind of apples?
Nope, you can use whatever you have on hand, that is the beauty of this recipe!
I have made this cake for years and it is always a hit. My recipe is just like yours. I grew up in Athens Alabama just outside Huntsville a few miles so that is probably why. My mother-in-law, God rest her soul, gave me so many cake recipes that I have cherished. have been married for over 40 years and my husband is a big fan of Elvis Presley cake. Love you site. Keep on with the great work.
You are just too sweet Connie!! Thank you so much!!
I’ve made this cake 3 times now. Easter it was a hit with my family 10 votes say it’s awesome. 2nd cake went to a birthday party at a friends house. I came in and found 5 women picking apart the cake trying to figure out what all was in there and they all want the receipe. 3rd cake went to the home of a friend that had just lost her mother. A couple days later the house is filling full of folks that came after the funeral was over. Her family members said, “don’t put that apple cake out – save it until all these people leave!” This is that cake you take to share and everyone says Wow!!! Can I have a copy of your receipe? Thank You Christy!
You just made my day Robin!! I am so glad to hear it has been such a big hit with everyone!
I am in the process of making this cake now, but I am concerned. It is so doggone thick it won’t even run off the beater bar. I double checked all the ingredients to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake & had not. I have even added another 1/2 c. oil & 1 c. applesauce. At least I can stir it now but it is still awfully thick. Hope it turns out all right. I’m going to have to cut a piece before company comes to see if I need to go buy another dessert.
OH you did not need to add a thing! I have no idea how it turned out with the added ingredients, but mine was thick last night when I made it for the first time as well. But I trust Christy and baked it up and it was fantastic. { I am not a chemist but…I believe the moisture in the apples leak out when this is cooked} I hope you do try again if the added moisture ruined the first go around. You would be missing out on an exceptional cake if you don’t!
Mine was thick too and then I added the apples. It looked just like her recipe. Mine is in the oven now…can’t wait to taste it!
I am so very happy to find this recipe, I used to make an Apple Dapple cake ,many moons ago, my family loved it, But in moving a few years ago I have lost all of my old treasured recipes, made me so sad, Don’t know what happened to them. ? So I’m going to joyfully make this cake again, Thank-You so much for posting this recipe.
okkk~~what does a hair transplant have to do with this apple cake???? Is that necessary after making or baking this cake?? just saying ~giggles~