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
I just made this cake today. My question is, how do you wait until it is completely cool before eating??? I couldn’t do it! I had to have a piece while it was still warm.
It is wonderful!
Christy, should we be measuring our flour before or after we sift it? …it sorta looks like you waited until after….does it make a difference? Thanks!
Yikes, my batter ended up like cookie dough, too….didn’t look at all like yours, Christy! I had made this before from a newspaper clipping and checked to see if it was exactly like yours. It was, but I don’t remember the batter being so thick before the apples and nuts are added. Very puzzling…..do you have any idea what is going on? Thanks, Christy!
Cathy this is a heavy dough similar to cookie dough but if it is way too dry just add water a little at a time. Your moisture content depends on how juicy the apples are. Since I have made this for over 40 years with all kinds of apples I know what I am talking about. I always make it when the apples in the apple bowl start to dry out so as to not waste them. I always mix this by hand. Dry ingredients in a large bowl then add apples and nuts, stir to coat so they won’t float as your cake cooks. Then in a smaller bowl mix sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla then combine the two bowls. If too dry add water small amount at a time. Check with toothpick to be sure inside is done. Frrezes well as whole cake or pieces. I’ve also made muffins and sheet cakes for coffee cake. Recipe handed down from my mother-in-law.
Thank you for saying to add a little water my dough was heavy and dry i added some and found your reply. I am crossing my fingers it turns out great. Cake is in the oven now.
I add apple juice– no sugar added– instead of water and it turns out awesome! Even more apple-y tasting!!
I just got this Apple Dapple Cake into my oven and wished I read the comments beforehand about adding a little water to the batter. It was like a heavy dough. My Granny Smith apples were very dry. I sure hope that after all the delicious sauce is poured over the cake that the cake will turn out all right. 🙂
Dear Brenda,
I have been making this cake for 50 years, I have used different type of Apples, I have found that Red and/or Yellow delis this works best for me, I chopped them with a Chopper I used to chop Cabbage..(I was younger then,)did not have food prosser, the cake I made has the same ingrients..( I was living in Virginia at the time) was called Mountain Apple Cake…the first time I saw a recipe called Apple Dapple Cake,I realized it was the same cake…….the batter is a little thick…but I have learned that my HummingBird cake is too…but it should turn out ok but you mat just have to experienced with different apples..hope your cake turns out ok.. Or you could make a little more sauce..and poke holes in the cake and pour sauce over cake…
My name is Brenda also…
Christy I haven’t made this cake yet but I certainly am going to. Also I love everything I have tried that I got here.how did you get so smart so young? ha ha What I wanted to tell you is how surprised I was when I saw the address for your mail was in Rogersville Al. I live a ways up the road in Elkmont. Had no idea we had such a celebrity in our area of the state. ha ha ha. I used to come to Rogersville all the time to shop for shoes when ya’ll had all those shoe shops.( I still love shoes.) Just thought I’d give you a “holler” Keep up the good work.
I hope you get the chance to try it soon Sue!! Oh my goodness, I love shoes too!!! All kinds of shoes. And all colors!
This cake has become a standard item on our Thanksgiving menu. It is too amazing for words. Smells so wonderful while baking, too. Yum!
I am so glad to hear that your family enjoys it Vicky!!
Christy, this is almost similar to a bread I make that has a praline sauce on the top. I also top the bread with toasted pecan pieces. But, I was wondering what your take would be on poking a few holes around the cake before adding the sauce so that some gets IN the cake for added flavor! What effect do you think it would have on the cake as a con?
If you pour the sauce over the cake when it is hot the sauce will soak in just fine, if it is cool poking holes in it will work fine.
I made this cake last year and took it to a church picnic. It was a big hit. I brought home a platter with crumbs and I ate the crumbs when I got home. I will make this one again.
I am so glad to hear that it was such a big hit Linda!!