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
can i use big can of peaches & no nuts… thanks
I would drain the peaches really well first, maybe let them sit a bit in the colander. No nuts is fine 🙂
Made this today and it turned out just beautiful and so tasty, YUM! Followed the directions exactly and made it in a bundt pan. I normally don’t adjust recipes until I have made them at least once. But I couldn’t stop myself from adding a teaspoon of cinnamon into the batter as to me apples and cinnamon just automatically go together. Otherwise did exactly as the recipe said. I also did manage to turn it out of the Bundt pan and then flip it back over right side up because that side with the caramel sauce on top is so pretty. Wish I could post a picture for you because it is such a gorgeous cake. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for making it Shireen and I am so glad to hear that you liked it!!!
I added a cup of coconut to my batter, the icing I cooked and last min of cooking I added a cup of pecans, this cake was gone in five min at work. Then they were scraping the plate. It now one of my favorites, I going to try the icing on another cake I make too.
Is the batter supposed to be so thick..almost like cookies dough but not as dense? It is in the oven as we speak..hope it turns out 🙂
I think cinnamon would be a great addition to this cake, have you tried it?
Sure have and you are absolutely right 🙂
I just ate my first piece!!! I baked this afternoon and didn’t have enough flour so I used bread flour instead and then added a tad of apple pie spice too. Baked in bundt pan and drizzled topping on hot cake. IT’S THE BEST CAKE I HAVE EVERY MADE OR EATEN!! Thank you! Oh, I also used honeycrisp apples and the pecans!! Wow! YUMMY I’m doing a happy dance!!!
I am so glad you liked it Jo Ann!!!
Plan to bake in bundt pans. If sauce goes on top then when you flip it, thee sauce side is on bottom. Is that right?
The sauce is really all through the cake but will be a little more concentrated on the top once it is flipped. It soaks through in the bottom and then travels throughout to get to what will eventually be the top.
Thank you for such a quick reply!
I made this in a 9×13 baking dish, poured the sauce over, and it did not soak in at all. Just sat right on top of the cake.
I had that happen one time and it was when I had allowed my cake to cool (it still, naturally, soaked in some and I heated it up a bit and it finished). As long as the cake is hot and the sauce is hot and poured directly over as soon as it is done there shouldn’t be a problem. If you did both of these things and had this problem, I’m afraid I am absolutely lost as it kinda defies physics :). But hey, the ability to defy physics can be a pretty cool thing!
The sauce was hot and it was poured onto the hot cake as soon as it came out of the oven…so don’t know what happened.
I would buy a lottery ticket! 🙂 I’m afraid truly don’t know what to tell you in this case unless I were to watch each step you took and check every ingredient in order to try to duplicate it. Something was obviously different from how it takes place in my kitchen but finding that difference is where the real difficulty starts. It’s enough to make me want to go full on Nancy Drew if time permitted!
Just a thought, maybe the 9×13 wasn’t thick enough to absorb all the sauce? Considering that a tube or bunt style cake is at least twice as thick (or tall if you will) maybe that had something to do with it?
I only used one cup suger and coconut oil instead of veg. oil, it was fabulous!! Also I used a square pan with no problems.Sarah
What I was thinking was that the times that Ive poured someyhing over a 9×13 sheet cake I was instructed to poke holes into it while ho t with the end of a small wooden spoon, in order for the liquid to soak in. Now I dont know if that would would make a difference with this cake but I tjink if I were making the in a 9×13 that is wjat I would do. Thanks and I cant wait to try this!! HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!
Maybe poking some soles in it outdoors help. I’ve made a similar cake and it said to poke holes like a jello poke cake. It was wonderful. I’m trying this cake with zucchini I cooked to taste like apples.
Sorry didn’t see Carries comment.
I just made this cake for Thanksgiving. It’s the second time I’ve made it. The first one was perfect! However, I am having problems with this one. I put a few more apples in this one so it took 10 minutes longer to cook. Therefore, my sauce thickened a bit too much and it is not being absorbed into the cake. It looks like a caramel glaze. Hopefully it will continue to seep in.
I would take a long skewer or toothpick to poke small holes in the cake. This will give the sauce a place to go.
I made mine in a bundt pan and my sauce did not soak down through the cake either. It ran down the side so most of it disappeared from the top. The sauce near the center hole stayed on top because it could not run down around the center hole. The cake would definitely be much better if the sauce made it down through the cake.
This is something I’ve never heard of happening before the two of you and I’ve never experienced anything even close. I wonder what the common factor is? I mean, something has to be different in some case: environment, technique, equipment, ingredients, etc.
I made one a few days ago just to watch and see and it soaked right in like it always does for me. I wonder if it may be the flour? This is just a stretch and longshot but what brand are you using? Even then, flour can change from batch to batch so that may not be much of a lead. This is just flat out odd.
My guess it has more to do with temperature and timing. If the cake cooked more (e.g. oven temp wasn’t exactly calibrated the same), the exterior would be more firm and not allow save to penetrate. Also, if the sauce cooked a tiny bit too long, the consistency would change and perhaps not soak in.
Good points, thank you so much for weighing in and helping! I just got off the phone with my mother and we had a lengthy conversation about this. She has never had it happen to her, either. She said to reiterate that the cake needs to be hot and the sauce needs to be cooked for the full time to allow everything to dissolve (of course, Diane’s point of overcooking changing the consistency needs to be considered as well) and then pouring the hot sauce over the hot cake. If the sauce or the cake were not both hot it would not soak in as well.
If you leave in oven longer are oven to hot the top will make a harder crust, not soaking up, just take a knife make slits in cake I cing will go down inside. U can tell just by touch how hard the top is.
Mine came out perfect
I also made mine in a bundt pan. I used a knife to slide down and around all edges as well as the center while pouring the sauce slowly. It worked! This cake is the favorite of all!!!!!!!!!!! When it cooled I just dumped it out and flipped it over! Some people added cool whip.
Five stars!!!
Hi..so I wanted to make sure that I am understanding you correctly, as I will be using a Bundt pan also. So before pouring the liquid over the cake like is called for in the recipe you took a knofe and ran it around the edges of the pan so some of the sauce could run down to what I call the “top” of the cake? As I was thinking about doing that already and hoping that as it is hot the bottom, (really the top for me) would soak in some of the sauce too. Thanks!!
hey im looking for the printed , written out recipe with measuring amts, can anyone help
It’s at the bottom of this post (above the comments). It looks like a big recipe card and has a “Print This” button on the right.
Mine did exactly like Sasee’s! My bundt pan is inherited and very, very thick. I think I’ll adjust the cooking time down a few minutes. The cake was crispy like a good pound cake when I remove it from the oven.
Instead of adding cinnamon, I used Mexican Vanilla. Will definitely do that again.
Trying now so excited my question is this cake that is stored in fridge or not? Thanks so much!
I made this recipe just like you did….as a sheet cake. While the cake was still warm, I poked holes all over it and added the sauce. Similar to a Poke cake, the sauce went down into the holes. It turned out even more moist than originally intended.
I also only have a cake pan
so I was wondering the same thing. Thanks so much for posting your using a cake pan!
I aallergic to nuts.But want to make this.
Just leave out the nuts – easiest problem to solve today! 🙂
Have a great one!
We can’t afford nuts so toasted sunflower seeds are what we use.
I made three. One with pecans, in the second one I used 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup of caramel bits, the last for people with nut allergies I used a cup of caramel bits. Caramel Apple Dapple Cake! I love this cake recipe!!!
Which was your favorite?
Can’t wait to try this, sounds yummy!
Made this cake last Friday for a family dinner on Saturday. Everyone loved it! I did take someone’s suggestion and put a teaspoon of cinnamon in the dry ingredients.