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
Thanks so much for this recipe. My twin sister DeAnna sent me a link to your site and I am hooked! I took this cake to a church potluck and never even got one bite of it. They even ate the crumbs. Now I have to make one for our house so I can see what it tastes like!
I am going to make this cake this week. We are having a big dinner at the church and need a lot of cakes to serve so this will be one of mine. It looks awesome.
OH Christy!
The recipe Goddess of my world!!!
I have made this cake so many times since you posted it and am getting ready to send more people to your site to get the recipe…(and introduce them to the best dang site on the net). I made it 4 times at Christmas for 4 different parties & dressed it up with holly & berries to keep in the spirit of the holidays & it looked like a wreath. I have taken it to luncheons and just for any occasions because it makes me the “STAR” wherever I take it! Everyone wants the recipe sooooo I just send them a link to your site. Gotta go for now because I just logged on to send the Apple Dapple & Christy’s Crockpot Chili (Oh Yum) recipes to the friends that have asked for them…
Enjoy your Blogger’s affair this weekend!
For BillGent, You are a man after my heart because my son does the same thing. He once attempted to make bread from the ingredient list on the wrapper!! The bread machine was never the same. But that was years ago. Now he may analyze tastes like you did, but is a very accomplished cook. Hooray for online recipes and Food Network! Plus, he makes very good bread.
Love the cake. Husband has been wanting one like his Mom used to make. She died 10 years ago, and he was missing her. Glad I found this website! The glaze is something new and different. P.S. We use Splenda.
Also, If you are really looking for a mixer and can’t afford the price, look at the auctions. Some sellers are specialists in NEW small appliances and will list one for minimum to get you to look at their auctions and online store. I got a Cook’s mixer very similar to the KitchenAid last year and paid under $40.00 plus shipping. The secret is to use a free “sniping” program to only bid at closing. [Gixen.com is one I use] Otherwise you bid the price way up past “go buy it in a store.” Sniping is very good to me!
I LOVE this cake so much, that I’ve made it three times in 2 weeks!!!!I made one this morning to take to my Mom’s (Happy Birthday Mom)Thanks so much for a Really good apple cake recipe.
Hello, this cake looks absolutely delicious & I’m hoping to try it out very soon. Can this be made in a normal cake pan? I don’t have a bundt or tube pan, but would love to try it.
Sure can! I’d use a 9×13, 3 quart. Hope you like it!
Still bake for 1 hour? Do you check with toothpick, or just figure it’s done?
You are going to need to play with that Mary, I am not sure what the bake time will be since I have never made it in that type of pan but I would start checking around 35-40 minutes.
This was a fun cake to make; of course with hubby chopping my apples and pecans for me It was also one of the best cakes I’ve ever made and tasted! Beautiful as well!
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it Sheila!!
I recently made this apple dapple cake for a event I had at church, and I tell you it was a wonderful treat for all. Some even ask for the recipe. Wow!! This cake is to die for, my husband loved it and I do too. I plan to make it for my family gathering at thanksgiving. Thanks for such a great tasting and delicious applecake. Bobbie B.
What an amazing cake. I baked one for my husband to take to work for a pot luck in his maintenance department. WOW were they ever impressed!!! Of course I had to bake one for home as well (just to make sure it turned out okay). I’ll tell you what…It didn’t even last to get totally cooled. Thank you so much for not only the fantastic recipes, but the human touch you all your recipes. Katey from Michigan