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 had sprayed my bunt pan with cooking spray and the cake would not come out. This happened the first time I made it and I thought it was because the sauce made it stick, so this time I tried to take it out of the pan before I put the sauce on and it still doesn’t come out of the pan. What am I doing wrong?
I buttered my tube pan meticulously and then sugared instead of floured. I’ve done this twice with this recipe and it’s come out of the pan perfectly in spite of my worries about the icing seeming so moist and sticky . This is really a wonderful cake. My husband and I can’t stop eating it.
I would like to make one while I have all of these apples from our tree and freeze for the holidays. Christy , Can this cake be frozen ?
I made this cake a couple of weeks ago. I added a splash of water as the dough was thick. It was divine! May have replaced my husbands all time favorite … Fruit cocktail cake. Making it again tomorrow!
I am so glad to hear it was a hit!!
Today I made the recipe but put them into cupcakes! They are just as delicious as the cake. I was hoping to submit a picture, but that’s not available. the only change I made was I let them cook for 35 minutes.
I am so glad they turned out Mary!!! Thanks for letting me know!
I made this cake but I could not add all of my dry engreedianse it got real thick could not mix what is wrong here please.
If all of the measurements are accurate there shouldn’t be any problem adding them into the batter. You may be talking about using a hand mixer and it not wanting to mix such a thick batter (I don’t have all the information I need to be able to tell you so I’m guessing here). If that is the case, you can just finish stirring by hand with a large wooden spoon. 🙂
I’d like to share a wonderful tip I stumbled upon. It’s called “pan grease”. Wisk together equal parts of vegetable oil, shortening and flour until it is smooth. Then brush it onto the bottom and sides of your pan. So much easier than greasing and flouring and cakes slip right out.
oh wow, now that is just downright genius! Thank you!!
I MAKE A DESSERT CALLED APPLE BROWNIES, ALL THE TIME, AND EVERYONE LOVES THEM. I WAS SURPRISED THAT YOUR RECIPE DOESN’T CALL FOR CINNAMON. I AM PLANNING ON MAKING THIS CAKE TODAY AND AM WONDERING IF I SHOULD ADD THE CINNAMON OR NOT. I KNOW IT WILL TASTE FINE, BUT THEN I WON’T KNOW HOW IT TASTES WITHOUT IT. PERHAPS I SHOULD MAKE TWO OF THEM. I LOVED THE “PAN GREASE” TIP FROM PAIGE H. LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THAT AS WELL.
I just made this cake yesterday and added 1 tablespoon of cinnamon…it was really good!
I am so glad you liked it Dorothy!!!
“Pan Grease” worked like a charm, thank you! I used an old bundt pan, and it still came right out. This cake was so amazingly delicious! Lots of compliments!
How long do I bake it if it is in a 9×13 pan?
Cut the heat back 15degrees and let it go another 15 degrees checking center. Two loaf pans would work well.
I just tried to signup for your daily recipes and the recipe cards but it wont let me. Gives me an error message that no provider was associated with the request.
That is odd, I will look into it and see if I can figure out what the problem is.