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
Could I make cupcakes with same recipe? Or is it too thin of a batter?
I make an apple cake very similar to this one. I make it into cupcakes/muffin tin most of the time. I reduce the oil and sugar by 1/4 cup each, leave the peelings on the apples and shred the apples in my food processer. I have not used the sauce on top, but plan to try it, reducing the recipe by half. I think a little extra sweetness would be good, but I try not to drench anything in excess calories. The baking time for muffins is about 22 minutes. Don’t overbake them. These freeze well, travel well and are convenient to serve to the grandchildren. yummo
Could you use zucchini instead of apples?
Now that’s just down right dumb….. zucchini instead of apples? ! Are u paying attention, how does the two even compare? Duh!!!
I swear you Reese or Resse, whomever you are, you are just a mean spirit aren’t you? Full of put downs and no regard for others feelings or thoughts. I bet you troll sites just to belittle people. It seems no website is safe from trolls. SMH!
Why are you always putting others down. You must have a sad life Reese.
Reese, you sure are a rude person. Hopefully someone will give you a big hug today. Sounds like you really need it!
They don’t have to compare to be equally delicious! Zucchini breads and cakes are wonderful!
I bet you could. Zucchini bread is delicious, but the spices may need to be adjusted.
I was wondering if applesauce could be used instead of vegetable oil
I have never tried it in this recipe. I would love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try.
Please, you just stay out of the kitchen…Apparently, you’re not a person who really cooks/bakes… You want to experiment the lazy way using Apple sauce, Really? Just continue on letting someone else do the cooking…SMH! Apple Sauce…
Judgy, Judgy. Oil is super rich in cholesterol, Apple sauce isn’t. Plus it’s a better and healthier way to bake and doesn’t alter taste at all. Reese, you should try before you knock something. You might loose some attitude by switching. I am in process of making it and am taking it to a group picnic and opted to use a regular cake pan(glass). I’m sure it will be fine but will watch it closer for baking time. I did use oil this time as I’m out of apple sauce. I’m sure it will be just as good and tasty no matter what kind of pan or oil you use.
She asked if the OIL could be replaced with applesauce, NOT the apples! And surely you couldn’t be speaking of swapping out applesauce for oil as being lazy…it would not shave off any significant time by doing that. This is why we shouldn’t be so quick to judge others!!!
Why not use a heart healthy oil such as coconut or avocado oil. They are very good for you and you NEED the oil. Or just use your applesauce. Before I knew better about oil (I feel so much better now that I eat the heart healthy oil and it REDUCES your cholesterol. Sugar is what causes cholesterol not oil.) (I know, it was hard for me to get that into my head because of the lies they told us all in the seventies— now those people who listened are sick and dying) I used applesauce but I noticed my cakes were dryer so I switched back to canola, which is NOT good for us either, until I learned what oils were heart healthy. But any way you make the cake and you like it, is the best way for you to do it!
I’ve used applesauce in some recipes for up to a half of the oil and it always turns out good.
I make this every fall. I have for years….I use apples but I do not use oil….much better, oil has no flavor, applesauce does…BTW please do not insult people and tell them to stay out of the kitchen…anyone who has a question should not be treated in such a way…it does not make you look like a good cook, it just makes you look mean.
Hi Debbie, this reply is a little late, but just wanted you to know (& anyone else who is wondering), I did make this with applesauce instead of oil & it was DELICIOUS!!! 😀
I very seldom use all oil….mix half amount of oil and other half applesauce…I make my own applesauce with a few added pears while making it…cinnamon for a bit of spice….no sugar or honey in my homemade sauce as pears are the natural sweetener……and that is the exact sauce I use….for the topping….thanks so much, your cake recipe is wonderful……
Think this would be good with raisins and omit the pecans? (I’m not a fan of nuts.)
I can’t see why not, or just leave the nuts out with no substitution.
Looks delicious a must try for me.
I hope you get the chance to try it soon Frances, it is one of my favorites!!!
How do you get it out of the tube pan?
I just wait til all the juice soaks in and then turn it out.
Turn it over, catch it with your hands and then turn it right side up?
No. I just flip mine out onto the cake plate and let it sit that way, which is right side up if using a bundt pan. It does look upside down as opposed to a tube pan, which is why my mother prefers to use the tube.
If you want it right side up, flip it out onto a plate. Then take another plate and put it on
top of the cake. Then, flip the plates with the cake between them. Poof, your cake is right side up.
Tawana wins commenter of the day award 😉
That’s why I do mine in a bundt pan as well. Just put plate on top of pan & flip over…pull pan off & voila, c’est magnifique !
We have nut allergies in the family, so pecans are out. What can I substitute those with (more apples, some raisins) and how will it affect cooking time/consistency of the batter?
You can just leave them out with no adjustments needed. I do it all the time because pecans are so expensive 🙂
What alcohol could be added to the sauce or cake and how much should I add? Spiced rum maybe?
I’m afraid we are tee totalers so there isn’t a drop in the house but perhaps someone else could chime in?
I make a sauce similar to this one for bread pudding and I have added Kentucky bourbon to it. It is delicious and I think it would go very nicely with this cake.