Fresh Apple Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Streusel

This fresh apple cake is so easy to make, and one of my family’s favorite cake recipes. It’s loaded with tender apples and topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar streusel.

If you’ve got a few apples on hand, you can whip up this delicious dessert in less than an hour. There’s nothing better than a slice of this sweet cake served just warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I love vintage cookbooks, and years ago I found the first part of the recipe in an old cookbook,”Maxine Mulvey’s Hello Neighbor Book,” from Maxine’s cooking show that aired on KOA Radio in Denver back in the early 1960s.

When I first discovered this recipe, I only had one egg on hand and wanted to make a quick apple dessert. As I prepared it I remember thinking I’d messed up the recipe because the batter was so thick, but the cake turned out great and won rave reviews. Since then I’ve made it dozens of times.

If you love apples, be sure to check out our recipes for homemade apple butter and apple granola, too.

Ingredients Notes

Here’s a picture of the ingredients you’ll need to make this simple cake:

Here are a few notes about the ingredients for successful baking.

Apples: Choose firm, flavorful apples that hold their shape when baked. The best apples for baking include Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Gala, or Fuji.

Vegetable oil: Use a mild, high-quality oil for the best flavor. Expeller-pressed sunflower oil, avocado oil, or light olive oil are all good choices because they’re less processed and have a clean taste that complements the apples.

Egg: A large egg works best in this recipe.

Flour: Use all-purpose flour for reliable structure and softness. If you like, you can substitute up to 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for a slightly heartier texture.

Cinnamon: Make sure your ground cinnamon is fresh for the most fragrant flavor.

Baking soda: For the best results, make sure your baking soda is fresh. It loses its leavening effectiveness over time.

Salt: Fine sea salt dissolves evenly in the batter and enhances all the flavors.

Brown sugar: You can use light or brown sugar.

Butter: Use cold, salted butter when making the crumbly cinnamon topping—it helps create those irresistible crisp, golden bits.

(Optional – You can add chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel topping if you like.)

Step by Step Directions

STEP ONE: Peel and core the apples, and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. You’re aiming for about 2 cups of chopped apples.

STEP TWO: Toss the apples with one cup of granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. The apples and sugar need to co-mingle in the bowl for 30 minutes; this is important, because the sugar and juices from the apples create some desperately-needed liquid to thin the batter. You’ll see what I mean later.

If you think of it, give them a stir about every ten minutes or so to help dissolve the sugar.

STEP THREE: Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8- by 8-inch square cake pan.

STEP FOUR: In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup vegetable oil and an egg, and beat well.

STEP FIVE: In a separate bowl, whisk together  1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

STEP SIX: Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until well combined. If you’re like me, you might think you’ve done something wrong. “What’s this?” you’ll say. “This can’t possibly be right; it’s the consistency of drywall compound!” But hang in there.

STEP SEVEN: Stir in the apple mixture, and the texture of the batter will improve. Spead the batter in your prepared pan, trying to keep the apples evenly distributed throughout. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect:

STEP EIGHT: To make the streusel topping, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons cold salted butter in a small bowl or large measuring cup.

Use your hands to work the dry ingredients into the butter, until you have a crumbly mixture that looks like this:

STEP NINE: Sprinkle the topping decoratively on top of the batter.

STEP TEN: Put the pan in the preheated oven and bake until the edges of the cake are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. When you remove the pan from the oven, the apples will be suspended in a surprisingly tender cake, and you’ll see a mouth-watering culinary landscape of apple-y, crispy hills and valleys surrounding those tender apples.

Hopefully you’ll like this old-fashioned fresh apple cake so much, you won’t even cuss me about having to wash three bowls.

Cut the cake in squares. You can sprinkle it with a little powdered sugar if you want, or just eat it plain standing over the sink so the crumbs don’t get everywhere.

You can also top it with ice cream or whipped cream.

Since this cake contains apples, grain and eggs, I personally think it makes a very suitable breakfast!

How to Store Cake Made with Fresh Apples?

Let the cake cool completely, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap or transfer slices to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Before serving, you can warm individual slices in the microwave for a few seconds to bring back that fresh-baked taste.

This cake also freezes well. Wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.

Printable Recipe Card

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Note: This post was originally published on October 11, 2010. It has been updated with new photos and additional tips and information.