Apple cake is everything you love about an honest-to-goodness butter cake! Cinnamon-spiced apple chunks nestled in moist and tender buttery cake, and with the most heavenly, crumbly brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping you’ll ever taste!

This delicious apple cake is the ultimate! I love absolutely everything about it. Oh, its sweet and buttery taste, for one. And then, there’s the cake crumb.  So moist and tender textured.

This apple cakes also looks as rich and gorgeous as it tastes, with a beautiful golden buttery hue, and pockets filled with moist apple chunks baked to softness.

Cake aside, what really hits the spot for me is the heavenly brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping!

In fact, the streusel alone makes it worth all the effort to bake this apple cake. I just can’t get enough of it, which is why I’ve heaped mine sky-high to deliver the ultimate pleasure!

apple cake with brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping

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And you’re going to love how easy this apple cake comes together, no matter what! The first one or two times I baked this, I thought I was just lucky to have gotten everything right. But I began to realise just how consistently great the cake turned out on every occasion.

Trust me, if you follow the ingredient amounts and instructions I’ve set out, I promise it’s not going to be another wait-and-see-what-happens moment. You will have a truly AAH-MAZING apple cake on your hands.

So in case you missed all that, here’s why this apple cake is so good (again)

  • Deliciously moist and tender cake crumb – say goodbye to dry, fall-apart crumbly cakes!
  • A sweet and buttery taste – delivers real buttery flavour as all good butter cakes should!
  • The most amazing brown sugar, cinnamon streusel topping! – this comes with a warning! It’s so addictive, you’ll probably want to streusel every other cake from here on!
  • The fruity deliciousness of cinnamon-infused caramelised apples in every slice of cake – it’s almost like having apple pie cake!
  • A cake that always turns out!

Ingredients for apple cake

I love that this apple cake is a great option for my impulsive or unplanned bakes. Because the ingredients needed are almost always on hand in my pantry or kitchen.

apple cake ingredients

Which apples work best?

Granny Smith, Macintosh, Envy, and Gala apples all work beautifully. I personally make with whatever apples I have on hand, sometimes even a mix of different varieties.

But, Granny Smiths are my favourite choice. I like the tart notes to balance the sweetness of the cake. It’s really all about what you enjoy.

Make perfect apple cake in 4 easy steps

Step 1: Make the brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping

Step 2: Make the apple filling

Now, peel the apples. Slice or dice, whichever way you like it. I like to change things up every time I bake this.

apple cake with brown sugar cinnamon streusel

If you’re craving for chunky apple texture, keep your apple dices a little chunky, or slices a little thick. Or else, you’ll find the apples ‘disappear’ in the cake after baking.

The recipe suggests 3 medium-sized, which is quite enough for an 8-inch (20-cm pan). So depending on the size of the apples you use, as well as the size of your pan, you might need more. I prefer having more than less, anytime! It just means more fruity goodness in every slice!

In a mixing bowl, combine the apple chunks or slices with ground cinnamon, brown sugar and lemon juice. Give it a couple of good tosses, to coat evenly

apple cake

Step 3: Make the cake batter

Use the step-by-step photos here to give you a visual guide and reference on how the make cake batter. For detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Remember to have all the ingredients at room (or cold) temperature where indicated, and to keep the mixer speed at low to medium throughout, where specified in the recipe instructions.

Step 4: Layer the pan with cake batter and apples, top with streusel and BAKE!

This cake tastes even better the next day or two! It will keep well in an air-tight container stored in a cool, dry place, for up to 3 days. That is, if it even lasts that long!

Now, go ahead and enjoy your slice of heaven!

Here are more awesome butter cake recipes to inspire your next bake:

Tried this recipe? I’d love to see! Remember to share your pics on Instagram and tag @foodelicacy or #foodelicacy.

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apple cake with brown sugar streusel topping

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Streusel Topping

german apple cake
4.8 from 24 reviews
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
Apple cake is everything you love about an honest-to-goodness butter cake! Cinnamon-dusted apple slices nestled in moist and tender buttery cake, and with the most heavenly, crumbly brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping you'll ever taste!

Ingredients

  • 175 g unsalted butter softened at room temperature,
  • 175 g brown sugar
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten
  • 175 g self-raising flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp milk

For the streusel topping

  • 115 g plain flour plus extra, for dusting
  • 85 g brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 85 g unsalted butter chilled, cubed

For the apple filling

  • 3 apples peeled and cored, diced or sliced thinly
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions
 

Make the streusel topping

  • Put the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
  • Rub in the butter gently with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Bring the crumbly dough together into a ball.
  • Wrap the streusel dough in cling film or a plastic bag. Let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Make the apple filling

  • In a bowl, combine diced or sliced apples, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and lemon juice. Give it a couple of good tosses to coat evenly. Set aside.

Make the cake

  • Preheat oven to 190 deg C (375 deg F). Grease the sides and base of a 20-cm or 8-inch loose-bottomed cake pan. Line the base with baking paper.
  • In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on medium speed. Cream until the batter turns pale, light and fluffy. This may take up to 5 minutes.
  • Add the lemon zest and beat for 5 – 10 seconds, until well distributed throughout the batter.
  • Add in the beaten eggs, in 4 additions. Beat well after each addition. The batter will curdle at first. Continue to beat on medium speed until the batter becomes smooth again, before adding the next addition.
  • Sift in the self-raising flour and salt. Beat on low speed until just combined. Finally, add the milk. and again, beat on low speed until well incorporated. The final batter should be smooth.

Fill the cake pan, top with grated streusel, and bake

  • Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Smooth the surface with a spatula.
  • Arrange half of the apple cubes or slices (discard any juices) over the batter.
  • Spread the remaining batter over the apples. Smooth once more with a spatula. Arrange the remaining apple cubes or slices (again, discard any juices) on top of the cake batter.
  • Remove the streusel dough from the chiller and coarsely grate it.
  • Spread the grated streusel evenly over the apples, to the edges of the cake pan.
  • Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour (time will vary slightly depending on your oven). Test with a skewer by inserting it into the centre of the cake. If the skewer emerges with some sticky batter, bake for a few more minutes and check again. When baking is finished, remove the cake from the oven and leave it in the pan for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the cake from the pan, and let cool on a wire rack. Best served warm.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 375kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 252mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 27g
Cuisine: Western
Course: Cake Recipes
Author: Celia Lim
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a review in the section below, and tag @foodelicacy on Instagram and hashtag it #foodelicacy so I can see!