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Apple Dapple Cake is an easy, vintage cake recipe loaded with apples and nuts, and a sweet buttery glaze on top.
This Apple Dapple Cake is one of those old-fashioned, vintage recipes that everyone absolutely loves!
It’s a super moist, dense, vanilla-infused cake that is loaded up with chunks of apples and nuts throughout.
To make this easy apple cake even better – as soon as it comes out of the oven – you’ll pour a caramel-like butter and brown sugar glaze over the top. It seeps in while the Apple Dabble Cake is still warm – and it makes this heavenly cake just that much more delicious!
What is Apple Dapple Cake?
Apple Dabble Cake is an old vintage apple-nut cake recipe that has been around for decades. It seems that everyone’s grandmother had this recipe in their collection!
Some people claim that this easy, glazed apple cake is an old Amish recipe. Others say it has Southern roots – especially if you use pecans as the nuts in your cake. We’ve also seen a similar recipe – without the glaze – on a Jewish recipe blog which notes that the oil-based batter (vs lard) made this cake suitable for kosher diets.
Regardless of the origin – this Apple Dapple Cake is fantastic!
What kind of apples should I use?
This recipe calls for the Granny Smith variety of apples – in part, because their tartness helps balance the sweetness of cake. Granny Smiths are also ideal for baking because they stay relatively firm when baked, so you’ll see and taste the apples in your cake.
Alternately, you can use any other type of ‘baking’ apple that will stay firm when baked such as Brauburn, Honey Crisp, or Jonagold. Just note that these apples are sweeter than the Granny Smith variety so your cake will be extra sweet.
Best Apple Cake You’ll Ever Make? YUP!
I’m going to let you in on one more little secret…this IS the exact same cake batter we use to make our Best Apple Cake Ever recipe – that SO MANY of our readers love and rave about! 😊
That earlier apple cake recipe got the name “Best Apple Cake Ever” from my sister-in-law Pam. But since we posted it here, several readers wrote to us to tell us that it was originally called an Apple Dapple Cake – and they are correct!
Today’s Apple Dapple Cake is baked in a 9×13-inch pan instead of a bundt pan – so it’s even easier to transport to your next party or potluck. And it’s just as delicious!
You may enjoy these other Apple recipes:
- Best Apple Cake Ever
- Apple Cider Poke Pound Cake
- Apple Kuchen Bars
- Cranberry Apple Clafoutis
- Apple Cider Doughnut Holes
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Apple Dapple Cake
Ingredients
Shortening and flour to prepare a 9X13 pan * see note
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large Granny Smith apples (about 1 3/4 pound)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
Glaze
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place rack in upper third of the oven.
Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl then sift a second time.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix vegetable oil with both sugars until well mixed.
With mixer running, add one egg at a time and once mixed, add vanilla and mix and scrape the bowl.
Slowly add the dry ingredients with mixer running on low. Scrape the bowl again and mix.
Peel, core and cut the apples into bite sized pieces and fold into the batter.
Fold the walnuts into the batter then spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake in top third of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, put all glaze ingredients into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil and stir with a wooden spoon continuously for one minute.
Remove from heat and pour over the top of the warm cake.
Cool the cake or serve warm by cutting into 12 pieces (3 rows X 4 rows).
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Notes
*We have found that different colored pans cook differently as well as cooking in glass vs metal. So, the cooking time may vary slightly depending on what type of pan you use. We used a dark non-stick metal pan and ours took 50 minutes and was just starting to get dark on the sides.
When did this recipe originate??????
We believe it dates back to the 1950’s based on some reader comments.
i had this recipe early in my marriage and made it frequently. most people might not believe this but the original recipe called for slices of american cheese to be placed between the layers. american cheese is very mild flavored and melts to a very smooth and creamy consistency it was really delicious and my husband liked it very much.
Wow Katie – Interesting!
Wonderful cake. Appledapple
Thank you!
Please subscribe me to your blog. Your recipes look so good! I’m sure my family will love them.
Hi Amy – You can sign up here: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/instant-updates/
Thanks for your interest in our recipes!
I think you are right that every grandma has some version of this cake in their recipe book. The one I have made for my family for years uses less ingredients & yet it always comes out & is quickly devoured.
3 cps. AP flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cp. chopped pecans
1 cp. vegetable oil (I use canola)
2 cps. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cps. raw apples – chopped fine (I use Fuji apples that are very firm)
3 eggs
Mix oil, sugar, eggs & vanilla in lg. bowl
In separate bowl
Sift together flour, salt & baking soda
Add to first mixture
Mix
Fold in pecans & apples
Bake in tube pan @ 350 for 1 hr.
Sauce
1 cp. brown sugar – packed
1/4 cp. milk
3/4 cp. butter
Start sauce in the last mins. of baking time.
Place sauce ingredients into a small pan over med. high heat. Stir constantly & bring to a boil.
After it begins a gentle rolling boil, continue stirring & allow to cook 3 mins.
Pour over hot cake while still in the tube pan.
Allow cake to cool completely before removing from pan.
Thank you for sharing Tammy – looks delicious!
can you use 9×13 pan
Yes – we link to the 9×13 version in the post (Apple Dapple Cake)
Yes, less ingredients, but I can’t imagine that this would be very good without cinnamon.
Suggestion to Jan Briggs question (and anyone else wondering) about leaving off the glaze due to dietary restrictions, etc. When I made this cake the first time, I discovered my cream had gone bad & someone had drunk all the milk without telling me …. no evaporated milk either. Didn’t want to use water so put on my thinking cap and did find unsweetened apple juice in the pantry. so used that as my liquid instead and glaze turned out great. Probabably a bit thinner glaze than I am used to if using milk, but it worked in a pinch and added a bit more apple flavor. Hope this helps.
Great idea Tillie! Thank you for the suggestion!
Can a 9 x 9 ” pan be used to make the cake thicker, it looks thin in the picture.
Hi Barb – We’ve never tried it – I suspect the full batter amount would overflow in a 9×9, but you could certainly put some of it in the smaller pan. You’ll also need to adjust the baking time.
Cooking times are off. Took 60 minutes to cook. Low temp for a cake, 350 would be better.
Hi Taryn – Every oven is different…the toothpick test is the best way to tell when a cake is done regardless of the time listed in any recipe, including ours. You can certainly try a higher baking temp if you’d like but you may experience lots of browning on the bottom instead of an even bake throughout.
Hi Martha,
I’m going to make this cake tomorrow for my husband to take to work on Monday. I’m curious if the glaze hardens up a bit or stays wet? He just loves apple cake and this one looks so perfect!
Hi Julie – It hardens a bit, but I’d still categorize it as a softer glaze, although if you refrigerate it overnight it will get even firmer. I’d suggest bringing it to work in the pan and serving it from there. Hope that helps!
Fantastic!!!! Ate warm. Perfect dessert or breakfast cake.
Reduced white suger in cake by 1/4 cp.
Then reduced white sugar in glaze by 1 tbsp and doubled vanilla. Substituted 2 tbsp sour cream and 1tbsp mile for heavy cream. Excellent.
Best apple cake we ever had.
Thanks Terri! So glad you enjoyed the cake as much as we do!
I can’t wait to make this cake!! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome Mary – hope you love it!
Won’t rate this because I haven’t made it (yet). A kind of dumb question, but: Am I safe in assuming that the cake is just as delicious without the glaze? I have a couple of family members with severe lactose intolerance issues and I, personally, don’t like really sweet sweets. I love your blog and use many of your recipes regularly. Thank you!
Hi Jan – Yes – even without the glaze, it’s a delicious cake. Very moist and loaded with lots of apples and nuts. Hope you enjoy the cake – and we’re glad you’ve been enjoying our other recipes too!