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Apple Fritter Cake

Apple Fritter Cake is a soft apple filled cake, with a crispy sugar glaze! You’re favorite old fashioned doughnut in cake form!

Try my Apple Fritter Bread too!

Fork cutting into apple fritter cake

So my husband refuses to eat breakfast for dinner. Like ever.

BUT he will eat dinner for breakfast. (????) Basically, no pancakes for dinner, no way, but Sesame Chicken for breakfast, yes please.

And quite honestly, I never really gave it much thought until our little guys came along…Kids historically LOVE breakfast for dinner. But I have to deprive my children this milestone of childhood because the husband puts his foot down. Oh, and also, anywhere that SELLS breakfast for dinner he will deny. iHop?  Only before 11:00 am. A Diner?  Drag him kicking and screaming. And don’t even mention Cracker Barrel. Sighhhhhhh.

BUT sometimes I like to trick him and serve breakfast for dessert…He doesn’t even know what’s happening.

I am basically a dessert wizard. Case in point…Apple Fritter Cake. Cake that derived from a breakfast food, shape-shifted into a cake, disguised as dessert.

Freshly glazed apple fritter cake

How to Make Apple Fritter Cake

This apple cake cake is so soft and moist..loaded with apples and cinnamon.

Granny smith apple and a jar of ground cinnamon

Chop up a couple apples…

Diced peeled apples on a cutting board

You’ll need about 2 cups of diced apples…

The trick for this cake is cooking your apples to make them soft and delicious.

Diced peeled apples in a measuring cup

Cook them up with some sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and water…

Top view of peeled, diced apples cooking with cinnamon in a saucepan

Let your apples cool. The syrup will thicken up and it will be glorious.

Meanwhile make your cake batter.  You’ll need to add some applesauce to your butter and sugar…

Applesauce being poured into a mixing bowl of batter

Add in some eggs and vanilla too.  The batter will look a little odd, but it’s ok.

A mixing bowl of batter

Next add in your dry ingredients…

Two mixing bowls with dry and wet ingredients

And some Greek yogurt.  Alternate them as you add them.

Yes, you could sub this for sour cream too!

A measuring cup of greek yogurt

Then spread half of the batter in a prepared 9×13.

Pour your delicious apple concoction up on top…

Collage of two photos of batter in a baking dish with diced apples with cinnamon on top

Then sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon on top of that.
Finish by spreading the remainder of your batter to cover the apples and a little more brown sugar.

Can you believe this is real life?

Collage of 3 photos of unbaked apple fritter cake

When your cake is baked, you need to poke it a little bit. Grab a butter knife and stab it 31 times. Exactly.

Apple fritter cake in a baking dish being cut with a butter knife

Then whip up a little glaze. It’s just a little powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

Glaze being poured over baked apple fritter cake

Then pour this over top of your holey-hot cake.
The glaze will coat the cake and sink in, leaving you with a crispy, sugary coating.

Let the heavens open up and sing to you now…

Finished apple fritter cake

Let it cool a few minutes and then stick your face in it.

Slice of apple fritter cake with fork

Or use a fork. Whatever.

Fork cutting into apple fritter cake

This Apple Fritter Cake recipe was originally posted on my website in 2012. I have updated some of the photos and recipe.

Enjoy!

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Apple Fritter Cake

Apple Fritter Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 37 reviews
  • Author: Cookies & Cups
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: serves 12 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Breakfast

Description

This apple cake is easy to make and is just like the old fashioned donut!


Ingredients

Scale

Filling

  • 2 cups peeled and large diced Granny Smith Apples (about 2 medium)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake

  • 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Filling

  1. In a medium saucepan combine apples, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and water.
  2. Heat on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until apples soften and the liquid thickens. Set aside to cool.
  3. Mix the dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes until fluffy.
  3. Add the applesauce, vanilla, and eggs and mix on medium until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  5. Add the dry mixture and the Greek yogurt in alternating parts, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.
  6. Spread 1/2 of the cake batter in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the apple mixture, spreading carefully to cover the batter. Then top with 2/3 of the brown sugar, sprinkling all over the apple mixture.
  7. Cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of the brown sugar all over the top.
  8. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set.

Glaze

  1. When the cake has only a few minutes left baking, prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.
  2. When cake is done, immediately poke holes in the cake using a butter knife, about 30 pokes.
  3. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake spreading to cover it completely. Let the glaze set up for about 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

Store airtight for up to 3 days

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 526
  • Sugar: 53.4 g
  • Sodium: 276.9 mg
  • Fat: 21.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 78.4 g
  • Protein: 7.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 89.9 mg

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196 comments on “Apple Fritter Cake”

  1. This recipe is wonderful! I made it for a church potluck. I didn’t get the crust just right, waited to long in getting the sauce made, but it turned out great! Don’t be afraid of soreading out the batter. I had little trouble with the first layer. The second layer wasn’t quite perfect but it turned out great!






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