Deeply flavored with browned butter, cinnamon, and tart chopped apples, this Apple Cake with Browned Butter Frosting is the perfect Fall dessert!
Make sure to try my Homemade Apple Pie Recipe too! It’s the best!
Old Fashioned Frosted Apple Cake
The other day, I suddenly had the idea to make a classic Bundt cake studded with fresh apples. Old fashioned, heavy on the brown sugar and cinnamon, basically a mouthwatering dessert no one could resist.
So I made the cake. And then I ate the cake. And then I couldn’t stop eating the cake.
So I gave the cake away. Which is now someone else’s problem. And “problem” it for sure is. This apple cake is absolutely, insanely delicious. And oh yeah, there’s a perfect brown butter frosting that will change your life.
This Easy Cake is Perfect for Fall Baking!
The perfect fall bake should make your house smell like a combination of heaven, apples, and a rack of holiday spices, right? Well, this one is all of that and more. (By “more,” I mean browned butter.) Baked up in a Bundt pan and topped with a halo of browned butter frosting, it’s like an autumn walk down a mountain trail… but as, um, cake. Or something.
I’m usually not a huge Bundt cake girl, because 1) the damn cakes always stick to the pan, and 2) there is never enough frosting. But, in recent years I’ve made peace with the fact that it might stick to the pan (enter frosting).
But when I discovered Kentucky Butter Cake I knew I had to come around the Bundt side of things. And fast. So I learned to grease that pan within an inch of its life, let the cake rest for about 10 minutes before unmolding it, and… slather it with frosting no matter how it turns out. Perfect!
What You’ll Need
Baking an apple cake like this is super easy to do, and you only need a few basic ingredients to mix it up and get it in the oven. Let’s take a closer look (for the full recipe card with amounts, scroll to the bottom of this post):
For the Cake:
- Butter: The butter should be softened to room temperature.
- Sugar: A combination of brown sugar and white sugar adds a deeper, richer taste.
- Eggs: Large, whole eggs give the best flavor and texture to the cake.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract gives the best flavor.
- Baking Soda: Make sure to use baking soda, not baking powder!
- Salt
- Cinnamon: You can use just cinnamon, or substitute an apple pie spice blend.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works perfectly here.
- Apples: For the chopped apples, use tart apples like Granny Smith. See the section below on choosing the best apples for baking!
For the Frosting:
- Butter: Salted or unsalted is fine, according to your taste.
- Powdered Sugar: To give body and sweetness to the frosting.
- Vanilla
- Milk: You’ll need a couple of tablespoons of milk to thin the frosting to the right consistency.
The Best Apples for Baking
Depending on what you’re making, you may want a softer and sweeter apple, or apples that are more tart and firm. In general, baking apples are on the firmer side, so they don’t turn to mush during the baking process. Some of the most-loved baking apples include:
- Granny Smith
- Braeburn
- Fuji
- Empire
- Cortland
- Winesap
- Jonathan
- McIntosh
How to Make Apple Cake
To make the apple cake, we’ll follow the typical pattern of creaming the butter and sugar, adding wet/dissolving ingredients, and then incorporating the flour and fruit. Easy!
Preheat the Oven and Grease the Pan. First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, generously grease a fluted Bundt pan (12 cup).
Cream the Butter and Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. You can also do this with a handheld mixer, or by hand (if you have a mighty arm or maybe some kitchen helpers!).
Add the Eggs, Flavorings, and Baking Soda. When the butter and sugars are light and creamy, beat in the eggs and vanilla and until smooth, followed by the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat until completely incorporated.
Add the Flour and Apples. Turn your mixer to low, and add in the all-purpose flour. Mix until just combined, and then stir in the chopped apples.
Bake. Fill the prepared Bundt pan with the apple cake batter, and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove the cake from pan. Place it on a wire rack to continue cooling.
How to Make the Brown Butter Frosting
Usually, butter is softened to room temp for making frosting, but with this recipe, it’s melted so that it can be lightly browned. Be careful not to burn it! Burned butter does not have the same charm… Ask me how I know.
- Brown the Butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, and cook it briefly over medium heat until butter is a golden color, stirring consistently.
- Beat in the Remaining Ingredients. As soon as the butter is golden, remove it from the heat and beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk, using a hand mixer. If the frosting isn’t soft enough, add more milk until you get the consistency you want.
- Frost and Serve. Frost the top of the cooled cake generously with the frosting, slice, and serve.
- Enjoy!
Tips for Success
Before you get started making this spectacular apple cake, check out these handy tips! Happy baking!
- Trust the Process: The cake batter is very thick and stiff, but it’s supposed to be that way! The apples will add moisture as they cook. It can be helpful to spoon the batter in dollops into the pan, and then gently press it down and around to fill the shaped interior of the pan.
- Make a Glaze: If you’d prefer a glazed Bundt cake instead of a frosted one, you can thin the frosting mixture with extra milk to create a creamy glaze.
- Add Nuts: This cake is perfect as-is, but it also plays well with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts! You can add them into the batter, or sprinkle on top of the frosting for a pretty finish—or both.
How to Store Frosted Bundt Cake
Store this cake at room temperature in a covered, preferably airtight, container. It will keep for up to 3 days. You can also store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Extra Slices?
Yes! This cake freezes well for up to three months. Keep the slices from drying out by pressing wax paper or parchment squares against the cut sides, and freeze on a baking sheet or plate until the frosting is solid. Then wrap well in plastic wrap, and store in the freezer. Thaw before serving.
More Apple Dessert Ideas
Print
Apple Cake with Browned Butter Frosting
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Apple Cake with Browned Butter Frosting is the perfect Fall dessert! You’ll love the combination of golden browned butter, warm cinnamon, and tart chopped apples, all in a gorgeous frosted Bundt cake.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups chopped apples, about 3 medium. I used Granny Smith
Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Generously grease a fluted bundt pan (12 cup pan)
- In bowl of stand mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Add in baking soda, salt and cinnamon and beat until incorporated.
- Turn mixer to low and add in flour. Mix until just combined.
- Stir in chopped apples.
- Fill prepared pan with cake batter and bake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove cake from pan onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
Frosting
- In a small saucepan melt butter and cook over medium heat until butter is a golden color, stirring consistently.
- As soon as butter is golden, remove from heat and beat in powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk using a hand mixer. Add more milk until the consistency you desire is reached. if you prefer more of a glaze than a frosting you will need to add a few more tablespoons of milk than the recipe calls for.
- Frost top of cake.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- To store at room temperature, cover the cake and keep for up to 3 days.
- To refrigerate, place in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Keywords: apple cake, bundt cake, brown butter frosting
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To insure that cakes, muffins , cookies & cupcakes slip out of and off sheets easily , coat pans lightly with this following mixture. I was given this recipe in the very early 70’s and never at any time am I without a container on the shelf of my refrigerator. 1 cup shortening, 3/4 cup oil,(I only use Crisco), 1 cup all purpose flour. Mix ingredients thoroughly and store in container in refrigerator or cool pantry. I apply using wax paper but you could use a basting brush. So much easier and far cheaper than buying aerosol sprays.
What kind of cupcakes would you but the browned butter frosting on? I am making cupcakes for my Uncle’s 80th and would love to do this frosting but having never tried it and i could use some suggestions! Thank you!
Oh that would be great on literally ANY cake! Vanilla, chocolate, caramel, yellow cake, spiced cake, pumpkin…
My frosting come out really runny. Should I add more powdered sugar? I followed the recipe. I don’t want a glaze. Help
Yes, you can easily thicken it up with more frosting!
I just saw this recipe 3 hours ago and made it. I didn’t wait for the cake to cool and had a warm piece slathered with frosting. HOLY COW, I died and went to heaven. I am making this for Thanksgiving. I am sure your pumpkin version is equally delicious. Thank you!
LOVE hearing this! So glad you liked it!!
If I wanted to make cupcakes, do you know approximate cooking time?
can you please put them in grams?
Holy Cow this cake is awesome. I did a test run on it last night to see if it was something I wanted to take to party on Thursday. It is not hard to make and everyone at work that I shared it with loved it. It is very rich so I cut it into fairly small slices. This will become a go to. The brown butter frosting makes it rather unique.
Love that frosting!!
This is a great recipe. Made it a few months ago exactly as the recipe says- worked beautifully. Getting ready to make another one today.
Made the cake and it is delicious! So is the frosting, but I made mine too thin. I wanted it to look like the picture, but it ran down the sides. But that was okay, I just frosted it all. I will make this again and again. Mine came out of the pan in the 10 minutes as suggested. I sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray really well. Sent 3 pieces to my neighbor who loved it. Took 6 pieces to my son and his family. The cake was inhaled there!
Hi – I want to try this recipe as it sounds gorgeous. I only have a 6 cup size tin though. Please can you tell me how long I would have to cook it for, and what temperature, if I used this tin. Many thanksxxx
★★★★★
Hi- This cake looks amazing!!! Do you think it would still turn out yummy if I were to replace half the butter in the recipe for the cake with applesauce? Have you ever tried that? Thanks!
I haven’t ever tried it, but I am betting it would work!!
So maybe now I have two “go to” desserts! The fudge filled vanilla looks awesome but this one looks out of control! Will be testing these out in the near future and will need testers! I am gluten intolerant and hubby is diabetic but need a good cake for potluck at the church. Thanks so much for the post, will try them out soon and deliver to someone in need of some loving form the oven!
Can I use a regular 9×13 pan? Will bake time vary?
Yes, bake time will absolutely vary. I would start it at 25 minutes and go from there!
I don’t normally leave feedback on recipes, good or bad, but this frosting is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth and I felt like you should know that 🙂 I made this last night for my mom’s birthday and she loved it!
I love this!!! Made my night!!
I am late to the party but just saw this recently. Made it immediately. Added a little extra spices (cardamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg) and a cup of cinnamon chips. This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever had, and I don’t even like apple cakes!! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for posting such a fabulous recipe. I just took this out of the oven a few minutes ago and I cannot wait to dig in. My 3 year old daughter just got to experience brown butter frosting for the first time and I have to say I think she is in love too.
hahaha! Awesome!!