Apple Fritter Cake is a soft apple filled cake, with a crispy sugar glaze! You’re favorite old fashioned doughnut in cake form!
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.
How to Make Apple Fritter Cake
This apple cake cake is so soft and moist..loaded with apples and cinnamon.
Chop up a couple apples…
You’ll need about 2 cups of diced apples…
The trick for this cake is cooking your apples to make them soft and delicious.
Cook them up with some sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and water…
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…
Add in some eggs and vanilla too. The batter will look a little odd, but it’s ok.
Next add in your dry ingredients…
And some Greek yogurt. Alternate them as you add them.
Yes, you could sub this for sour cream too!
Then spread half of the batter in a prepared 9×13.
Pour your delicious apple concoction up 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?
When your cake is baked, you need to poke it a little bit. Grab a butter knife and stab it 31 times. Exactly.
Then whip up a little glaze. It’s just a little powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
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…
Let it cool a few minutes and then stick your face in it.
Or use a fork. Whatever.
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
- 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
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
- In a medium saucepan combine apples, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and water.
- Heat on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until apples soften and the liquid thickens. Set aside to cool.
- Mix the dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Add the applesauce, vanilla, and eggs and mix on medium until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the dry mixture and the Greek yogurt in alternating parts, starting and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.
- 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.
- Cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of the brown sugar all over the top.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set.
Glaze
- 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.
- When cake is done, immediately poke holes in the cake using a butter knife, about 30 pokes.
- 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
Keywords: cookies and cups, apple cake, apple fritter, apple recipe, cake recipe, fall baking, apple desserts
This looks so good, I am drooling! Will make this to celebrate fall when it gets here. Thanks for sharing!
Oh. My. Goodness. Made this on a whim–baking is my therapy and it was a much-needed baking weekend. I sell baked goods at the local farmer’s market and this WILL be in my regular line up. I can’t stop eating it and my taste testers are all wanting more too. I made mine in a smaller dish as I wanted a thicker cake. Going to experiment with cupcake tins next. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
This is a 10/10 make it if you can. And then make it again!
★★★★★
Made this yesterday. YUMMY.
Made half a recipe. Okay, I read thru recipe and still made errors. I thought I had applesauce but out so used an extra 4T butter in place of it. Added the brown sugar and cinnamon to apples in sauce pan rather than saved for the topping. (Just a thought…maybe have the topping of brown sugar and cinnamon separate from the apple mixture section for old people like me.) I did what another reader did…added the cooled apple mixture to the batter. Turned out great. Will make again and again and again. Thx
★★★★★
I made this for Easter. What a disappointment. It tasted like a spice cake with apples added. Don’t think I will make it again
★
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I definitely will be making it again. Thanks for the awesome recipe. Everyone loved it.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed!!
Omg. I just made this. First of all, my house smells amazing!!! And Ia6 have already taken a bite it is to die for. Will make it again for Thanksgiving. Ty for sharing this recipe. Will follow you for more.
★★★★★
I made this recipe but had to sub a couple items. Had no apple sauce so I made a quick one in the Instant pot with 2 cups apple chunks, cinnamon, sugar and water for about 7 minute. Threw it in the freezer while I prepped the rest. I used half greek yogurt and half whole buttermilk. Because…well..thats all a girl had. I also cut the cake batter in half because I did a pear fritter and apple fritter. I will say, I used a lot of vanilla and threw in a splash of butter flavor. This is Devine! The children and I are standing around it right now in heaven! Even the picky 4 yr old. Thank you!
★★★★★