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!
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 remaining 1/2 teaspoon 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
Hi! This cake is amazing whenever I’ve made it (as are the many recipes I consistently bake from your site!) I’m traveling and won’t have access to a mixer at the home I am staying- I was wondering if I can sub the butter out for canola oil since it’s somewhat of a “spice” cake anyways . I know texture wise it’ll be good but wasn’t sure if flavor wise it would be lacking? Thanks so much!
You could do that…the texture will be a little different as well. You will lose a little flavor from the butter, but it should be ok due to the other flavors you add in like cinnamon, vanilla, and of course the apples!
Thank you so much!
I like new recipe
I have just glazed the cake and it is settiing beautifully, we can’t wait to taste. It looks like a giant inviting apple fritter – as promised. (Added another 3/4 cup of apples)
I made this cake by mixing everything together except for the sugar/cinnamon topping and the glaze which were added per direction. It was delicious and easier than layering, in my opinion. I did increase the apples to 3 cups.
I halved the recipe, used a square cake pan and sprinkled some chopped walnuts over the top of the cake with the cinnamon brown sugar. I also thought the cornstarch proportion was off. The apple mixture was too thick. Othet than those personal changes,it is a keeper!
Oops! I just realized I goofed on my previous comment. I used about 2.5 cups of apples…not 1.5. Hope you try this cake!
Yesterday I made this cake for a football gathering. It was the hit of the party! After reading some of the reviews, I added some extra apples, probably 1.5 cups. I love cinnamon, so since I added the extra apples, I also increased the cinnamon. I agree that it’s a little tricky spreading the batter over the apples. Mine wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t seem to matter, as the batter spreads out a little when baking. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I have made this twice with great approval from my husband. Half of the prepared batter is extremely challenging to spread in a 9×13″ pan. I increased the apple mixture. More challenging to spread the 2nd half of the batter. Has anyone tried gently mixing the apples into the batter and make it one layer? (I’m going to try this next time.) Flavors are marvelous. Thank you!
Have you tried making this GF using any particular flour?
This was a great receipe but next time as per my family I will double the apples.
Also are you sure about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 2 teaspoons of water? I added about 3/4 cup of water and still had a thick sauce. Maybe next time I will use less cornstarch and still add more water and apples.
It was a great tasting receipe if the empty pan is any indication.
Thanks will be making again!