Fresh Apple Cake With Brown Sugar Topping Recipe

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/8/19
Fresh apple cake brown sugar recipe

​The Spruce
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 75 mins
Total: 90 mins
Servings: 12 to 16 servings

This fresh, delicious apple cake, baked in a tube pan, is topped with a mixture of butter and brown sugar. The hot topping is poured over the cake when it comes out of the oven, adding a burst of flavor to the dish as a whole.

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Ingredients

  • For the Cake
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 3 cups apples (such as Rome Beauty, chopped)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • For the Topping
  • 1 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for warm apple cake
    ​The Spruce

  2. Heat the oven to 350 F. Generously grease and flour a tube cake pan.

    Grease pan
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  3. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir or whisk to blend thoroughly and then set aside.

    Flour
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  4. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs.

    Egg in a bowl
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  5. Add the granulated sugar and oil and beat for 3 minutes.

    Add milk
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  6. Gradually stir in sifted dry ingredients.

    Mix
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  7. Fold in apples, walnuts, and vanilla.

    Add apples
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  8. Spoon the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan and bake at 350 F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

    Batter in pan
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  9. About 5 minutes before the cake is done, combine the topping ingredients in a saucepan.

    Butter and brown sugar
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  10. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 3 minutes.

    Bring to a boil
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  11. Pour the hot topping over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

    Pour topping over cake
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  12. Let the cake cool and then loosen the sides, inverting the cake on a plate.

    Let cake cool
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  13. Then invert on another plate, topping side up.

    Let cool
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  14. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Tips

  • The cake may be baked in a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan. Bake it for about 40 to 45 minutes. Pour the brown sugar sauce over the cake, let the cake cool, and serve it from the baking pan.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
569 Calories
36g Fat
58g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 16
Amount per serving
Calories 569
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 36g 46%
Saturated Fat 7g 34%
Cholesterol 73mg 24%
Sodium 447mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 58g 21%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Protein 5g
Calcium 87mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)