Apple Dapple Cake

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This old-fashioned apple dapple cake recipe is the darling of fall baking. Every moist bite is positively infused with chunks of juicy apple, toasted pecans, and an amazingly sweet and buttery brown sugar glaze.

Apple Dapple Cake hero image

Mama has been making this old-fashioned apple dapple cake for as long as I can remember. It’s always signaled the arrival of apple season for us! So this apple season, pick some fresh apples and bake this easy apple cake recipe. All you need is typical baking ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, oil, vanilla, eggs, milk, and butter), plus some chopped pecans for extra crunch.

The wonderful thing about Mama’s vintage apple dapple cake recipe (and I do mean WONDERFUL) is that the resulting flavor is a perfect blend of fresh apples and buttery brown sugar. With the special caramel-like brown sugar soaking sauce poured over the cake and allowed to soak in before removing the cake from the pan, it is by far the moistest and densest cake I’ve ever baked.

As if the flavor (and smell) were not enough, the slices are gorgeous too. Thick slices showcase bits of apple and the slightly granular texture around the edges of the tender crust is brought on by the brown sugar. Don’t you just love the taste of brown sugar? I mean, all on its own, I just love brown sugar. Whenever I am baking with it, I can’t help but get a pinch out for myself. Lucky is the day when I find a few precious lumps within the bag!

If you’ve ever wanted to win someone over through their stomach, THIS cake is a home run. All of our cake recipes are to die for so make sure you check out some of them like Apple Crumble Cake, Chocolate Sundae CakeCoca-Cola Cake, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, and Sams Club Strawberry Cake (Homemade Recipe).

Apple Dapple Cake ingredients

Recipe Ingredients

  • Apples
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Baking soda
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Eggs
  • Pecans
  • Brown sugar
  • Milk
  • Unsalted butter

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How to Make Apple Dapple Cake

Mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

In your mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until blended.

You can do this by hand or using an electric mixer. Go with your mood.

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into separate mixing bowl.

In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.

Combine wet and dry ingredients.

Add this to your wet ingredients and mix until blended again.

The cake batter will become a thick dough.

Like this.

It’s a nice thick dough at this point.

Peel and chop apples into little chunks. 

Peel and chop apples into little chunks. 

Add chopped apples and pecans to the apple dapple cake batter.

Add chopped apples and pecans to the cake batter.

Apple dapple cake batter all mixed together.

Stir those together until they are fully incorporated. 

Prepare your pan either by greasing with shortening and flouring or by using one of those handy, dandy cooking sprays.

Press batter into bundt pan and bake.

Spoon your apple dapple cake batter into your pan.

My mother uses a tube pan but whenever I bake this I just use a bundt pan. Either one is fine.

Bake this in the oven at 350 for one hour.

Place milk, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepot.

Making the Brown Sugar Sauce

About 10 minutes before your cake is done, you need to make this AMAZING sauce to pour over the cake while it is still hot in the pan.

Place milk, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepot.

Boil sauce on stovetop.

Stir this together on the stove eye at medium to medium-high heat, bringing to a gentle boil.

Once it starts boiling gently, keep stirring and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove hot delicious cake from the oven.

Baked apple dapple cake

Look at that beauty!

Pour sauce over hot cake.

While the apple dapple cake is still piping hot in the pan, pour the sauce over it and let it all sit until it soaks it up.

OH MERCY!

Let cake completely cool in the pan.

I mean, LOOK AT  THAT CAKE!

The sauce will soak up, just be patient. 

Leave the cake in the pan until it has cooled completely.

Apple Dapple Cake

Have you ever seen a more beautiful apple cake?

Apple dapple cake slices.

I hope you get to make it soon! 

Might oughta make two 😉.

Storage

  • Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
  • You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Double wrap them in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to avoid freezer burn and thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • For extra flavor, add 2 teaspoons of your favorite seasoning. That might be 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of nutmeg, apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice. All work well with this apple cake recipe.
  • If you want to add more texture, some apple dapple cake recipes include 1 cup of flaked coconut and 1 cup of raisins as well. Fold them in when you add the chopped apple and pecans.
  • Speaking of, feel free to substitute the chopped pecans for chopped walnuts instead. If you like, toast them for about 5 minutes in the oven beforehand for extra crunch and texture.
  • Another substitution you can make is to swap the milk in the glaze for heavy cream.

Recipe FAQs

What kind of apples should I use?

As pictured, I always use Granny Smith apples due to how the tart flavor combines well with the sweetness of this dish. You can also use Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonathan, Jonagold, or even Golden Delicious works.

Where does apple dapple cake originate?

The origin of apple dapple cake is unknown, as Amish, Southern, and Jewish cultures all make their own version that are very similar to this recipe.

Apple Dapple Cake

This old-fashioned apple dapple cake recipe includes chunks of juicy apple, toasted pecans, and an amazing buttery brown sugar sauce.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple, cake
Servings: 12
Calories: 612kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups fresh apples, peeled and finely chopped

Sauce

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks)

Instructions

  • Spray a bundt cake pan or a tube pan liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
  • Mix together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
    1 cup vegetable oil, 2 cups granulated sugar, 3 eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking soda. Then add this to the wet ingredients before folding in the pecans and diced apples.
    3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup chopped pecans, 3 cups fresh apples, peeled and finely chopped
  • Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
  • Place sauce ingredients into a small saucepot over medium-high heat. Stir constantly and bring it to a gentle boil. After it begins gently boiling, continue to stir and allow to cook for about 3 minutes.
    1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup butter
  • Pour the sauce over the hot cake while it's still in the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 612kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

 

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949 Comments

  1. OMG, I am not from the South, but Man oh Man this recipe was amazing. I made this cake last night and I am going to bring it into the office tomorrow for coffee morning, let hope that its so good that I get a payrise!! I am passing this recipe on to EVERYONE that I know.

  2. Pam, thank you so much for leaving this comment! I am thrilled it went over so well for you! There just isn’t anything like being praised for something you’ve baked!! Thank you so much!!!!
    Christy

  3. I remember my mom baking Apple Dapple cake when I was a kid many moons ago. Not sure if this is the same recipe but most likely as we are all southerners. Anyway since we have had a wealth of apples from our tree, I baked one today to take to our church women’s fellowship this evening. They loved it! One young woman said it was the best cake she had ever had. And everyone was telling anyone who hadn’t had a piece that they just had to try it. My husband and son were lucky that they left them a little to try when I got home!

  4. Hi Mary! We’ve used all kinds of apples in this with great success! I’ve even used golden delicious! Its entirely up to you.

    Welcome to Southern Plate! Its so great to have you here!
    Christy

    1. If I use the Bundy pan, how does the brown sugar sauce get in the bottom/top? Also how do you remove the cake from the tube pan and how long to cool before removing? Thanks, maggie

  5. This looks delicious!! Can’t wait to smell it baking. What kind of apples…Granny Smith?
    Just found your site today….love it!! Especially all the great pics! TFS!

  6. Oh Bill, Oh Bill, Oh Bill!!

    First of all: Bless your heart!!! I know it is so disappointing when things don’t turn out!

    Secondly: my email goes straight to my telephone when I am out so next time this comes up and you have to make a substitution, shoot me an email and I can help you!!!

    You know, I was trying to teach a bachelor in England once how to make Taco soup. The recipe called for dry ranch dressing mix. This is a great mix, basically herbs and spices and great little flavors with a little thickening agent mixed in. He couldn’t find that, so he just grabbed a bottle of ranch dressing (which is an ENTIRELY different creature altogether when it comes to cooking) and poured the entire thing is.
    I shudder thinking about that! He said “it was quite……different.”
    lol
    I imagine it was!!!

    Bill, I really really really really really don’t think you should try this in your bread machine. I really really really really worry about what would happen if you did.

    How about I send you a recipe for a GREAT Italian bread that you make in your bread machine that actually has minced garlic, cheese, and Italian herbs baked right in it instead?

    Bill, I’m so glad you read Southern Plate!!! I just love having you here!
    Christy

    1. Great cake. My boss Used to make it for the office 30 years ago and we loved it. I haven’t had it since. So glad to find this recipe online I did a few substitution as though. I put in a 1/2 a cup of buttermilk a teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg And for the glaze I used a couple of drops of candy rum flavoring.

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