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.
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 Cake, Coca-Cola Cake, Red Velvet Bundt Cake, and Sams Club Strawberry Cake (Homemade Recipe).
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
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.
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add this to your wet ingredients and mix until blended again.
Like this.
It’s a nice thick dough at this point.
Peel and chop apples into little chunks.
Add chopped apples and pecans to the cake batter.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Look at that beauty!
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!
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.
Have you ever seen a more beautiful apple cake?
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.
You might also enjoy these appetizing apple recipes:
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
Hi Christy! I wrote this a few months back and never heard from you. I was wondering where you got this recipe? I got it from my mom and she made this over 50 years ago. But she never made the sauce for it. It taste just as good without as it does with it. I’ve made it many of times in the 9×13 pan and I spray it with butter Cisco. And yes adjust to 350 for 45 minutes. Also I wet my hands with water and pat the thick batter (cookie dough like batter) down. And if you let the batter set a little with the apples in it for a few before pouring it, it makes the batter a little wetter. You also can use any nuts your taste desires. I don’t use any. When we moved I thought I lost my moms recipe. I knew the ingredients just forgot the measurements. I looked all over on the internet hoping to find it but had no luck. So I cried! Then one day I found it on the same cardboard paper she wrote it on. I’ve share this on FB hope many will try it. Hope to hear from you.
I have no idea where it originally came from but I got it from Mama who got it from her grandmother 🙂 It is a gem. 🙂
WOW!!! Made this two days ago, took it to work, and people lost their minds! I made it in a Bundt pan and followed the directions exactly. Some comments, “The very best thing I have ever eaten in my life!”, “Make this again tomorrow!”, “This is now your signature cake for work events!”.
It was very easy to do; the hardest part was peeling the apples and chopping them up. 🙂 Highly, highly recommend. Next time I may try a pinch of cinnamon, but it’s delicious without it and not everyone likes cinnamon.
I am so glad to hear it was a hit!!!!
Hi! Just ran across your recipe for this delicious cake. I read through the comments before making mine and now that I’ve finished I wanted to add a hint to those having trouble with the sauce. It’s important that the sauce is hot and the cake straight out of the oven. I started making my sauce when my timer read 10 minutes. It’s also important to measure the ingredients accurately because if you don’t add enough milk or too much brown sugar you’re going to get a thicker sauce. Run a butter knife around the outside of the pan and around the center post. Also a couple pokes in the cake itself. POUR SLOWLY. It takes a moment for the sauce to make it’s way past the crusty top. Once it is softened the rest will follow smoothly. Lastly, I turned my oven off and placed the cake back in the oven with the door open just to keep the sauce liquid enough to keep moving through the cake. It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try this.
As a side note, I used 1/2C applesauce and 1/2C oil and since the applesauce was sweetened I reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 C.
Wonderful advice. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us!
This recipe is so wonderfully forgiving!
This has been my favorite cake recipe since you first published it.
These days we are trying to eat a little healthier so all the baking recipes I use get a little makeover. You would never know it from the taste though.
This time I replaced 1 cup of All Purpose flour with 1 cup of white wheat flour, I replaced 2/3 cup of AP flour with ground flax seed, and the rest (1 1/3 cup) of AP flour I left as is.
I replaced 1/2 cup of the oil with applesauce, and the other half cup was olive oil.
I always add 2 Tablespoons of boiled apple cider and I added 2 tsp cinnamon.
Everything else I left as it was and baked according to directions.
I did not alter the sauce for the top, but as always, I poke holes with a meat thermometer in the cake before pouring the sauce over the top.
GOOD GRAVY that cake is so scrumptious you’d never know I cut the fat and upped the fiber.
NOT “it’s ‘ok’ for a healthier cake”. Nope. It’s fabulously delicious compared to any cake.
As I said, a very forgiving cake recipe that is easy to alter to your family’s tastes.
Could this be made with applesauce? I love the taste of baked apple, but the texture is so awful to me!
Made this cake last night. My husband took it to his gun club. 30 men and they all loved it, three comments 1 make it again 2 I out did myself 3 needs cinnamon. I used light brown sugar because the recipe just says brown sugar. I got this recipe from facebook. I didn’t get a piece so will have to make it again. I didn’ use my tube pan because I thought the sauce might leak out the bottom. Will use it the next time. I also run a knife around the tube and out side edges of the pan so the sauce will soak in. LOVE THIS CAKE. My husband has already told me I have to make this for our pinochle club when we host. Now that I have found your site will be checking out other recipes.
Welcome to Southern Plate Madeline!! I am so glad to hear that the cake was a hit with everyone!! I hope to see you around from time to time and can’t wait to get to know you!!
Is the batter supposed to be quite dense?
Yes, it is very thick.