Easy Apple Spice Cake
This Apple Spice Cake will get rave reviews. My family loved it! It’s special enough to serve at the holidays, but easy enough for every day!
Frequently Asked Questions about this delicious apple spice cake
What are the best apples to use in this recipe?
Luckily, this recipe is very flexible in terms of what fresh apples you choose. If you prefer tart apples, I recommend Granny smith apples. I used Honeycrisp apples, and everyone loved this cake.
Can I use apple cider or apple juice in place of the water?
While I didn’t test the recipe that way, I think it sounds like a yummy substitution to try!
Could this recipe be made in a Bundt pan?
Yes, I think it would work. You would simply need to “build” the cake in the reverse order, placing the “crumb” mixture on the bottom of a prepared Bundt cake pan, then the apples, the the batter. The crumb mixture won’t be as “crumble-like” but the apple flavor will still be delicious.
Is there a different Icing you’d recommend if I don’t like caramel?
The caramel icing on this cake is divine, but the cake is delicious without it. If you serve the cake without the caramel icing, I would recommend a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You could also drizzle with a thin cream cheese glaze.
I couldn’t find a box of spice cake mix at the grocery store. What else can I use?
You could substitute a box of carrot cake mix.
Can I use unsweetened applesauce or does it have to be sweetened?
You can use whichever you prefer.
Could I make this recipe in a loaf pan?
I think you would need to make 2 loaves, but yes, it should work.
Print
Easy Apple Spice Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
Cake:
- Baking spray with flour
- 1 (15.25-oz.) box of spice cake mix
- 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
- 8 Tbsp. butter, melted and divided
- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup applesauce
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup diced apples or coarsely chopped apples (about 1 medium-size apple)
Icing:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake: Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a springform pan with baking spray; set aside. (Alternatively, line bottom of pan with parchment paper.)
- Open boxed cake mix and remove 1/2 cup of the mix to a small bowl. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of the butter to cake mix in small bowl; stir with a fork until mixture forms a crumb-like topping. Set aside.
- Add remaining cake mix to a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together eggs, water, applesauce and remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter until well combined. Add wet ingredients mixture to cake mix in large bowl, and beat on low speed of an electric mixer until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Spoon cake batter into prepared pan. Top evenly with apples. Crumble reserved brown sugar mixture evenly over top apples and batter.
- Bake in center of preheated oven until top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Prepare the Icing: Place butter, brown sugar and milk in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat to medium-high heat. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla (mixture will bubble.) Whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.
- Carefully pour Icing over top of the cake. (Icing is very hot in pan and will harden very quickly when poured over Cake.)
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 55 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Other Delicious Apple Desserts You’ll Love
Apple Fritter Bread
