Fresh Apple Cake With Apple Cider Glaze

Fresh Apple Cake is the quintessential fall dessert, with all the flavors of melt-in-your-mouth, tender goodness. It captures the fondness of a crisp morning, a cup of coffee, and leaves swirling in the wind.

Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake

Fresh apple cake is made with three different varieties of apples, infused with the delicious aroma of cinnamon, baked in a bundt pan for easy serving, and topped with an apple cider glaze.

Apple season screams fall to me. And this Fresh Apple Cake is an excellent way to express that.  When apples are in abundance, it is the best time to bake some old-fashioned goodness.

And this cake hits it out of the park with all the deliciousness of cinnamon and pie spices mixed with apples and pecans.  I think the apple cake can stand alone without the icing, but it's definitely better with it.

A sweet friend of mine gave me this recipe when I was a newlywed in the early 1970s.  She has shared many recipes with me over the years.  This is still one of my favorites.

I hope you will get to make this cake soon.  Fall is around the corner, and I am sure you will enjoy a slice with a good cup of coffee.

Enjoy!

WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE?  TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR OLD FASHIONED FRESH APPLE CAKE

Below, under the next heading, I provide a list of preferred ingredients, tips, and cooking instructions for Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake, along with similar recipe ideas you can try.

Alternatively, scroll to the bottom to find a full printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and complete instructions, including helpful notes.

TIPS AND TIDBITS FOR THE BEST OLD FASHIONED FRESH APPLE CAKE

Apples.  Use a mix of apples.  Combine tart, firm varieties like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for structure and tart flavor with sweeter options like Fuji or Gala.

Finely dice the apples.  This helps them cook down thoroughly into tender, moist pockets throughout the cake, rather than leaving hard, uncooked chunks.

To peel or not to peel the apples.  For many recipes, leaving the peel on is fine if you grate the apples. However, if you dice the apples, peeling is recommended.

Coat the apples in flour.  To prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake, toss the chopped apples with a little flour from your measured amount before folding them into the batter.  I recommend folding half of the apples into the batter and pouring half of it into the pan, then adding the remaining apples to the remaining batter.  This also helps distribute the apples.

Don't overmix the batter.  After combining your wet and dry ingredients, mix only until just incorporated.  Overmixing leads to a crumbly and tough cake.

The batter will be thick.  A fresh apple cake batter is often very thick before the apples are added.  Don't be alarmed; the moisture from the apples will thin it out as you mix them in.

Add warm spices.  While some recipes skip the spices to let the pure apple flavor shine, I prefer the combination of ground cinnamon and ground cloves to create a traditional fall flavor.

Adding nuts.  Finely chopped nuts are delightful in a fresh apple cake, and they will also make the cake easier to cut.

Apple cider.  Apple cider is a nice touch of flavor in the cake or frosting.

Use the toothpick test.  Your cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or a few moist crumbs cling to it.

Cool the cake properly.  After baking, let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes to firm up.  Then, carefully remove it and let it cool completely on a wire rack.  This is important for the cake to slice properly.

Leftovers.  Because of its high fresh fruit content, it is best to store any leftover apple cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

WHAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE OLD FASHIONED FRESH APPLE CAKE

Ingredients:  Cake
Vegetable oil
Eggs
Sugar
Cinnamon
Ground cloves
Vanilla
Flour
Soda
Fresh apples (2 small Granny Smith, 1 medium Honey Crisp, and 1 medium Gala)
Pecans, chopped

Ingredients: Apple Cider Glaze

Pecans, whole
Powdered sugar
Half and half
Apple cider
Vanilla
Cinnamon

HOW TO PREPARE OLD-FASHIONED FRESH APPLE CAKE

Directions:  Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use solid vegetable shortening to generously grease a tube pan and dust it with flour. Cream oil and sugar together. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients and spices together. Add to sugar mixture. 

Add vanilla, apples, and nuts to the batter and fold them all together. Bake in a prepared tube pan for 45 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs. 

Cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan. Transfer to a serving plate and immediately glaze with Apple Cider Glaze.  

Garnish with whole pecans.

Directions:  Apple Cider Glaze

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, half-and-half, apple cider, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth and creamy. 

Pour over cake.

WHERE YOU MAY SEE THIS RECIPE

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