Description
Moist apple dapple cake celebrates seasonal apples with rich caramel notes and crunchy walnut textures. Homemade comfort emerges through simple ingredients blended for maximum flavor in this classic Southern dessert you’ll want to share.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups peeled, diced apples (Granny Smith)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans, optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and thoroughly coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with grease and flour to prevent sticking.
- In a spacious mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture becomes smooth and integrated.
- Separately sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in another bowl, ensuring no lumps remain.
- Gradually incorporate the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined without overmixing.
- Delicately fold diced apples and chopped nuts into the batter, distributing them evenly throughout.
- Transfer the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it uniformly to ensure consistent baking.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time to promote even browning.
- Test cake doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center – it should emerge clean with minimal crumbs.
- While cake bakes, prepare the caramel glaze by melting butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add brown sugar and milk to the melted butter, stirring constantly and bringing the mixture to a quick boil.
- Remove glaze from heat immediately and stir in vanilla for additional depth of flavor.
- Once cake is done, remove from oven and immediately drizzle warm caramel glaze over the hot surface.
- Allow cake to cool completely, enabling the glaze to set and flavors to meld before serving.
Notes
- Swap vegetable oil with applesauce for a healthier, lower-fat version that keeps the cake moist and adds natural sweetness.
- Dice apples uniformly to ensure even distribution and consistent texture throughout the cake.
- Toast nuts briefly before adding to enhance their nutty flavor and provide a crunchier texture.
- Adjust spice levels by increasing cinnamon or adding nutmeg for a more complex, warming flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 363
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 246 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg