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Apple Cake the Old-Fashioned Way
This moist, golden apple cake is easy to make and has a buttery flavor with just enough sweetness to let its fresh apple topping shine. A reliable, old-fashioned recipe, it has the tender texture of a classic coffee cake but swaps the crumb topping for thin slices of Golden Delicious apples brushed with butter and dusted with cinnamon sugar.
As pretty to look at as it is delicious, it’s a lovely choice for dessert, brunch, or an afternoon coffee break. You can serve it warm or at room temperature and pair it with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you choose.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
APPLES: Golden Delicious apples are naturally sweet, and have a mellow flavor and tender texture make them ideal for baking. They soften without breaking down and hold their shape beautifully in this moist apple cake.
BUTTER: Use unsalted butter for best flavor and texture. Keep it well chilled before cutting it into the flour as those small bits of cold butter help create a tender crumb.
MILK: Whole milk gives the richest flavor and softest crumb. Low-fat milk will work, but the cake will be slightly less tender.
CINNAMON AND SUGAR: A simple mix of ground cinnamon and granulated sugar adds warmth and sweetness without overpowering the fresh apple flavor. You can adjust the ratio slightly to taste or add a pinch of nutmeg if you like.
Prep Overview
How to Make Golden Delicious Apple Cake
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
Begin by combining the dry ingredients and cutting in cold butter until the mixture looks sandy with a few pea-sized bits. That step is key as it gives the cake its tender crumb. Once the wet ingredients are stirred in, the batter will be thick but spreadable, which helps it rise evenly and hold the apple topping in place.
Peel and slice your apple thinly so they bake up tender without releasing much moisture. Arrange the slices in a spiral pattern, pressing them gently into the batter as you go. Brushing them with melted butter adds richness, and the cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top caramelizes as the cake bakes.
The cake is done when the edges are lightly browned and the apples are tender. Let it cool briefly in the pan before turning it out onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tested Tips
AVOID DOMING: Doming (when the center of a cake bakes higher than the edges) can happen for several reasons, but it’s often due to excess heat or uneven oven temperature. We’ve had great success using cake strips—fabric bands soaked in cool water and wrapped around the pan—to help the edges bake more slowly and evenly, keeping the top flat and tender.
HOW TO GET THE CAKE OUT OF THE PAN: To help this cake release cleanly from the pan, let it cool for 10 minutes after baking. Run a thin spatula or knife around the edge, then work quickly with two racks. Place one over the pan and flip quickly but gently, then put the other rack over the bottom of the cake and turn it upright.
Old-Fashioned Inspiration
The idea for this golden delicious apple cake recipe came from a 1959 vintage cookbook, Mary Margaret McBride’s Encyclopedia of Cooking, where a similar version appeared under the name “Open-Faced Apple Cake.”
Mary Margaret McBride was a radio personality in the 1950s and a trusted name in mid-twentieth-century American homes. The “encyclopedia” was has more than 1500 pages and contains thousands of recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts, as well as cooking tips and meal planning advice. If you collect vintage cookbooks, hunt down a copy.
More Easy Apple Desserts
Apples are wonderfully versatile and lend themselves to simple desserts that are always a hit. A few of our favorites include a buttery, crumb-topped apple brown betty, a spiced apple pudding cake studded with raisins, and a cool, creamy apple parfait that’s perfect for an easy finish to any meal.
Golden Delicious Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
For the topping:
- 1 large Golden Delicious apple
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and generously butter a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter and toss to coat with flour. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until no dry flour remains. The batter will be thick, don’t overmix. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Peel, core, and thinly slice the apple (about 1/8 inch thick). Arrange the slices in a spiral pattern over the batter, gently pressing them in as you go.
- Brush the apple slices with melted butter. Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Tips for Success
The key to moist cake with a soft crumb is even heating while baking. Here are a few tips to help you get the best results.- Use an oven thermometer to ensure accurate temperature; uneven heat can cause doming or dry edges.
- For the most even results, try using cake strips, fabric bands soaked in cool water and wrapped around your cake pan. They help prevent doming and over-browning.
Storage Tips
- Store cooled cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- For longer storage, wrap tightly in plastic and foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, warm slices in a 350°F oven wrapped loosely in foil for about 10 minutes, or microwave individual pieces for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the heat the same for a glass dish
Hi Cathy,
If you are baking in glass, it might be a good idea to reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Glass bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal does and it also holds the heat longer. Reducing the oven temperature will help to keep the edges of the cake from drying out while it finishes baking in the center.
Made this tonight with my son, easy peas. We used thin fresh sliced pineapples instead of apples and it came out beautiful. Outside of cake was a little overdone but that could be bad pans or too hot oven. Other than that recipe was perfect and tasty!! thanks!
Yum! Tonight for sure!