This moist Apple Spice Cake with homemade cream cheese frosting is full of warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh apples. Easy to make and ready in about an hour!
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An easy Apple Spice Cake is the ultimate cozy fall dessert that’s packed with juicy apples, warm spices, and crunchy pecans, then topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting. A cake like this one or Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake is always a great thing for gatherings, fall parties, and is nice to enjoy after a long work week. Any reason is a good reason to make this cake.
Why You’ll Love This
This tasty, super-moist Apple Spice Cake recipe is moist and super-flavorful. Those fresh apples and warm spices work so nicely together. You don’t need any crazy ingredients, just some pantry staples you already have in the kitchen. The creamy, scratch frosting pairs perfectly with the fresh Apple Cake.
Let’s gather The Ingredients
- Eggs: Room temperature for best results.
- Oil: This makes the cake super moist.
- Vanilla extract: I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract.
- Dry goods: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and powdered sugar
- Spices: cinnamon and nutmeg
- Apples: I use Granny Smith, but any apple will work.
- Pecans: Walnuts can also be used.
- Cream cheese: Room temperature to prevent any lumps.
- Butter: Room temperature for best results.
How To Make Apple Spice Cake
- Step 1: Add sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla to a large bowl and use a whisk to combine.
- Step 2: In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients- flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Step 3: Dump dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk together until well combined.
- Step 4: Fold in chopped apples and pecans with a wooden spoon into the batter.
- Step 5: Prepare the cake pan by spraying with nonstick baking spray. Pour cake batter into prepared pan.
- Step 6: While the cake is baking, add softened cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use an electric mixer, hand mixer, or stand mixer to cream them together until smooth.
- Step 7: Then add powdered sugar and vanilla to the cream cheese and butter mixture. Mix to combine.
- Step 8: Once cake has cooled, spread frosting over the cake and garnish with more pecans if using. Slice, serve, and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Dice the apples small, so they bake evenly into the batter.
- Don’t skip the frosting, but feel free to change things up. Next time you frost your cake, try adding cinnamon for a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
- Keep leftovers covered or transfer slices to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture. Since we have the cream cheese frosting, we have to refrigerate it.
- Swap pecans for walnuts or leave the nuts out entirely if you prefer a nut-free version.
- Try a slice of cake with a mug of hot apple cider. A steaming hot cup of coffee or hot spiced apple tea goes nicely too. Or, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
