Apple Cake with Fluffy Brown Sugar Buttercream

This Apple Cake recipe is a moist, fluffy cake with warm spice and fresh apples in every bite. It’s piled high with homemade brown sugar buttercream for an easy fall dessert, or you can skip the frosting and enjoy a slice for breakfast!

If you’re looking for another apple dessert to make while fresh apples are in season, this homemade apple crisp is always a hit!

Apple season is a much-celebrated time of year at our house. From my mom’s awesome apple bread to muffins. We’re apple lovers through and through! This easy apple cake is another favorite, packed with shredded apples and cozy cinnamon spice. I top my cake with fluffy buttercream frosting that’s sweetened with brown sugar and warmly spiced with cinnamon.

Why You’ll Love This Apple Cake Recipe

• Made with real apples. This easy apple cake has plenty of fresh shredded apples, plus applesauce stirred into the batter for double the apple flavor. Infused with a touch of warm spice, everything about this recipe shouts “Fall!”. I love making this cake after a visit to the apple orchard when the apples are at their freshest.
• Brown sugar frosting. I smother this apple cake with a generous layer of fluffy brown sugar buttercream frosting afterward. It also makes a great breakfast cake or snack cake if you leave off the frosting, so it’s up to you.
• Easy. I make this cake in a 9×13″ baking pan, sheet cake-style. It’s perfect for sharing and there’s no need for stacking layers. It’s a simple but flavor-packed recipe perfect for fall gatherings and brunches.

What You’ll Need

These are some quick notes on what you’ll need to make this easy apple cake. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable list with amounts.

For the Cake

• Apples – The best apples for this cake are tart, firm apples that hold up well when baked. My favorites are Haralson, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith. Feel free to use a mix of different apples for more texture and flavor.
• Lemon juice – Tossing the shredded apples with lemon juice helps to keep them from browning. You can use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
• Dry ingredients – Your preferred wheat/all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking powder for leavening.
• Spices – I use a combination of cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg to infuse this cake with fall flavor. You could also use a pre-mixed spice blend, like apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
• Applesauce – My secret for a perfectly moist apple cake. Applesauce also helps boost the flavors, so it’s a win-win.
• Eggs and vanilla – Use room temperature eggs and pure vanilla extract (not imitation vanilla extract).

For the Brown Sugar Frosting

• Unsalted butter – Allow it to come to room temperature before you start.
• Powdered sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar.
• Brown sugar – You can’t have brown sugar frosting without brown sugar. I love the little crunches of sugar granules that it adds to the buttercream.
• Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon, or you can use whichever spices you use for the cake. I also add kosher salt to my frosting to help balance the sweetness.
• Half-and-half – Or heavy cream. You can use whole milk in a pinch, but the frosting won’t be quite and smooth and fluffy.

How to Make This Apple Cake

Both the apple cake and the buttercream frosting are easy to make in a few quick steps. Be sure to whip the frosting for the full amount of time, for the fluffiest, most luscious buttercream! For printable instructions, scroll to the recipe card below the post.

• Prepare the apples. First, you’ll toss the shredded apples with lemon juice and white sugar.
• Make the cake batter. Meanwhile, whisk together the dry ingredients (apart from the sugar). Separately, cream both white and brown sugar with the wet ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet batter, and fold in the apples. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13″ pan.
• Bake. This apple cake goes into a 350ºF oven for 50 minutes, until the cake is nicely browned. Let the cake cool completely before you frost it.

Easy Brown Sugar Frosting

To make your brown sugar frosting, whip the butter for 8 minutes or so until it’s creamy. Next, beat in the dry ingredients on low. Add the half-and-half and vanilla extract, and give the frosting a final whip until it’s light and fluffy. Using an offset spatula or a knife, spread the frosting generously all over the cooled cake. You’re ready to serve!

Tips and Variations

• Use more than one type of apple. I like to use at least two different types of apples to give the cake a variety of textures and flavors. Each apple adds a unique quality to the cake: some are more tart, others more sweet, some are soft, while others have more crunch.
• Don’t under-whip the frosting. It’s important to spend enough time whipping air into the frosting for a light and fluffy result. It might feel like you’ve been beating it forever, but those extra minutes will reward you with a truly amazing buttercream!
• Let the cake cool before adding the frosting. If you add the buttercream while the cake is still warm, it’ll cause the butter in the frosting to melt and you’ll lose that amazing fluffiness.
• Add nuts. Stir chopped pecan or walnuts into the cake batter for crunch. You can also toast the nuts lightly in a pan on the stovetop or in the oven beforehand, to deep the flavor.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving the frosted apple cake topped with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon for a light and easy fall dessert. A slice of apple cake pairs perfectly with a cozy cortadito or dirty chai latte, tea, or a cold glass of milk. For an extra indulgent dessert, serve this cake with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel buttermilk syrup.

How to Store Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Due to the buttercream frosting, leftover apple cake is best stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Allow slices to come to cool room temperature (to let the buttercream soften a bit) before enjoying.
• Freeze. You can freeze this apple cake with or without frosting. Allow the cake to cool completely and freeze it either whole or in slices in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Thaw the cake in the fridge before serving.

More Apple Recipes

• Easy Caramel Apple Crisp
• Apple Bundt Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
• Apple Peanut Butter Cookies
• Cinnamon Streusel Apple French Toast Cups

Apple Cake with Fluffy Brown Sugar Buttercream

Yield: 15 servings

prep time: 30 minutes mins

cook time: 50 minutes mins

total time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

This easy apple cake is a moist, fluffy cake recipe filled with warm spice and fresh apples. Frost this cake with homemade brown sugar buttercream for the perfect fall dessert!

4.8 Stars (4 Reviews)

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Ingredients

for the apple cake:

• 4 medium-sized tart firm apples – peeled, cored, & shredded (use the big holes on your grater), to make about 3.5 cups shredded apples – I recommend Haralson, Honeycrisp, Zestar!, SweeTango, and Granny Smith
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup white sugar divided
• 3 cups wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon mace
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup applesauce
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

for the fluffy brown sugar buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons half and half
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• For the apple cake: Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 9" x 13" pan and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the shredded apple with lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the white sugar. Set aside.
• In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the remaining 3/4 cup of white sugar, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Then add the flour mixture and combine once again. Add the apples and mix until the apples are evenly distributed.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the cake is nicely browned and a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. Let cake cool on a rack.
• For the fluffy brown sugar buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and beat on low to incorporate. Add half and half and vanilla, mixing on low until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 to 6 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Spread buttercream onto cooled cake.

Notes

From a farmgirl’s dabbles

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 839kcal Carbohydrates: 130g Protein: 11g Fat: 33g Saturated Fat: 15g Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 119mg Sodium: 312mg Fiber: 8g Sugar: 86g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!

© Brenda | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles

Cuisine: American

Course: Cake

This post was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2021.