Easy Apple Dapple Cake (Old-Fashioned Recipe!)

It's Saturday, October 25th, and I'm writing this from Casablanca, Morocco. The air is beautifully mild, and while it's a world away from the Hill Country apple orchards back home in Austin, Texas, my kitchen cravings are right on schedule. It's peak fall, and that means I need to be baking a cozy, spiced apple cake. This Apple Dapple Cake is a beloved, old-fashioned recipe that is pure, rustic comfort. It's an incredibly moist, oil-based cake that is loaded with 4 cups of fresh apples. The best part? As soon as it comes out of the oven, you pour a hot, buttery, brown sugar glaze all over the top, and it soaks in, making it self-saucing, gooey, and absolutely irresistible.

Jump to:

• A Classic Southern Apple Cake for Fall
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Apple Dapple Cake
• Tips and Tricks for Success
• Variations
• How to Serve
• Make Ahead and Storage
• Recipe Notes / What I Learned
• Nutrition Snapshot
• Apple Dapple Cake
• FAQs

A Classic Southern Apple Cake for Fall

This is a true "dapple" cake, a classic from the American South. The name comes from the way the batter is "dappled" with a huge amount of apples. It's not a light, airy chiffon cake; it's a dense,-in-a-good-way, ultra-moist cake that's closer to a blondie or a pound cake in texture. The hot praline-style frosting, poured over the warm cake, is what makes it so unique and decadent. It's the perfect, simple dessert for any Thanksgiving or holiday table.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Tastes Like a Praline Apple Pie: You get all the cozy, warm-spiced apple flavour, but the hot brown sugar-butter glaze gives it a rich, praline-like, caramel note.
• Incredibly Moist (for DAYS!): This is an oil-based cake, which means it's ridiculously moist and stays that way for days-if it lasts that long!
• Easy to Make: While it has a long bake time, the batter comes together in minutes with an electric mixer. No fussy layers or techniques.
• Loaded with Apples: With four cups of apples, you get tender, baked-apple flavour in every single bite.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for this cozy, one-pan cake. For the full list with precise measurements, see the recipe card at the end of the post!

For the Apple Dapple Cake

• Flour: All-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.
• Spices: A classic, warm blend of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg, plus salt.
• Leavening: Baking soda.
• Fat: Vegetable oil (or any neutral-flavoured oil, like canola).
• Sugars: A mix of granulated sugar and packed light brown sugar for depth.
• Flavour: Pure vanilla extract.
• Eggs: 3 large eggs, at room temperature.
• Apples: 4 cups of peeled and chopped apples. I insist on a firm, tart Granny Smith or a firm-sweet Honeycrisp to balance the rich glaze.

For the Brown Sugar Frosting

• Butter: Unsalted butter.
• Sugars: Packed light brown sugar and granulated sugar.
• Cream: Heavy cream (or evaporated milk in a pinch).
• Flavour: Pure vanilla extract.

How to Make Apple Dapple Cake

This is a simple "mix, bake, and pour" recipe. The magic is in that final, hot glaze!

Step 1: Preheat and Prep

First, I preheat my oven to 325°F (163°C). This low temperature is key for such a dense, moist cake. I generously grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, I sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. I set this aside.

Step 2: Mix the Cake Batter

In a large mixing bowl, I use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat together the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Then, I beat in the vanilla and the room-temperature eggs, one at a time.

On low speed, I add the dry mixture a little at a time, mixing well between each addition, just until the flour is combined. The batter will be very thick.

Using a sturdy wooden spoon, I fold the 4 cups of chopped apples into the thick batter.

Step 3: Bake the Cake

I spread the batter into my prepared 9x13-inch pan (it will be thick!). I bake at 325°F for 50-60 minutes. The cake is done when a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.

Step 4: Make and Apply the Hot Frosting

While the cake is baking (or just as it's finishing), I make the frosting. I add all the frosting ingredients (butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, heavy cream, vanilla) to a medium saucepan.

I heat this over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture begins to simmer. I let it bubble for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until it's slightly thickened. I remove it from the heat and let it cool for just 5 minutes-it should still be very warm.

When the cake comes out of the oven, I immediately (while both are warm!) pour this hot frosting all over the top of the cake. It will soak in and create the most incredible, gooey, praline-like crust.

I let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan before slicing and serving.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overmixing the Batter: After adding the flour, mixing too much will develop the gluten and make this wonderfully moist cake tough. Mix just until the flour disappears.
2. Using Soft Apples: This is the #1 mistake. If you use a soft, mealy apple (like a Red Delicious), you will end up with a pan of watery, bland applesauce. You must use a firm baking apple like Granny Smith.
3. Pouring Glaze on a Cold Cake: The magic of this recipe is that the hot glaze soaks into the warm cake, creating a self-saucing, pudding-like texture. If you let the cake cool completely, the glaze will just sit on top.

Variations

This old-fashioned cake is a perfect canvas for other cozy additions!

• Add Nuts: Fold 1 cup of chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the apples. This is a very classic addition!
• Add a Kick: Add 2 tablespoons of bourbon or dark rum to the frosting as it simmers for a deeper, richer flavour.
• Add Caramel: You can skip the homemade frosting and just pour 1 cup of warm salted caramel sauce over the warm cake instead.

How to Serve

This Apple Dapple Cake is the definition of a cozy, rustic dessert.

• It is best served warm, straight from the pan.
• It is absolutely divine with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. The cold ice cream melts into the warm, gooey, praline-like topping.
• It's the perfect, easy-to-serve dessert for a Thanksgiving potluck, a fall party, or a cozy Sunday dinner.

Make Ahead and Storage

This cake is fantastic for making ahead, as the flavour and moisture are even better on day two!

• Make Ahead: Bake the cake and pour the glaze over it 1-2 days in advance.
• Storage: Store the cake tightly covered (with foil or plastic wrap) at room temperature for up to 4 days. (It will get even moister!)
• Freezing: This cake freezes beautifully, even with the glaze. You can freeze the entire cooled cake or individual slices. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

Nutrition Snapshot

Estimated Nutrition Per Serving (1/16th of cake): ~380 calories · 3g protein · 56g carbs · 18g fat (This is an approximation and can vary based on the exact size of your apples.)

FAQs