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Apple Walnut Cake

Name: Apple Walnut Cake
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 4 macintosh apples ((peeled, cored and sliced into smallish chunks)); 1.5 cups sugar; 2 egg; 1/2 cup olive oil ((or vegetable oil)); 2 teaspoon vanilla; 2 cups flour; 1.5 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Last updated on February 28, 2020. Originally posted on June 23, 2022 By Elaine 68 Comments

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This delicious apple walnut cake recipe is a family favorite for a reason. Loaded with fresh apples, cinnamon, and crunchy walnuts, this moist and flavorful cake is the perfect easy dessert. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Three pieces of apple cake in a tower with a coffee cup in the back

This cake is a family favorite and I’ve been eating it for as long as I remember. What I love most about this apple cake is how moist it is.

I also love that the flavors are perfectly balanced and tastes like an Autumn day!

Even though I’m a chocolate fiend, when I was growing up, I would ask for this cake just about as much as I’d ask for my grandmother’s chocolate cake.

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Helpful tips

We’ve always used macintosh apples in this cake, but cortland works just as well.
Even though you will be peeling the apples, still wash them to remove any residual pesticides. Here’s how: I use this cloth. It has a coarse side and a smooth side. Run water over the apple and rub the skin with the coarse side of the cloth, rinse well with cold water. On a side note, if I want to shine my apples, I use the smooth side after washing them.
I use raw cane sugar in this recipe but light brown sugar or white sugar works just as well.
We have never put frosting this cake as I don’t believe it needs it, but if you like to drizzle a glaze on it, I have a great recipe here.
My go to flour is organic sprouted spelt flour, but I’ve also used all purpose flour, and whole wheat flours – and they all work well.
Don’t like walnuts? Use whatever baking nuts you prefer.
As all ovens are different – check the cake with a cake tester after 45 minutes. My oven takes 50 minutes.
This cake is so moist that you will not remove it from the pan, but cut and serve each piece out of it.
I usually store this cake on the counter, still in the pan with plastic wrap on it. But if it is hot outside, I remove each piece, place in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.

How to make apple walnut cake

Pre-step

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and liberally grease and flour a 9 x 9 pan. Also get 2 mixing bowls – one of them should be a large bowl.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – macintosh apples, sugar and flour.

Step two

Cut apples in chunks and add to the large bowl. Add sugar and mix with a spatula or large spoon until apples are covered.

Apples in a bowl covered with sugar with more ingredients in the back

Step three

Gather the eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.

Eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, and vanilla on the table

Step four

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla extract until incorporated.

Step five

Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to the apple mixture. Top it off with the wet ingredients and mix with your spatula.

Step six

Pour and transfer the apple batter into the greased and floured pan.

The batter for the apple cake in the pan

Step seven

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes. It should brown somewhat and when you stick a cake tester in, it should come out clean.

A square pan of apple cake with a few oven mitts in the background

Cut in the apple walnut cake in squares and get ready to plate a piece.

Piece of cake held over a white plate with coffee and the rest of the cake in back

Time to eat at a forkful.

A fork with cake on it held over the piece of cake on a white plate

Yum.

You can see how moist the apple cake is in this next photo.

I hope you enjoyed this apple walnut cake recipe!

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And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

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