Apple Dapple Cake

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This old fashioned Apple Dapple Cake is a must-try fall dessert! It’s an easy bundt cake studded with apples and pecans, baked until golden, then drizzled with a delicious brown sugar sauce to make it extra moist. Every bite is bursting with apples, pecans, and amazing caramel flavors!  

I am so happy we are in fall baking season. The cozy sweaters. The fuzzy socks. Pumpkin spice lattes of course. The gorgeous leaves. I mean is there anyone that doesn’t love Fall?! If you dont’ love these things then I’m afraid we can’t be friends. And if we aren’t friends, then that means I won’t run over to your house and drop off cakes.

And you know you want me to drop off this cake to your house. Oh this cake.

This time of year I tend to make a lot of pies, but today I was inspired to make this classic Apple Dapple Cake instead. If you like apples, pecans, caramel, and brown sugar (of course you love these flavors) then you will love this recipe. The combination of flavors makes it a must-try fall dessert.

Seriously. Grab your bundt pan and cutting board and let’s do the dapple thing.

What is Apple Dapple Cake? 

Ok, whoa wait. What? Apple cake huh? Apple Dapple Cake is an old fashioned apple-nut cake, named after the fact that it is “dappled” with fresh apples and toasted pecans. I seriously can’t get enough of this name. So. Much. Fun.

Some say it has Amish roots. Some say Southern roots. Personally, I have zero idea but I don’t care because it’s delicious! 

What does this Apple Dapple cake taste like?

The cake itself is easy to make and moist on it’s own because of the oil and juicy apples.

But at the end you take it to the next level with an amazing brown sugar sauce. Poke holes in the baked cake with a skewer, then pour the sauce on top while the cake is still warm. The sauce soaks in so that every bite is super moist and steeped in delicious caramel flavor! It’s SO yummy.

Ingredients for this apple cake

• Granulated sugar – Just regular white sugar here, nothing fancy. 
• Vegetable oil – The oil helps the cake stay extra moist. Any neutral-tasting oil would work. With any oil-based cake you can always try swapping out 1/2 the oil for applesauce. It may change the texture slightly.
• Eggs – Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before baking. 
• Unsalted butter – Use melted butter for the cake and softened butter for the sauce. Ok yes there appears to be a lot of butter here since we are using it in the cake and the sauce. Forgive me. Grab your stretchy pants and just embrace this cake. 
• Light brown sugar – Brown sugar gives the cake and sauce delicious caramel and toffee notes. Of course, dark brown sugar would also work.
• Vanilla extract – Both the cake and sauce use vanilla to deepen the flavor. 
• All-purpose flour – Just regular flour for this cake. All-purpose flour has a high enough protein content to give this cake structure. Cake flour would make the cake too tender. Make sure you measure your flour correctly. Too much flour would make a tough, dense cake. I always recommend weighing your flour on a scale, or if you use measuring cups then make sure to give this post, How To Measure Flour,  a read. 
• Kosher salt – Kosher salt helps bring out the flavors of all the other elements. I prefer kosher because it has no additives and give you a pure salt taste. If you use table salt, use less. Table salt has smaller granules than kosher so you don’t need as much. Give this post The Role Of Salt In Baking a read if you want to know more.
• Ground cinnamon – An essential ingredient for the fall flavors in this cake. 
• Baking soda – This will help the cake rise and give it a fluffy texture. Make sure it’s fresh and do not mix it up with baking powder! Read more here about Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda.
• Ground nutmeg – Adds a bit of a nutty flavor. 
• Ground allspice – Just a little goes a long way. This will tie everything together. 
• Cortland apples – These are the apples I used for this recipe, but there are other good options. See the section below about the best apples to use. 
• Toasted pecans – You will use these in the cake batter and also for a garnish at the end. I just toast mine in a 350°F oven for about 5-7 minutes. Toasting the pecans is a MUST and helps bring out the flavor!
• Heavy whipping cream – This lightens the sauce and gives it a rich, creamy texture.

How to make Apple Dapple Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Combine wet ingredients and sugars. First, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine granulated sugar, oil, eggs, melted butter, ⅓ cup (73 grams) brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla; beat at medium-low speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.

Combine dry ingredients. Next, in a medium bowl whisk together 3 cups (375 grams) flour, 1¾ teaspoons (5.25 grams) salt, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and allspice.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. (Batter will be quite thick.)

Add apples and nuts. In a medium bowl, stir together apples, pecans, and remaining 2 tablespoons (16 grams) flour. Then fold apple mixture into batter.

Pour into bundt pan. Spray a 15-cup bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon batter into prepared pan; tap pan on counter several times to evenly spread batter and release any air bubbles.

Bake. Bake until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating pan halfway through baking and loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary.

Make the sauce. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine softened butter, cream, remaining 1 cup (220 grams) brown sugar, and remaining ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla.

Pour sauce on cake. Remove cake from oven, and poke all over with a wooden skewer; then pour ¾ cup (about 195 grams) butter mixture over top, spreading evenly with a small offset spatula. Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Transfer remaining butter mixture to a small microwave-safe bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Remove cake from pan. When ready to serve, using a small offset spatula, gently loosen cake from center and edges of pan. Then remove cake from pan, and place, flat side up, on a serving plate.

Serve with extra sauce. Heat remaining butter mixture in microwave on high in 10-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Using a large spoon, pour butter mixture over top of cooled cake, smoothing and spreading as needed. Garnish with pecans, if desired.

Tips for making Apple Dapple Cake

• Measure your flour accurately. It’s super important to measure your flour accurately for the best texture in your cake. Use a kitchen scale and weigh it in grams, or spoon the flour into the measuring cups and level off with a knife. For more tips, here is a full post on How to Measure Flour. 
• Don’t overmix the batter. To keep the cake from getting too dense or tough, mix the dry ingredients into the wet on low speed and only until just combined well. This isn’t the time to just let the mixer run. 
• Poke the holes about ¾ down the cake. You want the sauce to soak deep into the cake, which won’t happen if you poke it too shallowly.

What kind of apple is best for this recipe? 

You want to use apples that don’t disintegrate when baked. I used Cortland apples, but Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp are also great. For other good apple options, read my post on all The Best Apples for Baking.

How do I store this cake? 

This cake is just as delicious with coffee the next day, so keep those leftovers! Store it in an air-tight container or cake stand for 3-5 days at room temperature.

Can I freeze Apple Dapple Cake? 

Yes! First, let it cool completely so that it doesn’t get soggy when you wrap it. Then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. 

Can I bake this cake in a 13×9 pan?

I haven’t tried baking this cake in a 13×9 pan but if you want to I would start checking the cake at 30 minutes. It’s a pretty dense cake with all the apples and pecans going on, so it may take just as long! 

Other Fall Apple Recipes

• Easy Apple Pie
• Apple Crostata
• Caramel Apple Crisp
• Salted Caramel Apple Bars
• Baked Apple Cider Donuts
• Whole Wheat Apple Crumb Muffins
• Apple Cider Cookies

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