Apple fritter cake is a soft vanilla cinnamon loaf with a swirl of cinnamon-spiced apples through the center and a powdered sugar glaze that sets on top. It tastes like an apple fritter doughnut in cake form. The recipe makes two loaves.
One loaf stays on the counter. One goes in the freezer. Or give the second one away. You have options.
Why This Apple Fritter Cake Works
Granny Smith apples hold their shape. This is the same rule from the oatmeal cookies. Tart, firm apples keep their bite during a fifty-minute bake. Honeycrisp works too but they are sweeter and soften more. Do not use Red Delicious or Gala. They turn to mush.
The apple filling is swirled, not layered. Spread the cinnamon apple mixture over the batter and drag a knife through it. The swirl creates ribbons of brown sugar and cinnamon through the cake instead of a single pocket of apples at the top. Every slice gets a streak of filling.
Alternating wet and dry ingredients makes a tender crumb. Add the flour mixture and the milk in turns, not all at once. This keeps the batter from overmixing and builds a cake with an even, soft texture. Dump everything in at once and the cake turns dense.
Two loaves from one batch. The recipe fills two 9x5 pans. Eat one now and freeze the second. Or bake both and bring one to a friend. No doubling. No math.
The glaze sets like a doughnut shop glaze. Powdered sugar, milk, vanilla. Stirred together and drizzled over the cooled loaves. It hardens to a thin white shell that cracks when you slice it.
Cool completely before glazing. Warm cake melts the glaze and it slides right off. Let the loaves cool on a wire rack until they are room temperature. Twenty minutes in the pan, then out onto the rack.
How to Make Apple Fritter Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour two 9x5 loaf pans or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, alternating with the milk.
- Peel and dice the apples.
- Combine the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl and stir in the apples.
- Pour the cake batter evenly between each prepared pan.
- Spread the apple mixture over the batter and use a knife to gently swirl it into the cake.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick around the 50-minute mark.
- Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove the loaves from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. While the cake cools, mix together the glaze ingredients.
- Drizzle the sweet glaze over the cooled cake, and allow the glaze to harden before slicing.
Quick Tips
- Use Granny Smith apples. They stay firm during baking.
- Swirl with a knife, not a spoon. A figure-eight motion distributes the filling evenly.
- Alternate wet and dry ingredients. It keeps the cake tender.
- Cool completely before glazing or the glaze melts off.
Make Ahead and Storage
Store the glazed cake at room temperature covered loosely with foil or plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
Freeze an unglazed loaf. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter, then glaze before serving.
More Apple Desserts
For more apple baking, try my caramel apple coffee cake baked in a springform pan. My homemade apple fritters are fried doughnuts with cinnamon apple spice and a vanilla glaze. My Irish apple cake is a simple fresh apple cake that comes together fast.
📖 Recipe
Apple Fritter Cake
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- ½ cup butter - softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Apple Filling
- 3 cups apples - peeled & diced
- ½ cup salted butter - softened to room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Sweet Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour two 9x5 loaf pans or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients, alternating with the milk.
- Peel and dice the apples.
- Combine the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl and stir in the apples.
- Pour the cake batter evenly between each prepared pan.
- Divide and spread the apple mixture over the batter and use a knife to gently swirl it into the cake.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick around the 50-minute mark.
- Let the loaves cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove the loaves from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cake cools, mix together the glaze ingredients.
- Drizzle the sweet glaze over the cooled loaves, and allow the glaze to harden before slicing.
Notes
- Use Granny Smith apples. They hold their shape during baking. Honeycrisp works too but are sweeter.
- Swirl the apple filling with a knife using a figure-eight motion. This distributes the filling through the cake.
- Alternate wet and dry ingredients when mixing. It keeps the cake tender.
- Cool the loaves completely before glazing or the glaze melts off.
- The recipe makes two loaves. Freeze one unglazed for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
