Simple Apple Cake Recipe - Baked Apple Surprise - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

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Baked Apple Surprise is a surprisingly simple apple cake recipe.The ingredients are easy, and it’s baked in a pie pan making it a quick dessert or breakfast to get on the table.Plus, your kitchen will have the aroma of fall with hints of apple and cinnamon.

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Baked Apple Surprise Recipe

Fall is our favorite time of year for desserts, especially anything featuring apples. We’ve been on a roll baking up any apple recipe we can find in our vintage cookbooks. This easy apple cake is unique because it’s baked in a pie plate. It’s a thin cake that bakes quickly.The batter is thick and sticky, and absolutely tempting to eat on your finger!

Ingredient List

The ingredients for this baked apple surprise are super simple and you may have most them already in your kitchen. If you aren’t a fan of walnuts, use pecans instead or just leave the nuts out altogether.

  • All Purpose Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Ground Cinnamon
  • Brown Sugar
  • Salt
  • Large Eggs
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Diced Apples
  • Chopped Walnuts

How to Make Quick Apple Cake

Step by Step Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and cinnamon; add brown sugar and salt and stir to combine. Add eggs and vanilla to dry ingredients and mix well.
  2. Stir in chopped apples and walnuts.
  3. Pour mixture into a well greased 9 inch pie pan or small baking dish.
  4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Serve hot or room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with caramel sauce too.

For the full instructions for easy apple cake, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

  • Baked apple surprise is essentially a quick apple cake recipe that’s baked in a pie dish. It’s super fast to toss together and absolutely delicious.
  • This easy apple cake calls for cake flour, but in a bind, use all purpose.It may just be a little more dense.
  • Don’t have a sifter? Use a mesh sieve and shake the dry ingredients through it.This is another step that can be omitted.The cake will be more dense but still yummy.
  • For this easy apple cake recipe, I used Granny Smith apples, but you can use whatever you have on hand such as Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, etc.That’s what Grandma would do. Wash, peel and dice the apple.
  • This baked apple surprise recipe calls for chopped nuts, and we recommend using pecans or walnuts. These could also be omitted.
  • The batter for this baked apple surprise is very thick and sticky.
  • Use a 9 inch or 10 inch pie plate. If you use a 10 inch, it may cook a little faster.
Simple Apple Cake Recipe - Baked Apple Surprise - These Old Cookbooks (5)

What is cake flour?

Cake flour is a type of flour that has a higher amount of protein. It has a finer, softer, more delicate texture.When used in baked goods, it results in a more tender texture which makes it great for cakes. You can use either cake flour or regular all-purpose flour for this easy apple cake recipe.

Our Favorite Apple Recipes:

  • Grandma’s Easy Apple Crisp
  • Sour Cream Apple Squares
  • Apple Crisp Crock Pot Pork Chops
  • Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
  • Caramel Apple Crisp Bars

Linking up to Weekend Potluck.

Simple Apple Cake Recipe - Baked Apple Surprise - These Old Cookbooks (7)

Print Recipe

Baked Apple Surprise

Baked Apple Surprise is an old fashioned apple cake recipe. The ingredients are easy, and it's baked in a pie pan making it a quick dessert or breakfast to get on the table. Plus, your kitchen will have the aroma of fall with hints of apple and cinnamon.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple Surprise, Baked Apple Surprise, Easy Apple Cake, Quick Apple Cake

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups apples, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

  • Sift flour, baking powder, and cinnamon; add brown sugar and salt and stir to combine.

  • Add eggs and vanilla to dry ingredients and mix well; stir in diced apples and chopped nuts.

  • Pour into a 9 inch pie pan that has been greased very well.

  • Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

  • Serve warm or room temperature, with whipped cream or ice cream.

Notes

  • Baked apple surprise is essentially a quick apple cake recipe that’s baked in a pie dish. It’s super fast to toss together and absolutely delicious.
  • This easy apple cake calls for cake flour, but in a bind, use all purpose. It may just be a little more dense. What is cake flour? Cake flour is a type of flour that has a higher amount of protein. It has a finer, softer, more delicate texture. When used in baked goods, it results in a more tender texture which makes it great for cakes.
  • Don’t have a sifter? Use a mesh sieve and shake the dry ingredients through it. This is another step that can be omitted. The cake will be more dense but still yummy.
  • For this easy apple cake recipe, I used Granny Smith apples, but you can use whatever you have on hand. That’s what Grandma would do. Wash, peel and dice the apple.
  • This baked apple surprise recipe calls for chopped nuts, and we recommend using pecans or walnuts. These could also be omitted.
  • The batter for this baked apple surprise is very thick and sticky.
  • Looking for more apple recipes? Try Grandma’s Easy Apple Crisp, Sour Cream Apple Squares, Apple Crisp Crock Pot Pork Chops.
  • The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used. It should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 1mg

Simple Apple Cake Recipe - Baked Apple Surprise - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

FAQs

What are the best apples for baking a cake? ›

According to New England Today, the best apples for baking are firm-tart apples, and firm-sweet apples. Firm-tart apples are apples like Granny Smith, Esopus Spitzenburg, Northern Spy, Ida Red, and Pink Pearl. Firm-sweet apples are Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious, Jazz, Jonagold, and Pink Lady.

Can you use eating apples instead of cooking apples in a cake? ›

You can use any eating apples that are in season, or any that you have to hand, but my favourites are Cox's Orange Pippins and Braeburn apples for flavour.

Why does my apple cake fall apart? ›

Why Did My Apple Cake Fall Apart? There are two main reasons why an apple cake would fall apart: (1) it was simply too warm when you were trying to cut and serve it or (2) you used too many/the wrong kind of apple.

Is apple cake made from leftover cake? ›

Apple cake is a delicious and quick to make round shaped cake made with leftover chocolate cake and desiccated coconut popularly sold in Indian Bakery.

What 4 apples are best used for baking? ›

For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

What apples should not be used for apple pie? ›

There are a few apples that don't make the cut. While great for snacking, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious are the most common apples that won't hold up in the oven and will give you a watery-mushy pie, tart or cake.

Should you peel apples before baking? ›

peel your apples. While the debate on whether or not to peel your apples seems never-ending, it really comes down to a matter of personal choice. Unpeeled apples will add a bit of color and texture to your pie, but they may prevent the apples from melding together when baked.

Should I soften apples before baking? ›

Should you cook the apples before baking apple pie? You don't have to pre-cook the filling before spooning it into the pie crust, but it's a quick step I recommend. Just 5 minutes on the stove begins the softening process, and also helps the flavors start to mingle.

Should you soak apples before baking? ›

Some experts will tell you to par-cook apples before filling a pie by pouring boiling water over cut apples and soaking them for 10 minutes. Others say to roast them to reduce water content. Still, others say to let cut apples sit for 30-40 minutes to drain natural juices.

How do you keep apples from sinking to the bottom of a cake? ›

The best way to avoid sinking fruit is to toss the fruit in a couple of tablespoons of the flour (just use some from the measured amount for the recipe) to coat it lightly. Once added to the cake mixture the flour coating will thicken the batter immediately surrounding the fruit and help suspend the fruit.

Why does my fruit always sink to the bottom of my cake? ›

If your batter is slack or runny, it will be particularly susceptible to sinking ingredients. That's one reason you may have experienced this issue with some recipes but not with others. The fruit is covered in a syrup (such as glace cherries). The syrup makes the fruit heavy and slippery.

Why is my apple cake too moist? ›

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

What is the very old fruitcake? ›

A 141-year-old fruitcake, baked by Fidelia Ford, in 1878, sits in the home of Dorothy Ford, in Tec*mseh, Mich. Fidelia died before the cake was served and the family, out of respect of her memory, decided not to eat it and has instead passed it down for generations.

Should I refrigerate my apple cake? ›

If you'd rather not peel your apples, Slice them very thinly, or even shred, vs dice. How to store: Fresh Apple Cake will keep well tightly covered on the counter for 2-3 days, though you can extend it's life by refrigerating for up to 4 days.

Are Gala or Fuji apples better for baking? ›

Gala apples are better for eating raw and are best if you wanted to do salads with apples or if you wanted to add sweetness and crunch to your lunchtime sandwich. Fuji apples, on the other hand, are the better choice for cooking. This is because of the different textures of the two types of apples.

Are Gala apples good for baking apple crisp? ›

Gala apples are my favorite variety for this recipe – I like their sweet/tart flavor and firm texture. But if you have a favorite baking apple, feel free to use it here. Granny smith apples, Honeycrisps, Jonagolds, or a mix would all be excellent.

What are the best apples to use for apple pie or apple crisp? ›

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

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