A good old-fashioned apple loaf cake that is super moist and very easy to make (no peeling the apples!). It keeps well, can be frozen, and baked in different types of cake pans. The glaze adds another layer of sweetness. You'll love the flavor and simplicity of this recipe.
Originally posted in 2017, this post has been updated with images and text to serve you better. The recipe remains the same.
This is a recipe you just need to try! Because I assume you love apples and walnuts (you can also use pecans or even almonds). And cake of course, but that's a no-brainer. We all love cake.
Whenever I think of my childhood, apple cakes and pies are a prominent feature. The first recipe I ever made was this apple blackberry crisp but without the berries. And I was hooked with the flavor of cooked apples.
When I opened a cafe many years ago, one of the most sought-after cakes was this glazed apple walnut cake which I sometimes made with pears and almonds.
SO simple and easy to make and so incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
- Apples: Granny smith apples, the green ones.
- Oil: any vegetable oil can be used. I like olive oil, but have made this with sunflower oil for years. Coconut oil also works but the cake tends to be less rich in my experience.
- Flours: both white and whole wheat flours are used, but you can use all white, such as all purpose flour or cake flour. The whole wheat flour needs to be superfine for best results.
- Baking soda: make sure it's active and not expired.
- Salt: I use kosher, but your regular table salt works fine.
- Walnuts: you'll be grounding them, so buy the broken ones that are cheaper. No need for fancy walnut halves, unless you want some to decorate the cake.
- Cinnamon and orange zest:
- Vanilla: I like to use pure vanilla extract or paste whenever possible, or very good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) like Baker's
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Sugar: white, granulated.
Why use oil in cakes
There's a lot to be said in favor of using oil in baking cakes.
- Moisture - it adds a lot of moisture, so, among other things, these cakes keep well and freeze wonderfully. They keep better in the refrigerator, something that is necessary when cakes have fruit in them because it tends to ferment quickly and the cake goes south from one day to the other.
- Easiness - there's no waiting for the butter to soften and then creaming it with sugar and all of those steps. When you use oil, it needs little beating and you simply open the bottle and pour.
- Texture - the crumb tends to be more uniform and less dense depending on the recipe.
Whole wheat flour
I love the earthy feeling that using whole wheat flour gives this cake. It is still tender but there's a deeper flavor.
- Superfine: I use the finest flour I can find, in terms of grinding. It's almost as fine as all-purpose flour (image below). If you don't find one as finely ground, and you use one that is coarser, the texture will be more rustic. But the cake will be great anyway.
You can substitute it and use white all-purpose or cake flour.
Easy steps to make this cake
Apples: they need to be chopped fine but not completely pureed. I like to use the food processor (image 1) because it's easier than chopping by hand. Do it when you start with the recipe and the apple will release juice, and that is good.
Batter: before you add the apples this cake batter tends to be thick, very dense. But the fruit and its juice will loosen it and by the time you incorporate it completely, it will be much more fluid (image below, left).
Baking it: it will rise and crack like most loaf cakes do (image below, right), so be sure it's fully baked. Being a dense cake made with oil, make sure you use a cake tester or toothpick to check for doneness.
Powdered sugar glaze
The glaze here is one of my favorites because it's super versatile - you can use any liquid, even olive oil - easy and fast.
I use orange juice (image above) because we use orange zest in the batter, but lemon juice works very well too. Or apple juice, apple cider, or even milk.
It is a must in my opinion, with that extra sweet sensation that makes you want to eat the crunchy glazed top and leave the rest of the cake behind.
Top tips
- Apples - use granny smith if possible. They have enough acid to balance the rest of the cake, they hold well when baking and even though they are chopped you want to bite into them. If you have another favorite baking apple, by all means, use it. There's no need to peel them and the processor is the best way to chop them (image above, left).
- Olive oil - I make this cake with a classic extra virgin olive oil, one with no complex undertones. After baking this apple loaf doesn't taste of olive oil, I promise. But it adds an extra richness that is not achieved with other oils. At least the ones I tried (sunflower and canola). But you can use regular oil.
- Pans - this makes a good-sized loaf cake, but you can double the recipe and make a bundt cake or tube cake. Or double it and make two 8 or 9-inch round layers, fill and frost with cream cheese frosting as we do with the Hummingbird Cake.
- Keeping - you can keep it maybe 1 day at room temperature, but then wrap it and refrigerate it (or freeze it if not eating it immediately). The apples will ferment quicker than you think and the cake will go to waste. Have you ever tried a fermented cake? You know what I mean then. It happened to me with this carrot cake once. Lesson learned.
- Serving it: it's best eaten plain, at room temperature, perfect for afternoon tea or coffee. But you can also take it up a notch and make a dessert by serving a thick slice with a dollop of whipped cream (plain or flavored with cinnamon) and a drizzle of caramel sauce or dulce de leche.
Variations
- Flour: use all white flour (all-purpose or cake flour) instead of part whole wheat. The cake will be just as wonderful but with a tad less texture and earthy flavor.
- Fruit: this delicious cake works really well with pears and almonds. Same procedure, but substituting the same amount of both as specified in the recipe card below.
- Oil: sunflower is the most neutral choice, but I make it a lot with a light olive oil. I love baking with it (this lemon olive oil bundt cake being one of my favorites) and find that the preparations are even richer. Coconut oil can also be used.
- Sugar: you can use half white sugar and half brown sugar. The total amount should be the same as specified in the recipe card.
- Spices: this recipe uses cinnamon, but you can use an apple pie spice mix, or add more spices like a dash of ground nutmeg, mace, or allspice.
- Topping: you can also use a light cream cheese frosting, which goes very well with the rest of the flavors.
Related recipes you might like:
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Apple Walnut Cake
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Description
A good old-fashioned apple loaf cake that is super moist and very easy to make (no peeling the apples!). It keeps well, can be frozen, and made in different types of cake pans. The glaze adds another layer of sweetness. You'll love the flavor and simplicity of this recipe.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (70g) superfine whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (125ml) sunflower, canola or olive oil (a fruity or light one, preferably)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- Zest of ½ orange
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cooking apples, coarsely chopped or processed, with skin
- ½ cup (60g) walnuts, chopped
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (150g) powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
- Butter or spray a 3x8-inch (20x7cm) loaf cake pan. Add a strip of parchment paper that covers the bottom and up the two narrow sides. The long sides will be left unlined. The paper will help you remove the cake more easily after it's baked.
- Wash the apples (skin and all) and process them until chopped but not pureed. You can also very finely chop them by hand, or grate them with a large-holed grater. They will begin to release liquid, that is fine.
- In a large bowl mix dry ingredients: flours, sugar, baking soda (sift it to avoid little lumps), salt and cinnamon.
- Make a hole in the middle and add the wet ingredients: oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix well by hand or with an electric mixer.
- Fold in the apples, chopped walnuts, and mix. The batter will become wetter and easier to stir.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out dry. Sometimes it takes more. If it's browning too quickly cover the top loosely with a piece of aluminum paper while it keeps baking.
- Let cool for about 20 minutes. Run a smooth blade knife around the edges to loosen first and unmold carefully. Let cool completely on a wire rack and glaze.
- Keep well wrapped for no more than 1 day at room temperature and in the fridge a few more days. It can be frozen, well wrapped in film and aluminum foil, before glazing.
For the glaze:
- Mix both ingredients until you have a creamy mixture. If it’s too dry add more orange juice, a teaspoon at a time, and stir until incorporated.
- You can make it as thick or thin as you want to, adding more or less liquid (juice).
- Glaze the top of the cake (which should be completely cooled down) by drizzling the glaze and letting it drip down the sides.
Notes
Apples - use granny smith if possible. They have enough acid to balance the rest of the cake, they hold well when baking and even though they are chopped you want to bite into them. If you have another favorite baking apple, by all means, use it. There's no need to peel them and the processor is the best way to chop them (image above, left).
Olive oil - I make this cake with a classic extra virgin olive oil, one with no complex undertones. After baking this apple loaf doesn't taste of olive oil, I promise. But it adds an extra richness that is not achieved with other oils. At least the ones I tried (sunflower and canola). But you can use regular oil.
Flour: use all white flour (all-purpose or cake flour) instead of part whole wheat. The cake will be just as wonderful but with a tad less texture and earthy flavor.
Spices: this recipe uses cinnamon, but you can use an apple pie spice mix or add more spices like a dash of ground nutmeg, mace, or allspice.
Pans - this makes a good-sized loaf cake, but you can double the recipe and make a bundt cake or tube cake. Or double it and make two 8 or 9-inch round layers, fill and frost with cream cheese frosting as we do with the Hummingbird Cake.
Keeping - you can keep it maybe 1 day at room temperature, but then wrap it and refrigerate it (or freeze it if not eating it immediately). The apples will ferment quicker than you think and the cake will go to waste. Have you ever tried a fermented cake? You know what I mean then. It happened to me with this carrot cake once. Lesson learned.
Serving it: it's best eaten plain, at room temperature, perfect for afternoon tea or coffee. But you can also take it up a notch and make a dessert by serving a thick slice with a dollop of whipped cream (plain or flavored with cinnamon) and a drizzle of caramel sauce or dulce de leche.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10
- Calories: 354
- Sugar: 33.4 g
- Sodium: 105.1 mg
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.6 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 37.2 mg
Keywords: apple loaf
Amber says
Is 1/4 tsp soda correct? No baking pwdr?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Amber! Yes, it's only baking soda. But ovens and ways of preparing a recipe vary in the little details even though it's the same recipe, so you can add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder also if you think it will turn out better and rise without any issues. Hope this helps.
Amber Bagu says
I went ahead and made the recipe as is and it turned out perfect. The second batch I used half shredded and half chopped apples. Added cinnamon and nutmeg. Yum!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to hear it turned out well both times Amber! Have a great weeekend.
Pauline says
I didn't have oranges so skipped the zest part! Great cake that's not too sweet! I had to bake for well over 60 minutes though.
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to hear you liked it Pauline! All ovens and cake pans are different, so baking times may have variations. Have a great week!
Adrian says
Great recipe, I used rapeseed oil and it worked just fine.
Jacqueline says
I'm with you. I don't peel apples before adding them to my cakes either, I just grate them as they are. This loaf looks heavenly. I can't wait to try it. Sharing this one.
★★★★★