Apple Walnut Loaf Cake

A good old-fashioned apple loaf, this cake is super moist and very easy to make (no peeling the apples!). You'll love the flavor and simplicity of this recipe.

This post was updated with new images and text to serve you better. The recipe remains the same. 

Because I assume you love apples and walnuts. 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. My grandmother taught me my first recipe (an apple crumble, or crisp as she called it, this extra-special fresh strawberry tart, and how to make pie doughs without melting the butter.

So in my house, it was all about apples and lemons as favorite flavors, not much chocolate or dulce de leche. Bunch of weirdos, let me tell you. I love dulce de leche more than anything - I even have a recipe category dedicated to it - so I'm probably the black sheep of the family.

But let's get back to our recipe here and go over a few things.

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.
• Crumb - in cakes with oil the crumb tends to be more even and lighter.

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 is as fine as all-purpose flour. 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. 

Tips & tricks for this recipe:

• 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.
• Pan - this makes a good-sized loaf cake, but you can double the recipe and make a tube cake. Or double it but make 2 loaves and freeze one for later.
• 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.

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 I use orange zest in the batter, but lemon juice works very well too. Or apple juice.

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.

Then the walnuts and whole wheat flour add an earthiness that makes it not too sweet but enough to be called a cake. I tried making it with ground almonds but walnuts just work better.

The combination of apples, walnuts, orange, and olive oil make this a fabulous cake recipe. Whatever apple cake you have in mind, don't forget this one. It's one for the files.

Other recipes you might like:

Blueberry Pecan Applesauce Loaf
Apple Coffee Crumble Cake
Apple Pumpkin Crumble Cake
Pumpkin Pecan Sheet Cake
Raspberry Apple Crumb Bars
Raspberry Apple Pie

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Walnut Apple Loaf Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 40
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 10 slices 1x
• Category: Cakes
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: International

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Description

A good old-fashioned apple loaf, that's what this is. Super moist and very easy to make (no peeling the apples!) you'll love the flavor and simplicity of this recipe.

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Scale 1x2x3x

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 tº
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
• Zest of ½ orange
• 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

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
2. Line a 3x8-inch (20x7cm) loaf cake pan. Add a strip of parchment paper in the bottom and up the two narrow sides (for easier unmolding).
3. Have the apples grated or chopped. It will begin to release liquid, that is fine.
4. In a large bowl mix flours, sugar, baking soda (sift it to avoid little lumps), and salt.
5. Make a hole in the middle and oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix well by hand or electric beater.
6. Add apples and walnuts and mix.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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:

1. Mix both ingredients until you have a creamy mixture. If it’s too dry add more orange juice, a teaspoon at a time.
2. You can make it as thick or thin as you want to, adding more or less liquid (juice).
3. Glaze the cold cake and let it drip down the sides.

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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.
• 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.
• Pan - this makes a good sized loaf cake, but you can double the recipe and make a tube cake. Or double it but make 2 loaves and freeze one for later.
• 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.

Keywords: apple loaf

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.