This apple pie cake recipe has juicy caramel apples layered into a buttery crust, baked beneath soft, sweet cake batter. Is it cake? Is it apple pie? It’s both, and it’s perfect!
Apple Pie Cake Recipe
Did I bake cake batter on top of an apple pie? Yes. Yes, I did. This apple pie cake is the answer when I don’t feel like preparing a double crust for traditional apple pie. My compromise was to make a semi-sort-of-almost classic pie crust, fill it with sweet, spiced apple filling, and pour cake batter on top instead. The resulting pie-cake is soft on top and tender in the middle, packed with juicy apples similar to the filling in apple crisp.
An Easier Way to Enjoy Apple Pie
- Skip the top crust. This is one of my many shortcuts, like using cake mix in my chocolate cherry cake, or using the blender to make my classic pie crust. If there is one truth to my baking, it’s that I WILL take the path of least resistance, always.
- Thick, fluffy cake layer. The cake topping is moist and fluffy, just sweet enough to contrast the spiced cinnamon apples. It’s made with only 4 ingredients, but you could even use a boxed cake mix batter if you wanted to.
- Any time of the year. While I’ll save traditional apple pie for the holidays, this is a cake that I can bake year-round. I love warming up cake slices in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and then serving them with scoops of ice cream!
Apple Pie Cake Ingredients
Here’s a quick shopping list for you, with notes on the ingredients in this apple pie cake recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
Crust Ingredients
- Flour – I use a combination of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour. You can use only all-purpose if that’s what you have.
- Cold Butter – As in, cold from the fridge. You could even chill the butter in the freezer for 5 minutes. Cut the butter into cubes so it’s easier to cut into the dry crust ingredients.
- Cream Cheese – This crust is very similar to the cream cheese dough I use to make kolacky cookies. I use reduced-fat cream cheese in the crust, but any kind goes.
- Olive Oil – You could also use another cooking oil, like vegetable or canola oil.
Apple Filling and Cake Batter
- Apples – Like a traditional apple pie, the best apples for this cake are firm-tart baking apples, like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady. Feel free to mix it up with any combination of these to add variety to your filling. Peel, core, and slice the apples before you start.
- Lemon Juice – The acidity in lemon juice helps keep apples from browning while brightening flavors a little. It can be freshly squeezed or bottled.
- Brown Sugar – I use light brown sugar, but regular brown sugar or granulated sugar will work, too.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg – Two cozy spices synonymous with apple pie. Substitute the individual spices with apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice if you’d like.
- More Flour – To thicken the apple pie filling. If needed, you can replace half the flour with cornstarch.
- Baking Powder – To help the cake layer rise. Make sure the baking powder hasn’t expired, or you’ll need to buy fresh.
- Eggs – You’ll combine the eggs with flour and sugar to make the simple batter. Bringing the eggs to room temperature makes them mix more smoothly.
- Vanilla Extract – For the vanilla cake batter. I think swapping vanilla for almond extract would also be delicious.
Additional Tips and Shortcuts
- Use the right apples. Not all apples are equal in the baking world. Stick with firm, crisp apple varieties (like the Granny Smith apples I use here), which hold up at high temperatures even when they’re sliced or diced. Avoid mealy or “floury” apples, like McIntosh and Red Delicious.
- Make the crust in a blender. I do this all the time with my classic pie crust, and it makes it super quick. Combine all the crust ingredients in your blender or food processor, and pulse a few times. You want the mixture crumbly, not puréed.
- Use a ready-made pie crust. You could skip the homemade crust and use store-bought pastry dough as the base for this apple pie cake. Thaw the pie dough completely first.
- Change up the filling. You can replace the apples with the fillings from my cherry pie, berry pie, and peach blueberry pie recipes. Really, any filling you’d like. The baking times may vary slightly, though, so just keep an eye on the cake while it bakes.
Pin this now to find it later
Prepare the Crust
-
Mix the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, and salt.
-
Cut in the butter. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the butter and cream cheese; cut until the mixture is crumbly.
-
Add the wet ingredients. Stir in the oil and stir until the mixture is completely moistened. Add water and toss with a fork to combine.
-
Knead and chill the dough. Lightly flour your work area and knead the dough for 30 seconds. Shape the dough into a ball, press it into a disk, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the Apple Filling
-
Combine the apples and spices. Place the apple slices in a mixing bowl and toss them with lemon juice. Add light brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; toss to combine. Sprinkle with flour and toss to combine; set aside.
-
Shape the crust. Remove the prepared dough from the fridge. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with baking spray and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the prepared pie dish and press it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
-
Dock the crust. Prick the dough in several places with a fork. Place back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Make the Cake Batter
-
Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder until combined, then set aside.
-
Mix the wet ingredients. In your mixer’s bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla; beat for 1 minute or until pale yellow and fluffy.
-
Combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture; set the mixer to low and continue mixing until combined, about 15 seconds.
-
Assemble. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Remove the prepared crust from the fridge. Spoon the previously prepared apple mixture into the crust. Pour the cake batter over the apples.
-
Bake! Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and set. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes.
-
Cool and serve. Remove from the oven and let the apple pie cake cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 299mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 404IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Apple Pie Cake
This apple pie cake is one of the best ways I know how to ease into baking season. Similar to my apple pie muffins, this cake has all the flavor of apple pie without all the effort. Here are the steps.
Prepare the Dough
- Prepare the dough for the crust. Cut cold butter and cream cheese into flour and salt to make a crumbly mixture. You can do this using a pastry cutter if you have one; otherwise, a fork does the trick. Next, stir in the oil along with a splash of water.
- Knead and chill the dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 30 seconds, just to bring it together. Then, wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Assemble and Bake
- Make the apple filling. Toss the sliced apples with lemon juice, then with brown sugar and spices, and then with the flour to coat.
- Shape the crust. Now, take out the chilled crust. Roll it out into a 14-inch circle and press the crust firmly into a greased pie plate. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork to create spots for the steam to escape. Afterward, get that crust back to the fridge for 15 minutes, while you mix up the cake batter.
- Make the cake batter. This part is extra easy, just whisk the flour and baking soda together, then in a separate bowl, beat the eggs with sugar and vanilla. Slowly combine the dry mixture with the egg mixture. You don’t want to overmix.
- Assemble the cake. Spread the prepared apple filling evenly into your crust. Then, pour the cake batter over the apples.
- Bake. Bake this apple pie cake at 425ºF for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Once the top is browned and baked through, take the apple cake out of the oven to cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Bake High, Then Low
Baking at a high temperature (425ºF) first, then at a lower temperature (350ºF), is a technique often used for muffins to help them rise quickly in the oven. I applied this technique to my apple pie cake to help the cake batter on top rise up in the first 10 minutes, while the apple filling finishes baking at a lower temperature. It prevents the top of this cake from over-browning before the inside is cooked through.
How to Store It
- Refrigerate. This apple pie cake is fine to store at room temperature for 1-2 days, but after that, I suggest keeping it in the fridge to extend its shelf life. Cover the cake airtight.
