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Apple Pecan Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting is decadent, rich, and full of fall flavor. It’s the most tender and moist apple pecan spice cake that you will ever make. And the brown sugar cream cheese frosting is absolutely delicious!
There’s just something tantalizing about apples that make the ordinary extraordinary. Take these breakfast recipes for example Apple Crumb Muffins, oatmeal cake, or Crumb Topped Apple Coffee Cake. Apples just make it special. This cake will be no different.
Apple Pecan Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
This was easily one of the BEST cakes that I have ever had. Everything about this cake was absolute perfection. The spice cake was so tender and moist and the apples baked inside were amazing! The apple pecan combination brought out such a delicious flavor and texture. BUT lets just talk about the brown sugar cream cheese frosting… you will die. It was the best finishing touch to this perfect cake.
Let this cake be on the top of your list for fall baking. Actually do not wait until it is officially fall. Bake it right now! I think that you will quickly agree that this is one of the best cakes ever.
Apple Spice Cake and Frosting Ingredients
- Granny Smith Apples: Granny Smiths are the best apples for baking with because of their sturdy texture and crisp tartness
- Sugar: Sweetens the cake and the apples
- Oil: Adds moisture
- Eggs: Eggs are a stabilizer and moisture enhancer
- Vanilla: Flavor
- Flour: All purpose or unbleached flour are good strong flours for this cake
- Baking Powder/ Baking Soda: Both of these together make the cake light and fluffy
- Cinnamon/ Nutmeg: Love these spices with apples
- Salt: Brings balance to the sweetness
- Milk: Helps create a moist and tender cake
- Pecans: Add that beautiful nutty flavor and crunch
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: Low fat or full fat work, bring it to room temperature.
- Butter: Also bring the butter to room temperature or soften in the microwave for about 10 sec.
- Vanilla: Blends beautifully with the brown sugar
- Brown Sugar: Both light or dark brown sugar work here.
Making Apple Pecan Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix: In a large bowl combine apples and sugar. Stir in the oil, eggs and vanilla
- Combine: In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Fold: Add the flour mixture to the apple mixture and gently mix.
- Stir: Pour in the milk and stir till just combined. Add chopped pecans.
- Bake: Pour into greased 9×13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min.
- Frosting: Once completely cooled frost:
- Beat: Beat the cream cheese till smooth, add in butter and continue to mix till smooth. Scrape the sides as you mix. Add in the vanilla and brown sugar. Beat for 5 min till light and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved.
Tips for Perfect Apple Cake
- Apples: Chop the apples into smaller than bite sized pieces. You want to make sure the apples are small enough to cook through and eat. If they are too big it’ll be harder to eat and cook. I like the the size of my nail as a guide.
- Toast: I love toasting my nuts before adding them to the cake as well as on top. It adds more nutty flavor. Feel free to leave them out or use walnuts instead.
- Bake: This is a very dense and moist cake. That’s one of the reasons it’s so good. Make sure you check the center for doneness in several places before taking out. If you pierce an apple it can come out clean when it’s not really done. So check in several places.
- Beat: You will want to make sure you beat the frosting for a long time till the sugar is dissolved and it’s light and fluffy, otherwise it’ll be runny and or gritty.
- Bake A head: This is such a great cake to make the day before you need it because it gets better with time. Once cooked, cooled and frosted refrigerate till needed.
Keep the Cake
- Fridge: Keep this cake in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped with foil or plastic wrap to hold in the moisture. It will keep for up to a week.
- Freeze: This cake freezes beautifully. Cool the cake completely, but do not frost, and then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge. Prepare frosting and spread on once thawed.
More Apple Recipes to Savor
- Homemade Apple Fritters
- The Best Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Apple Bacon Brussel Sprouts Salad
- Delicious Apple Butter
- The Best Apple Danish
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Apple Pecan Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
The most tender and moist apple pecan spice cake that you will make. And the brown sugar cream cheese frosting is absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
Apple Pecan Spice Cake
- 4 cups chopped Granny Smith apples
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 lightly beaten eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup roughly chopped pecans
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese
- ¼ cup softened salted butter
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13 x 1-inch baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, then lightly dust with flour. Tap out the excess flour and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 4 cups chopped Granny Smith apples and 2 cups granulated sugar. Stir in ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 lightly beaten eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the apple mixture and mix to combine. Add ½ cup milk and stir until just combined. Add 1 cup roughly chopped pecans and stir until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let the cake cool completely.
Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer on high speed until smooth. Add ¼ cup softened salted butter and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it is incorporated evenly.
- Add 2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup light brown sugar. Beat for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until it is light and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved.
- Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake. Refrigerate until serving.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 4gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 234mgPotassium: 165mgFiber: 2gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 304IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Could you use Gigi apples instead? I have many to use up. Thanks
Hi Carol, thank you for your question. I can’t find a variety of Apple called Gigi apples, so I’m not sure how well they bake. Some apples get mushy, but it will work with any variety if you don’t mind that. Let me know how it turns out!
Absolutely delicious. I made it with wheat flour once for friends and it was such a hit that I had to try it with my GF alternative(Bob’s Red Mill) so that I could try it myself. So good!
I LOVE this cake! I’ve made it every fall for the last 3 years and shared it with different family members each time. Everyone always loves it! And I love that it can be made ahead of time. I find that it’s just as yummy, maybe even better, the next day! Thanks for this recipe!
I made this cake yesterday, it was fabulous!!I had some applesauce so I used it as a substitution for the oil in the recipe. It came out perfect and cut a few calories. This is going to be my new favorite “go to” cake. Anything with fresh apples, pecans and cream cheese frosting has to be wonderful….you didn’t disappoint!
I`d really love to bake this delicous looking cake. But i can´t work with “cup”
here in Austria we work with “gramm”
So could anybody please tell me how much gramm a cup is?
Please help 🙂
much appreciated
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes Leslie
Yes, that will work great!
made this cake right after finding it. Left off the frosting and it was perfect just that way. It’s a keeper.
If I used a spice cake mix what else do I need to add?
So easy! And so glorious! Great recipe. Congratulations!
Make this cake today. I didn’t have pecans so I subbed walnut. Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. This cake gets a total 10 from me.
Very delicious! Followed the recipe exactly as written! I will definitely make again. What a nice treat on a cool fall day!
I believe it’s just a package of cream cheese; not cream cheese frosting!!
The frosting turned out great! No brown sugar grit as some have posted!