Our 10 Best Apple Cake Recipes

Apple Cranberry Cake
Photo: John Kernick

We get it — as soon as you return from apple picking, you'll be tempted to turn your haul into gorgeous apple pies and cinnamon-spiked applesauce. But we'd also like to turn your attention to apple cakes, which are equally delicious and come in several enticing varieties. There's an apple cider cake that's perfect for cider doughnut fans; Lara Atkins' apple cake with toffee crust is wonderfully indulgent, served with caramelized apples, toffee sauce, and vanilla ice cream. Read on for those recipes and more apple cakes we'll be making this season.

01 of 10

Apple-Raisin Crumb Cake

Apple-Raisin Crumb Cake
© Stephanie Meyer

Caramelized apples and pecan-laced streusel make Andrew Zimmern's lightly spiced crumb cake totally irresistible.

02 of 10

Babette Friedman's Apple Cake

Babette Friedman’s Apple Cake
Roland Bello

Le Coucou chef Daniel Rose stirs apples into the batter of this pound cake-like dessert, then tops it with more of the Calvados-spiked fruit.

03 of 10

Apple Cake with Toffee Crust

Apple Cake with Toffee Crust
© Anna Williams

When pastry chef Lara Atkins was little, her mother made this cake for her bridge club; Atkins remembers how she and her brothers would have to wait (and wait and wait) for their slices until all the ladies of the club had served themselves. Atkins now makes the cake for her son, who never has to wait for his piece.

04 of 10

Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake

Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake
© Con Poulos

This is one of the best upside-down cakes ever ⁠— the maple syrup infuses both the apples and the cake, making the dessert taste like a stack of apple pancakes.

05 of 10

Apple Cake with Cranberries

Apple Cranberry Cake
John Kernick

For his moist and buttery upside-down cake, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple layers apples with cranberries and brown sugar, then tops them with a fantastic sour cream batter.

06 of 10

Spiced Upside-Down Apple Bundt Cake

Spiced Upside-Down Apple Bundt Cake

DamGoodSweet co-author and chef David Guas tops his apple bundt cake with a nicely salty streusel of pecans and toasted rolled oats. He bakes the streusel on its own to make it extraordinarily crisp, then pats it over the warm cake right out of the oven.

07 of 10

Apple Upside-Down Cake

Upsidedown Apple Cake
© Fredrika Stjärne

Tender, brown-sugar fruit bakes into a buttery, vanilla-scented apple upside-down cake, creating a classic dessert that tastes just as delicious for breakfast. Stir a bit of ground cinnamon into the batter if you like.

08 of 10

Apple and Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Apple and Olive Oil Bundt Cake
Christopher Testani

At Coyle's Bakeshop in Seattle, chef-owner Rachael Coyle always keeps a bundt cake or two in the case. This autumnal version, an adaptation of an Italian apple cake, is moist and light, fragrant with freshly ground spices and studded with chunks of fruit. In the spring, substitute fresh rhubarb for the apples.

09 of 10

Apple Cider Cake

Apple Cider Cake
Abby Hocking / Food & Wine

Love apple cider doughnuts? Then this tender, moist cake is for you.

10 of 10

Apple Crumb Coffee Cakes

Apple Crumb Coffee Cakes
© Con Poulos

Spike Gjerde's apple crumb coffee cakes can be made one day ahead and kept in an airtight container — just remember to warm them up again before you serve.

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