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This amazing Fresh Apple Cake recipe from Southern Living is DIVINE! The cream cheese frosting is light and fluffy. Don't miss this one!
Chunky Apple Cake Recipe
I've posted this Southern Living Chunky Apple Cake recipe each fall since I first started blogging, and it's one of those recipes that no one should miss. (so I feel it's my duty to re-share!) If you haven't tried it yet, add the ingredients to your grocery list this week, and enjoy. 🙂
This easy apple cake is by far my favorite fall treat, and when my daughter and I made it several years ago she even made a cute little video to show the process.
I could make this cake all year long and never grow tired of it, but it just always sounds SO good in the fall and makes our home smell delicious!
Note – I'm not sure why on earth the video has those few extra spots for “titles” in it – they didn't show up when we were uploading it but apparently are in there somewhere – we were just learning when she made this one! 🙂
When I first found the recipe YEARS ago I was teaching preschool “cooking and science” and my preschool classes made the cake. Our entire church smelled heavenly!
So, grab your apron and a few apples (you might love this apple peeler/corer too), and get baking.
Apple Cake Recipe Ingredients:
- Butter or Margarine
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Granny Smith Apples
- Walnuts (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
- Salt
You'll also need a large bowl for mixing all your ingredients and a 13 x 9 pan. You'll also want an electric mixer for your cream cheese frosting (which is honestly the best part of this cake!). Set aside a good 45 minutes for baking time for this dish (as well as some time for it to cool before frosting).
Southern Living re-printed this recipe in their October 2010 issue (along with a few variations), but I'm sticking with the original. 🙂
Chunky Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Ingredients For The Cake
- 1/2 Cup Butter or Margarine Melted
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 4 Granny Smith Apples Peeled and Sliced
- 1 Cup Walnuts Chopped and Toasted (Completely Optional)
Ingredients For The Frosting
- 1 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 3 Tbsp Butter or Margarine Softened
- 1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/8 tsp Salt
Instructions
Directions For The Cake
- Stir together first 4 ingredients in large bowl until blended.
- Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended.
- Stir in apple slices and 1 cup walnuts (if using). The batter will be very thick, almost like cookie dough.
- Spread into a well-greased 13- x 9-inch pan. (It's pretty sticky, so make sure to grease your pan well!)
- Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Spread with Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with walnuts, if desired.
Directions For The Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
- Gradually add sugar and salt, beating until blended.
- Stir in vanilla.
You can top this with caramel, ice cream, whipped topping, extra walnuts – really the sky is the limit! Let us know if you try it and how you liked it!
I suggest putting how many cups of apples for the recipe. My Granny Smith apples were small, so I used 5 apples. Also, the apples need to be room temperature (not cold out of fridge), so as not to effect the baking time.
Hi Sue, thank you so much for your feedback. We will take it into consideration moving forward!
Where does the cinnamon go? It is the 8th ingredient listed and the instructions call for mixing the first 7.
I can see where there was confusion! Looking now in the instructions, it says to mix the 4 ingredients first, then the flour and the next three ingredients. So you would mix the cinnamon in with the flour and following ingredients. Hope this helps!
Has anyone made this with any other types of apples?
I used two Granny Smith and 2 Honey Crisp!! It was delicious!!
Has anyone tried using a different variety of apples? I have a big bag of ginger gold and would love to use them but they are sweet as opposed to sour Granny Smith.
I made this last weekend – I diced my apples and cut the finished cake into bars (added extra cinnamon & a little to the frosting as well). Grandkids came by and the cake was completely gone in one evening. Oh my so good!!
I love this cake and it was a big hit for family dessert! Is the cake able to be frozen? Thank you so much for the recipe!
I haven’t tried it myself but I have heard of people freezing cakes! It might be worth a try. Maybe freeze it without the icing on it. Let us know if you try it! 🙂
OH MY WORD !! This is absolutely wonderful! I made it for my husband and he raved over it. I am going to be cooking for a large crowd this weekend and will be making this for dessert . It seemed to get better if it could be better , the next day .
Sharon – thank you so much for the sweet comment, I’m so glad you loved it!
Delicious!!! Loved the cake before putting on the frosting but REALLY loved it with the frosting! Definitely a keeper!!!’
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it!
WOW. I made this for my family and everyone ate two pieces!!! This recipe is amazing! Thank you! I didn’t make the cream cheese frosting, just used whipped cream and it was still fabulous!
Would love to be able to make the apple cake, but the recipe isn’t there, just two recipes for the frosting….??
Head out to Legend Hills orchard and farm market in Utica! We just came from there and it’s the best place to get seasonal produce!! They let you FILL a huge bag with apples for $11/bag! Perfect for this recipe :). It’s in Uticaeast of Columbus. And be sure to stop for some ice cream at YeOlde Mill afterward! Delicious way to spend a day!
Thanks so much for the recommendation Heather – I can’t wait to try it! I love apple season 🙂