Deliciously moist apple cake with brown sugar-pecan topping. Perfect for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack!
Good morning, friends! How is your week going?? I have been spending all my extra time this week getting ready for a very important birthday! Greta turns 6 tomorrow!
It’s crazy….and I know I say this all the time….but time flies! Just the other day I saw her from behind and thought she was Ellia…..because it feels like she went from 4 to 6 in the blink of an eye! (And I still can’t believe Ellia is 8….)
This year she will be starting 1st grade, playing soccer, taking piano lessons, losing more teeth, and (hopefully) mastering her reading skills. I am so excited to see the new friends she will make and to watch her little personality continue to emerge. She never ceases to surprise me, that Greta….and her birthday celebration is a good example!
It’s tradition in our family that you can have a “friend” birthday party after you finish kindergarten…..and I completely expected Greta to be over the moon excited to celebrate with her friends! But when I brought it up to her, she thought for a while and then told me she’d really rather just celebrate with our family. Because family is best.
I have to admit – as much as I agree with her, I was shocked! Maybe it’s because of Ellia’s EXTREME interest in friends….but I never expected her to bypass a party with friends in favor of spending time with family. But she’s right – family IS best. And good things come out of spending time together.
This Apple Snack Cake is one of the good things that came out of spending time with my family growing up. It’s one of those desserts that brings you right back……to celebrations, good times, and happy memories. Which is exactly what I hope to create for our kids! Happy Birthday Eve to our sweet Greta…..can’t wait to celebrate your birthday with our family.
Apple Snack Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. butter softened
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 c. sour milk I added a small amount of lemon juice to 1 c. milk
- 2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 c. chopped apples I used 3 different types
- For topping:
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 c. chopped pecans
Instructions
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Combine flour and baking soda; set aside.
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In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar.
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Add salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.
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Add sour milk alternately with flour and baking soda mixture.
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Stir in apples.
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Pour batter in greased 9x13 inch pan.
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Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over cake batter.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Be sure to check out another one of my favorite cake recipes – Grandma’s Banana Cake!
marcie says
I’ve been hungry for fall flavors, and this cake is calling my name! It looks just delicious, Cathy. Pinning. 🙂
Julie @ Tastes of Lizzy T says
My son turned down a friend birthday 2 years ago, saying he just wanted to be with family. Loved it! Then last year we got his crazy friend party. Lots of boys and nerf guns, LOL!
These snack bars look perfect! I’m baking with apples this week and am super excited!
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says
The topping looks delicious!!
Jess says
Happy Birthday to your little Greta! Sydney starts 1st grade this year too, it’s a big year and time flies! This Apple Cake looks so yummy and perfect for the first days of school. Always looking for something to bring the biggest smiles to their faces! 🙂
Alyssa+{Cake,+Crust,+and+Sugar+Dust} says
Ok that is the most adorable response to come out of a 6 year old’s mouth ever! This cake looks amazing and you’re making me really excited for fall!
Cindy Eikenberg says
Cathy, after chocolate, anything apple is my hubby’s favorite and I know he would devour this! This is a great cake for lunches (he packs his every day!) Love! Thanks for sharing the recipe – pinned and tweeted! Have a wonderful Thursday!
Lisa+@+Cooking+with+Curls says
Happy Birthday Greta!! Kids will continue to amaze you even when they are about to turn 21. 😉 I’m sure there will be wonderful memories made with this cake…and all of your other amazing recipes!!
Deb @ Cooking on the Front Burner says
Aww, what a cute birthday story – I’m sure you will have a great celebration! This cake – well – takes the cake Cathy! I love how moist it looks and I’m getting ready for do something with apples!
Jamie+@+Love+Bakes+Good+Cakes says
How precious! Happy birthday to Greta! This cake sounds amazing and easy!! Can’t wait to try it!! 🙂
Vicki Lakamp says
This looks wonderful. Although I’m sure I can figure it all out, the directions didn’t say anything about combining the flour and baking soda until it said to add the flour/baking soda mixture. Also it didn’t say when to add the apples. Not a big deal though. As I said, I’m sure we can all make it work. I can’t wait to give it a try.
Cathy Trochelman says
Hi Vicki,
Can you tell I’m a sleep-deprived mom of a 3 month old? I updated the recipe so it is easier to understand. Hope you give it a try! Have a great night!
Cathy
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says
This looks so good. I’m allergic to pecans so I will use almonds. Thanks so much – pinning now!
Tonia says
Yum! This makes me so excited for fall! Pinned!
Kelly @ Mostly Homemade Mom says
This looks wonderful! What a great after school snack for the kiddos (and mom haha)!
Molly says
I just made this – delicious! I made a couple tweaks: I added an egg to the creamed butter & sugar mixture, I just couldn’t believe there wasn’t any called for in the recipe. Also added a pinch each of cloves and nutmeg to the cake and used walnuts in the topping because that’s what I had. The cake came out very tender and fluffy with a nice spicy note. Also because, well, decadence, I drizzled some leftover homemade caramel sauce on the cake once it was mostly cool.
We’ll see if there’s any left for hubby when he gets home from work tonight!
flavia says
I just made this recipe and I’m pretty sure is wrong. There should definitely be one or two eggs minimum. You end up with a kind of cookie dough that is too small for the tray suggested and doesn’t encorporate the apples properly. It bakes hard and dry. I am a very experienced home baker. I almost added the eggs but I decide to trust you instead and now I’m throwing good and expensive ingredients in the bin.
Please, if you are not sure about your ingredients don’t publish recipes for people to waste their money. I suggest you rectify or take this recipe down so nobody else end up with what I did.
Cathy Trochelman says
Hi Flavia,
Sorry you had trouble with this recipe. It’s actually a cake my mom made all the time when we were growing up, and it has never failed! I doubled checked all the ingredients and instructions and they are correct….so I’m not sure what happened. I know how frustrating it can be to spend money on ingredients only to have something not turn out. Sorry that was the case!
Jamie says
Hi Cathy, I just made this snack cake It was so delicious. Definitely a keeper.
Cathy Trochelman says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Jamie! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Niki says
I am not a great baker so I followed the recipe exactly and it came out moist and delicious. It is a keeper. I also wondered about the lack of eggs but the cake came out wonderful without them.
Matt says
I made this yesterday and it was so good I could cry. I followed the directions (including no eggs – it was totally fine), but did add an extra 1/2 tsp vanilla, and I used actual buttermilk instead of “sour milk.” I had some leftover apple cider, so I reduced it quite a bit, and spooned some over the top just before baking. This was definitely a good idea. So delicious and moist!
If you’re making for the first time, the batter will be thick, and about equal in volume to your apples. Don’t worry, it’s just like it’s supposed to be! (I used a granny smith, a pink cripps, and a honeycrisp.)
Thanks for the recipe!