Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Apple Cake (My Version)
Grandma's apple cake is soft, moist, and loaded with fresh apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, sour cream, and toasted walnuts. It's an easy old-fashioned fall cake that's delicious for dessert, brunch, holidays, or an afternoon treat with coffee.
Equipment
- 9 x 13-inch baking dish
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Apple peeler and corer
- Sharp Chef’s Knife
- wire cooling rack
- Fine-mesh sieve or powdered sugar shaker
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 cups peeled and chopped apples
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, optional
- Powdered sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Toss chopped apples with lemon juice.
- Beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy.
- Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in another bowl.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with sour cream.
- Mix just until combined.
- Fold in apples and toasted walnuts.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake 45–55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool for 20–30 minutes.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Notes
Best Apples for the Apple Cake:
For the best flavor and texture, use a combination of sweet and tart apples. My favorite combination is:- 2 cups Granny Smith apples
- 2 cups Honeycrisp apples
- Braeburn
- Pink Lady
- Fuji
- Jonagold