Easy German Apple Cake
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This cake is flavorful and tender with crisp apples and notes of vanilla and lemon in each bite. It’s delicately sweet and full of warm spices; easily one of my favorite apple desserts to serve in the fall.
There’s something nostalgic about a German Apple Cake, it’s soft, lightly sweet, and packed with tender apples in every bite 🍎. It’s the kind of recipe that feels like a hug from your Oma, even if you’ve never met her. This version is lightened up with almond milk but still rich in flavor, easy to pull together, and perfect for everything from afternoon coffee to holiday tables.
The beauty of this cake is in its simplicity, no fancy techniques, no hard-to-find ingredients, just a humble batter that lets the apples shine. For more cakes, try lemon bundt cake or mini strawberry cheesecakes. Both are perfect for sharing!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Simple ingredients.
- Perfect for fall apple hauls.
- Easy to make!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this traditional apple cake. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions:
- Fresh Apples: I used Pink Lady apples but with all the different apples and it’s hard to go wrong. Honeycrisp or fuji apples will be on the sweeter side. If you want a more tart flavor, go with Granny Smith apples. You can also make this with underripe and firm pears.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Butter: or vegan butter for dairy-free.
- White Sugar
- Almond Milk: soy milk, hemp milk, oat milk or dairy milk all work.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Powdered Sugar
- Grated Apples: grated apples will get mixed into your batter. You can also use unsweetenend apple sauce.
Variations
- Add dried fruit like cranberries, raisins or currants.
- Add nuts like pecans, walnuts, and pistachios into the batter and on top prior to baking.
- Swirl in your favorite nut butter into the batter, about 1/2 cup.
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Dietary Modifications
- To make this dairy-free use a vegn butter.
- For gluten-free, use a gluten-free 1:1 flour. This will slightly alter the taste, texture and bake time of the cake.
How to make this delicious cake (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: preheat and prep
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, grease a 9” springform pan and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or spray with cooking spray. Without peeling the apples, cut them in half, from stem to bottom, and remove the core. Place each half of the apple cut-side down and make slices from stem to core, but not all the way through (image 1). Then, cut the apples once more in half, all the way through so you have quarters of each apple. Remember to leave one half apple intact for the middle of the cake. Rub the cut-side of the apple slices with a lemon.
Step 2: mix ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt (image 2). Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together you have a fluffy texture. Stir in the soy milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice (image 3). It’s ok if it’s a little lumpy.
Pour the flour mixture ingredients into the wet ingredients (image 4) and mix until just combined. It will feel like a thick paste. Lastly, mix in the grated apples (image 5).
Step 3: prepare the cake and bake
Scoop the cake batter into the greased spring form pan and smooth it out with a spatula or pastry spatula. Place the apples cut side down, starting with the quarter piece apples along the edge, about ¼ inch apart, then place one half apple in the center (image 6).
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes to an hour before removing from the pan (image 7). Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and serve with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
Expert Tip!
To avoid a chewy, dry cake, avoid over-mixing. Mix until just combined.
Recipe FAQs
This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and the freezer for up to 3 months.
We used Pink Lady apples for this recipe. Feel free to use Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Braeburns, or any other tart and crisp apple.
I recommend eating this slightly warm or at room temperature. Eating it cold is fine, but the flavor and texture won’t be as enjoyable.
Any milk will work in this recipe, we’re using almond to cut the calories where we can.
Check out our other dessert recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
German Apple Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
- 5 small apples, washed (I used pink lady apples) (save one for grating)
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour 315g
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar 120g
- 3/4 cup almond milk (any milk) 170ml
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- 1 small apple, grated, excess juice squeezed out 110g
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, grease a 9” springform pan and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Without peeling the apples, cut them in half, from stem to bottom, and remove the core. Place each half of the apple cut-side down and make slices from stem to core, but not all the way through so they stay together. Then, cut the apples once more in half, all the way through so you have quarters of each apple. Remember to leave one half apple intact for the middle of the cake. Rub the cut-side of the apples with a lemon.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Stir in the soy milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. It’s ok if it’s a little lumpy.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It will feel like a thick paste. Lastly, mix in the grated apples.
- Scoop the batter into the greased spring form pan and smooth it out with a spatula or pastry spatula. Place the apples cut side down starting with the quarter piece apples along the edge, about ¼ inch apart, then place one half apple in the center.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes to an hour before removing from the pan and serving.
Notes
- Don’t over-mix the batter or it will become too chewy.
- I used Pink Lady apples for this recipe. Feel free to use Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Braeburns or any other crisp apple.
- If you prefer apples without the skin, you can peel them prior to preparing. Don’t forget to rub them with lemon juice so they don’t oxidize.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
