Annnd I’m back! Maybe you didn’t even notice I was gone, but it’s been nearly six months since I last posted a new recipe. I didn’t plan on such a long break, but here we are. Sometimes, when it comes to creative endeavors, you lose your inspiration and need to take a break to find it again. For months, I didn’t have any great new ideas and I just didn’t feel like baking…and when I tried to bake, nothing turned out the way I wanted it to. *sigh*
But a few weeks ago, I woke up one morning with a recipe idea in my head, and I knew I just had to make it happen. So, without further ado, here’s my latest creation: Apple Crisp Cake.
If Apple Crisp and Cake Had a Baby…
…it would be this dessert. It starts with two brown sugar-cinnamon cake layers with a ton of homemade apple pie filling smashed between them. The whole thing is covered in a whipped vanilla buttercream (think ice cream with your apple crisp), and topped with a crunchy brown sugar-oat crumble.
Guys, it’s so. freaking. good.
And it’s pretty, too—a total showstopper of a fall dessert. Just look at it:
How To Make Apple Crisp Cake
The Cake Layers
These cake layers are quick and simple to mix up. First, prepare your 8″ cake pans (9″ will work too, but they might bake faster, so watch for that): grease them with a little butter or oil, add parchment just to cover the bottom of the pan, grease the parchment, then dust the whole thing with a little flour. (In lieu of oil/butter and flour, you could use a baker’s spray, if you’re lazy like me ;)).
Next, combine your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt) in a bowl. In another bowl, cream the brown sugar and butter until nice and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition just until combined. Add the vanilla and mix just until it’s combined.
Tip: Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature to keep the batter from splitting.
Next, add the flour mixture all at once, mixing until combined (make sure to scrape the bowl to ensure there’s no bits of flour hiding in the bottom). Finally, add the milk (either dairy or nondairy milks work here) all at once, and mix on low until it’s fully combined.
Pour the batter evenly into your two prepared pans and bake until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out dry. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Optional: Make the cake layers ahead, wrap them tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to a month. The night before you’ll frost them, pop them in the fridge to thaw overnight.
The Apple Pie Filling
Add your peeled and diced apples (I like McIntosh, but use your favorite—I recommend one on the tart side though), lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Let it sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, combine the flour, spices, and salt in a small bowl.
Once the 30 minutes is up, add the flour mixture to the apple mixture. Heat on medium, stirring constantly, for 5-10 minutes, or until it thickens and the apples start to soften. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using it to fill the cake.
Optional: Make the filling 1-2 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to put your cake together.
The Oat Crumble
Line a small baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt. Using your fingers, rub the COLD butter pieces into the mixture as you would for pie crust. Keep working at it until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Spread it into a thin layer on your prepared pan and bake until browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet, then break into pieces.
Optional: Make this a few days ahead and store it in an airtight container at room temperature until you’re ready to put your cake together.
The Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
Beat the butter until it’s nice and creamy. Then add the powdered sugar and salt and mix on low just until it’s combined, then whip it on medium-high for about 2 minutes, or until it’s nice and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream and whip on medium-high for about 30 seconds or so, until it’s light and fluffy like whipped cream. Don’t beat it too long here or it’ll curdle! (If it does, add a smidge more heavy whipping cream and mix on low—it should smooth it out.)
Tip: For best results, bring your butter and heavy whipping cream to room temperature before making the frosting.
Building the Cake
Once you have all your components made, you’re ready to put your cake together!
Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Using a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the tip cut out, pipe a big line of frosting (about 1″ diameter or so) around the edge of the cake layer. Pile all your apple pie filling into the center of the frosting ring, smoothing it out evenly. Place the second cake layer on top, and use the remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.
Note: The recipe only makes enough frosting for a very thin layer (sort of a “naked” cake look). If you want a thicker frosting, I’d recommend doubling the frosting recipe.
Finally, sprinkle your oat crumble pieces on the top of the cake. I like to use it all, so it totally covers the top of the cake. You can use less if you prefer. Pop the finished cake into the fridge for 30 min-1 hour before serving, to give the frosting a chance to solidify a bit (it’ll make slicing the cake a lot easier).
Then all that’s left to do is slice, serve, and eat!
Add This Cake to Your Holiday Table
This cake would be ideal for fall parties, birthdays, book clubs (mine loved it!), or even your Thanksgiving dessert table, for those who aren’t into pie. Serve it with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream, if you can find it (vanilla works too), and I promise you and your guests will be in heaven.
And if you’re looking for more ways to use up those fall apples, I’ve got you. Give these apple recipes a try:
- Toffee Apple Crisp
- Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie
- Mini Apple Crumble Pies
- Spiced Apple Cake
- Caramel Apple Galette
- Apple Slab Pie With Chai Spices
I hope you enjoy this Apple Crisp Cake as much as I enjoyed making it! Happy fall!
Stay Up-to-Date With the Latest Northern Ginger Recipes
Join my email list to get notified about new blog posts and receive occasional newsletters (if I ever get around to writing them:)).
Apple Crisp Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Cake Layers
- 2 c brown sugar, packed
- 1 c butter, room temperature
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 c all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1 c milk, regular or non-dairy
Apple Pie Filling
- 4.5 c peeled & diced apples (about 4-5 medium apples)
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 T all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch each nutmeg and cardamom (optional)
- pinch salt
Oat Crumble
- 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 c old-fashioned oats
- 5 T all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 4 T cold butter, cut into cubes
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 c butter, room temperature
- pinch salt
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 c heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Instructions
Cinnamon Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, beating just until combined in between. Scrape bowl as needed. Add vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
- Add flour mixture, mixing on low speed until combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no bits of flour mixture hiding there.
- Add milk and mix on low speed until combined.
- Pour batter into the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs on it). Cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan and set on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Apple Pie Filling
- In a large saucepan, combine apples, lemon juice, and sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, combine flour, spices, and salt in a small bowl. Add to apple mixture (after the 30 minutes is complete). Heat on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens and apples start to soften. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using it to fill the cake.
Oat Crumble
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt. Toss in the cold butter chunks, and use your fingers to rub the butter into the sugar mixture until it is in pea-sized pieces.
- Spread mixture into a thin layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Break or crumble into pieces.
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter until creamy, 1-2 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and salt, and mix until combined. Then whip on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream. Whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy like whipped cream, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Putting it all together…
- Place one cake layer onto a plate, cake stand, or whatever you'll serve it on. Using a piping bag (no tip needed) or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off, pipe a line of frosting along the outside edge of the cake layer (see pic).
- Next, spread all of the apple pie filling (yes, all of it! It will seem like a lot, but trust me) inside the line of frosting, spreading it out evenly.
- Place the second layer on top of the filling. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake. It will be a very thin coat of frosting (like a "naked" cake sort of look).Tip: if the top cake layer is sliding around as you're trying to frost the cake, pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes, then continue frosting.
- Sprinkle the oat crumble over the top of the cake. Slice it up, serve, and enjoy!
- Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Did You Make This Recipe? Leave a Review!
If you made this recipe and loved it (or didn’t love it), please consider leaving a review and a comment below! Reviews help these recipes show up more prominently in online searches, and feedback in the comments (good or bad…but please be kind:)) helps me know what turns out well for you and what could use some work.
Thanks for being here and baking my recipes!