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Apple Pie Cake Side

Apple Pie Cake

Spiced brown sugar cake layered with apple pie filling and coated with cinnamon vanilla buttercream

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

25-30 mins

Servings

2-layer cake

about the recipe

 

Oh. My. Gosh. THIS CAKE.

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When I tell you that this cake blew my mind, I'm understating it.

 

This recipe came to me when I was faced with a dilemma - an imminent birthday party and some pretty intense pie cravings. "Could I turn a Fall classic into a birthday party cake?"

 

Apple Pie Cake Top

Turns out, I could - and better yet, I SHOULD.

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The cake layers are a simple brown sugar cake - picture a classic vanilla cake, but instead of white sugar use brown sugar. Simple, tasty, who's mad at that? (In my opinion, the cake on its own almost tasted like pancakes. Not sure why, but definitely not mad at that either.)

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So we have a brown sugar cake, next we need the filling. Enter, the best apple pie filling. Here's my recipe with a bit more detail. 

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But how would I ice this thing? Well I thought, why don't I pair the warm sugar and spice of a classic pie crumb topping with the creaminess of whipped cream - that gave me cinnamon buttercream. Not only did the flavor and texture fit the bill, the speckles of the cinnamon spice were incredibly beautiful. Safe to say cinnamon buttercream is now my secret weapon for fall baking.

tips & tricks

 

Milk and lemon juice sounds like it will curdle if you mix it together. Truth is, it will - that's intentional. We want a "buttermilk", and if you don't have any on hand, this is an easy solve!

 

Room temperature ingredients are important for cakes, similar to other baked goods. Any big difference in temperature amongst the ingredients can cause the batter to "break" and not stay mixed completely, which creates uneven baking and a less than ideal texture.

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Be careful not to over mix - mixing develops the gluten, and mixing too much could overdevelop the gluten structures and create a dense and tough texture.

 

The consistency of the buttercream is largely a personal choice and this recipe can be modified with powdered sugar or milk/cream to reach your desired consistency. However, for frosting cakes, buttercream should be soft enough to be spreadable without pulling up the crumb, and stiff enough to hold its shape if piped. Be careful with those ratios!

 

Storage: The cake, unfrosted and unfilled, can sit at room temperature for a couple days in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. Once filled and frosted, I recommend storing lightly covered in the fridge. You can then let the cake sit out for an hour or two before serving!

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ingredients

Brown Sugar Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, room temperature

1 2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs vanilla

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Cinnamon Buttercream

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

6 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbs vanilla

1/4 cup milk or heavy cream

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Apple Pie Filling - recipe linked​

recipe

1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cake tins with spray and parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.

3

Beat together brown sugar and butter until creamy and light in color. 

4

Add oil to butter mixture and beat until combined.

5

Add eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture. Beat until just combined for each egg. Add vanilla and combine fully.

6

Combine milk and lemon juice in a small bowl and let side for 3 minutes. 

7

Add 1/2 of dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Fold together until just combined. Add the milk mixture and fold together until just combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold until fully combined. Be careful not to over mix.

8

Divide the batter evenly across the cake tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

9

While the cakes bake, make the Apple Pie Filling (linked) and then let it cool in the fridge until you are ready to assemble.

10

When the cakes are done, let the cakes sit in the tins on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes. Then remove the cakes to complete cooling.

11

In a medium-large bowl, beat the softened butter until light and creamy - about 2-3 minutes. 

12

Add the powdered sugar, 3 cups at a time. Beat until fully combined with the butter. The texture should be creamy with minimal grittiness from the sugar.

13

Add the salt and vanilla, continue beating for another 2 minutes. 

14

Add the milk or heavy cream and beat for 1 minute. Check the consistency - if the frosting is too stiff, add another tbs of milk/cream; if the frosting is too soft, add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. You may need to adjust the ratio to get the consistency you want. 

15

Add the cinnamon to taste and beat for another minute or so.

16

Once the frosting is done, and the cake and pie filling are cool, assemble the cake. Start with one cake layer, make a ring of the frosting around the edge, then fill with the pie filling. Place the second layer on top securely, then frost the edges of the cake and the top. Sprinkle with some extra cinnamon if you would like and enjoy!

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