Description
A moist, tender cake layered with cinnamon-spiced apples and brown sugar swirls, topped with a vanilla glaze that soaks into every bite. This Apple Fritter Cake captures all the flavors of the classic donut in an easy-to-make sheet cake perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter:
- ⅓ cup butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
For the Apple Filling:
- 2 cups peeled and large-diced Granny Smith apples (about 2 medium)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons water
For the Brown Sugar Layer:
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For the Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Toss your diced apples with sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and water in a saucepan. Cook for about 6 minutes on medium heat, stirring now and then. The apples get soft and everything thickens up. Let it cool completely.
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. This goes between your cake layers.
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease your 9×13 pan really well.
Beat butter and sugar for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add applesauce, vanilla and eggs. Beat until mixed.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in another bowl. Add dry stuff and yogurt to the butter mixture, alternating back and forth. Start with flour, end with flour. Mix just enough to combine – lumpy batter is fine.
Spread half the batter in your pan. It’ll be thick. Add the cooled apple mixture on top, then sprinkle most of the brown sugar mix over the apples.
Dollop remaining batter on top and spread gently. Sprinkle leftover brown sugar mix on top.
Bake 35-40 minutes until center doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pan. Toothpick should come out mostly clean.
Right when it comes out, poke holes everywhere with a butter knife. Don’t be gentle – you want lots of holes.
Whisk powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the hot cake immediately. Wait 20 minutes before cutting if you can manage it.
Notes
Poke lots of holes in the hot cake. This step makes or breaks the whole thing.
Stop mixing as soon as you can’t see dry flour. Overmixed = tough cake.
Taste your apples first. If they’re super tart, add more sugar to the filling.
Your glaze should coat a spoon but still pour easy. Add milk bit by bit if it’s too thick.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American