Description

This Easy Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake is a moist and flavorful dessert perfect for fall, featuring tender Honeycrisp apples, warm cinnamon-spiced sugar topping, and a subtle sweetness from maple syrup and apple butter. The cake is baked to perfection with a crisp, buttery cinnamon topping that complements the tender apple-studded crumb. Ideal for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon treat.

Ingredients

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Cake Batter

1 ½ cup apple cider
⅓ cup melted coconut oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup honey or maple syrup
⅓ cup apple butter
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
2-3 tsp apple or pumpkin pie spice
2-3 Honeycrisp apples, very thinly sliced

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

6 tbsp cold salted butter, grated
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

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Instructions

Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C). Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy removal of the cake.
Reduce Apple Cider: Bring the 1½ cups of apple cider to a boil over high heat in a saucepan. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until it reduces to about ½ cup. Remove from heat and allow it to cool completely before using.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled reduced apple cider, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, egg, honey or maple syrup, and apple butter until well combined.
Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, apple or pumpkin pie spice, and kosher salt to the wet mixture. Stir gently until just combined to avoid overmixing, resulting in a thick batter.
Fold in Apples: Carefully fold the thinly sliced Honeycrisp apples into the batter, distributing them evenly throughout.
Transfer Batter to Pan: Spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared baking dish, smoothing out the top with a spatula.
Prepare Cinnamon Sugar Topping: In a small bowl, combine the grated cold salted butter, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon. Use your fingers or a fork to mix until it forms a clumpy, crumbly sugar mixture.
Top the Cake: Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping evenly over the surface of the batter in the baking dish.
Bake: Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake is just set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Serve: Remove from the oven and let the cake cool slightly. Serve warm, optionally with honey butter as suggested in the notes, and enjoy!

Notes

Honey butter pairs wonderfully with this cake: mix softened butter with honey to taste for a delicious topping.
Make sure not to overmix the batter to keep the cake tender.
Reduction of apple cider intensifies the apple flavor; do not skip this step.
Use Honeycrisp apples or any crisp, sweet apple variety for best results.
This cake stores well for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (assuming 15 slices per cake)
Calories: 210
Sugar: 18g
Sodium: 120mg
Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 3.5g
Unsaturated Fat: 5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 30g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 2g
Cholesterol: 30mg