Apple Walnut Cake

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Apple Walnut Cake is a moist snack cake with apples and walnuts in every bite. It’s one of the best apple recipes to make during the apple picking season. This cake is so full of flavor that no frosting is needed. A simple dusting powdered sugar will do.

My mom and dad have had apple trees for years. I’ve gotten to enjoy their applesauce, pies and cobblers over the years. I knew I wanted apple trees when I got my own house.

Fast forward 16 years later and guess what? I have my own apple trees! They are still small, but every year they are full of blossoms so one day we will be harvesting. I can picture myself using those perfectly round McIntosh apples in a few pies, apple danishes and apple walnut cake of my very own.

I still love the simplicity of this little Apple Walnut Cake.  Apples take center stage. Cinnamon and walnuts pair perfectly with those apples.

slices of apple walnut cake

About this Apple Walnut Cake Recipe:

  • Flavor: This cake is loaded with apple cinnamon flavor. If you remember any type of apple cake or bread from when you were young, this will remind you of it. Simple and comforting!
  • Texture: Keep the walnuts and apple pieces larger for more texture, or chop them finely for less texture. The cake is moist and tender either way.
slice of apple walnut cake on a plate with a fork

What are the best apples for apple cake?

You’ll see that this cake is stuffed full of apples.

Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonathan and Gala apples all great apples for baking are commonly found in grocery stores. Braeburn and Winesap are delicious too.

Do you have to peel apples for baking?

You don’t have to, but I highly recommend it. I don’t like the texture of baked apple skins in my cakes, pies and breads, so I always peel the apples.

Here’s a little tip.

The best invention ever is an Apple Pie Peeler/Corer. It makes working with apples a breeze. Just as we told you when we made the Amish Apple Goodie, those hand-crank peelers are a life-saver if you do much baking with apples at all.  In about 3 minutes you’ll have the 5 apples that are needed for this recipe completely ready.

How to Make Apple Walnut Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13″ baking pan with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture mix just until blended.
  • Fold in the apples and nuts.
apples and walnuts in a bowl of cake batter
  • Pour the batter into a 9×13 pan and spread evenly.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes.
baked apple walnut cake in a 9x13 pan

I wanted to keep the apple walnut cake basic, so I put an effortless dusting of powdered sugar on top. It makes the cake look pretty and gives just a touch of extra sweetness to the cake.

apple walnut cake on a spatula

Recipe Variations

  • Add other spices such as nutmeg, allspice or cloves. They all pair well with apples.
  • Try adding raisins if your family wouldn’t mind.
  • Want frosting on the cake? I recommend a cream cheese frosting.
  • Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce for a special treat.
caramel drizzling over apple walnut cake

Storage Instructions

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Then store in the fridge or freezer.

For longer term freezer storage, wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a second container and freezer for up to 6 weeks. Allow the cake to thaw completely before unwrapping it.

This apple walnut cake is my idea of a great start to a morning. Along with a cup of Russian tea or coffee, of course.  And it’s the perfect ending to a long day. Enjoy!

Apple Walnut Cake on a plate
Apple Walnut Cake on a plate

Apple Walnut Cake

4.54 from 174 votes
Apple Walnut Cake is a moist cake with apples and walnuts in every bite. This cake is so full of flavor that no frosting is needed. A simple dusting powdered sugar will do!
Servings 15
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

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Ingredients
 

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13" baking pan with cooking spray.
  • In a medium-size bowl, blend together the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture mix just until blended.
  • Fold in the apples and nuts.
  • Pour the batter into a 9×13 pan and spread evenly.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes.
  • Allow the cake to cool and then sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate or freeze after that.

Video

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 269
Keyword apple dessert, easy apple cake

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About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Yvonne kirk
9 years ago

I am writing this while my cake bakes. It smells amazing and don’t think I will be able to let it cool. Thanks for this recipie
Yvonne

Mary
4 months ago

5 stars
Baked the apple walnut cake today, used GF flour and lots of cinnamon as well, added about quarter cup of oats as a little runny. SCRUMPTIOUS!!! Thank you! Will be baking this again and again!

LuAnn
1 year ago

5 stars
I made this cake and was absolutely delicious!! I did however use only one cup of sugar

Cakelover
2 years ago

3 stars
Good flavour but the ratio is way off! I had way too much apple and had to bake it for 40 mins extra. It was still soft

Yvonne Bacchas
8 years ago

I always made this cake for my children when they were small.

LeeAnne
9 years ago

5 stars
I made this cake for my cousin’s birthday yesterday and it was a huge hit! Everyone kept complimenting me on how moist and delicious it was. I used golden delicious apples and followed the recipe exactly as stated. I used a bundt pan instead of the 9 x 13 pan and it took a little longer than the 45 minutes to bake. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It’s a keeper!

Morgan
9 years ago

5 stars
Just wanted to chime in on the comments about this being an amazing cake. I made it yesterday just to have something sweet around the house, and like others I was a bit dubious about the amount of apples needed. It came out absolutely perfect! 5 stars for sure.

Hannah
9 years ago

This recipe is amazing! I can’t keep my hands off of it, so yummy, moist, and flavorful! I love that it is simply full of the apples and nuts, I will admit I was nervous when I saw how much apple went into the recipe. I did sub 1 cup of white and 3/4 cup of brown sugar instead of all white because I love brown sugar and the flavor it gives to baked goods, especially apples 🙂
Thank you!

Annie @Maebells
9 years ago

5 stars
Awesome recipe! I bet this smells just like fall when it is baking!

Deb
10 months ago

4 stars
I got this recipe online 2 years ago, finally decided to make it today for a brunch. The taste is great, however even after 45 minutes in the oven, most of the batter was still uncooked. I had to serve just the corners of the cake and take it back to the oven to finish baking. I used Gala apples.

Cathy
1 year ago

2 stars
I find this cake almost too moist. The recipe calls for 1 cup oil and at the time I thought this seemed like a lot. After several days the cake feels wet. This is after storing in refrigerator. Can the oil be cut down to make a drier cake?

Sandra
1 year ago

5 stars
I made this cake but it took 50 minutes to cook. I’d also add more walnuts. It was delicious.

Ruth
1 year ago

5 stars
oh. my. goodness. most of what you make looks like heaven… but this makes my mouth crave the hot apples and the lovely taste that only walnuts get when they bake and caramelize just a little bit. LMAO I recently “discovered” Pazazz apples (sweet and hearty – the nickname is “jolly rancher apples” but… I disagree) and I feel like they really want to meet this recipe. thank you for this! perfect timing!

Kathy
1 year ago

Going to try this one this week. Looks fabulous!

Mark Gassmann
1 year ago

5 stars
What a yummy and easy recipe