This easy apple cake is just four ingredients and tastes like a French apple cake. There is no butter or oil or baking powder needed. The end result is a fluffy and moist cake full of apple pieces. It’s perfect to make for a party.
Here is an easy cake recipe now that apples are in season – right now, it’s the perfect time to make this easy apple cake.
I love serving apple desserts for Thanksgiving, so if you’re looking for ideas this recipe is great. In the past, I’ve made Invisible Apple Cake, Apple Rose Tarts, and Apples Pies Baked in Apples. This cake tastes very similar to classic French apple cakes I’ve made in the past but with a simplified ingredient list.
Ingredients
- Honeycrisp apples
- Room temperature eggs
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
Just four ingredients – that’s all you need.
How to Make a 4 Ingredient Apple Cake
The key to this cake rising and having a fluffy texture is beating the eggs. The eggs and sugar are beaten for about eight minutes on high speed until the batter turns pale and thick.
I’ve used a similar technique for my 3 Ingredient Flourless Peanut Butter cake and 2 Ingredient Flourless Nutella cake.
Once the eggs have reached the desired consistency, the flour is gently folded in with a spatula. Make sure to use a spatula and gently fold in. If you stir too vigorously, you will deflate the eggs too much and your cake will not rise properly.
Finally, the apples are lightly folded in. This cake is baked in a springform pan and takes just over an hour to bake at 350°F.
Variations
I think this cake tastes great on its own. Even though it only has a few ingredients, it still has a good flavor to it. However, if you wish to add even more flavor, you can add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter. Both spices pair well with apples.
You can also change the apple variety for more flavor contrast. I used sweet Honeycrisp apples but you could replace them with granny smith for something a little tarter.
I do recommend sticking with brown sugar even though most apple cakes use white sugar. Brown sugar adds a caramelized flavor to the apple cake, which is why it tastes so flavorful even with just four ingredients.
When you take a bite of the cake it’s hard to believe it’s made with so few ingredients. It’s fluffy and each bite has fresh apples. It is the perfect cake for the fall season.
More Easy Recipes with Apples
4 Ingredient Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 3 medium honeycrisp apples about 6 oz each
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pan.
- Peel apples and remove cores. Slice apples to 1/2 inch cubes.
- Add eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on highest speed for about 8 minutes or until mixture turns a very pale brown and is very thick.
- Add in flour and gently fold in with a spatula until just mixed.
- Add in apples and gently fold in so that they are evenly spread out in the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes in the middle row of the oven or until cake is done. Top will be dark brown and toothpick inserted should come out clean.
- Let the cake cool for about 20-30 minutes before dusting top with powdered sugar and slicing and serving.
Notes
- Recipe slightly adapted from Food52.
- Make sure to the beat the eggs long enough as they are the key to the cake rising.
- Make sure to gently fold in the flour and apples. If you mix too hard, you will deflate the egg structure and your cake will not rise or be fluffy.
- I recommend sticking with brown sugar as it adds more depth of flavor to the cake
- You can change the apple variety, like using granny smith for a more tart flavor
- You can also add nutmeg and cinnamon to the cake as the spices will pair well with the apples
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I don’t have a mixer at present. Can I whip the brown sugar and eggs in my blender?
We haven’t tried that and can’t say how it will work. It might be hard to achieve the right consistency, which will change the texture of the cake. Let us know if you try it and how it works!
I just made this for a quick Thanksgiving dessert, and it is quite good. My husband liked it too, and he’s pretty picky 😉 So nice to find a recipe with few ingredients, and I was out of baking powder, so this was perfect.
Thanks for the recipe! I will def make again!
We’re glad it was a hit!
Was really good for a fast and easy cake. I made mine in a 9 inch pan and it was done in 45 minutes. Will definitely make it again.
So glad it worked in the pan you used!
I have made this cake multiple times, my only question is: “Why do you bake it for 1 hour 10 minutes, mine is usually done in 40 minutes.
Hmm, well it could be your oven is different – do you bake it on the middle rack?
I made this cake on Sunday. My family loved it so much that I made another one today. I did add about a teaspoon of cinnamon to the recipe, which made it just perfect.
Love that you added cinnamon!
Can you substitute almond flour?
Thanks!
You can’t sub almond flour for AP flour in the same amount so without testing it we can’t say for sure that it will work.
Can you freeze the cake if you gave leftovers?
We haven’t tried it, but they should freeze well as long as the cake (or slices) are tightly wrapped.