4 Ingredient Apple Pie Cake (No Eggs)
This apple pie cake is a cross between apple pie and cake. It only needs 4 ingredients and doesn’t require any eggs. The cake is easy to prepare and you don’t even need a mixer to make it.
This apple pie cake has an apple pie filling and is topped with a thin cake layer on top. It is easy to prepare and a great way to use up leftover apples.
Ingredients
- Apples
- Self-rising flour
- Sugar
- Butter
Apples: Peel the apples and cut into thin slices. This recipe works best with firm, crisp apples so they won’t turn too soft when they bake. You also want to use a sweet apple variety. Honeycrisp, Fuji or Pink Lady are good options.
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is a flour blend that already includes a leavening agent and sodium. If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, you can also make a homemade version using all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Sugar: Sugar is added to the apples and to the cake layer to add sweetness.
Butter: The cake is topped with thin unsalted butter slices.
How to Make Apple Pie Cake
Toss the apple slices with some sugar and add to your prepared cake pan. If desired, you can also add cinnamon or apple pie spice if you like spices in your cake.
Stir the remaining sugar with the flour until evenly mixed. Sprinkle over the surface of the cake.
Spread butter slices over the flour, trying your best to cover all of the flour.
Bake the cake for about 40-50 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Allow the cake to cool slightly before serving. You can serve the cake as is or top with ice cream or whipped cream.
Expert Tips
- This is a version of dump cake except made from scratch and without any cake mix or canned filling.
- The bottom of the cake tastes like apple pie filling and the top cake layer is similar to a cobbler texture.
- It’s important to cover the flour with butter. Any uncovered spots can remain floury or uncooked. You can check on the cake about 30 minutes in and see if there are any flour spots that are not being covered in melted butter or apple liquid. If you see any chalky spots, press them gently down with a spatula to get them moistened as the cake bakes.
- If you like the taste of Fall spices, you can add 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon or 3/4 teaspoon of apple pie spice to the apple slices.
More Apple Recipes
- 4 Ingredient Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Apple Pie Magic Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Apple Pie Donuts
4 Ingredient Apple Pie Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) apples, peeled, core and seeds removed and cut into ¼-inch slices (about 5 cups sliced), see note before starting
- 3/4 cup (92g) self-rising flour, see note before starting
- 7 tablespoons (63g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup (113g) cold unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, toss apple slices with 3 tablespoons sugar and spices (if using) until evenly coated. Spread apples in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, stir together self-rising flour and remaining 4 tablespoons sugar until evenly combined.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over the apples. Lay the butter slices across the top, covering as much of the surface as possible. I cut my butter into about 25 slices. If you have some large gaps of uncovered surface, you can add a little more butter to cover.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the apple filling is bubbling around the edges. About 30 minutes into baking, check on the cake. The apple mixture should be bubbling and the butter on top should be melted. Check to see if there are any floury spots not being touched by the liquid butter or the bubbling apple mixture. If you see any spots, use a spatula to gently push down any floury spots so that they get covered in liquid.
- After the cake is done, let the cake cool slightly, allowing the liquid to thicken. Then cut into slices. You can serve the cake plain or top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Apple note: This recipe works best with a sweet and firm apple variety like Fuji, Honeycrisp or Pink Lady. The apples cook for a long time and using a firmer variety will prevent the apples from getting too mushy. You also want to use a sweet apple variety because there is not much sugar added to the recipe.
- Self-rising flour note. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30g) serving). The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup), or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill, which will not work well for this recipe. Measure out 3/4 cup for the recipe.
- Spice note: If you like Fall spices, you can add 3/4 tsp cinnamon or 3/4 tsp apple pie spice to the apples.
- This cake is topped with vanilla ice cream. Estimated nutrition does not include optional vanilla ice cream.