German Apple Cake has chunks of fresh apple, lots of fall spices, crunchy pecans, and a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. This is one of the most delicious apple desserts you will ever taste so get ready for some fall baking!!
This is one of my favorite apple recipes along with Easy Apple Dumplings, Caramel Apple Quesadillas, and Apple Crisp Coffee Cake.
I know it’s not quite fall yet, but I’m ready for it to be here. This past week I helped both my kids get moved into their apartments for the school year. My daughter in Charleston and my son in Atlanta. And now I’m ready for the seasons to begin to change and the fall baking to commence. (Note: Originally published August 17, 2017.)
Apples, along with sweet potatoes and pumpkin are what fall baking is all about for me. I’ve never been a huge apple pie fan but I love apples in other types of desserts like Caramel Apple Pound Cake, Crockpot Butterscotch Apple Crisp, and Frisky Apple Fritters.
This German Apple Cake is everything you could want in a fall apple dessert. The cake batter, with lots of chunks of apple, cooks up super moist with just the right amount of spice flavoring. But undoubtedly the best part is the icing!!
Measure The Flour Correctly
When baking a cake, it is so important to measure the flour correctly or you risk having a dry cake. To measure, first fluff the flour up some in the bag or container. Flour tends to get packed down over time. Then use a large spoon to gently scoop it into a dry measuring cup. Overfill it slightly and use the back of a knife to run across the top and get rid of the excess.
Recipe Tip
This recipe would be equally delicious with walnuts instead of pecans.
★★★★★
OMG 🥰 My Mom always baked with spices, so this was right up my alley 😉 I inhaled my first piece 👌My husband says 5 🤩
Type of Apples To Use
I recommend using a tart apple like Granny Smith for this recipe. The cake itself is very sweet and a tart apple will help cut the sweetness a little.
Follow on Instagram
More Fall Desserts
- Butternut Spice Cake with Bourbon Glaze
- Southern Sweet Potato Pie
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Praline Torte
- Pumpkin Cake Roll
German Apple Cake
Equipment
- Electric Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups peeled and finely chopped tart apples, I use Granny Smith
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Frosting
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half or milk
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract until completely combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to combine.
- Fold in apples and pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let cool.
- Make frosting. Place cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract, half-and-half, and confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth.
- Spread on top of cake. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
How mamy grams of cups in an apple because apple pie don’t sticky?
How mamy grams of cups in an apple because apple pie don’t sticky
DELICIOUS AND SO MOIST. LOVE THE ICING ON IT. SERVED IT WITH A DIP OF ICE CREAM AND HAD COFFEE OR HOT TEA. WAS A GREAT HIT. THANK YOU
Delightful. I made two small changes: 1) I used 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar instead of 2 cups white sugar aaand 2) I used a mashed banana instead of vegetable oil! So dense, so soft, so tasty. Also, didn’t even need the frosting, honestly.
Great cake! I feel the frosting is to sweet for this delicious moist cake. I recommend leaving it off!
I made this cake some weeks ago. I loved it, my parents loved it and I’m preparing it again right now (that’s why I’m checking back the recipe, i didn’t took note…) It’s moist, it’s flavourful, it’s tender, very aromatic and cover in the fridge it lasts (if you don’t eat it) for more than a week. It’s fantastic, what can I say. And you can play with different apple varieties and different nuts. As I’m not very fond of frostings, it’s even easier… Thank you!
Could this be made into cupcakes?
I haven’t tried making into cupcakes. The cake itself is kind of dense. If you don’t mind dense cupcakes, I would think it would work ok.
I was disappointed w/the frosting. I followed the recipe exactly as printed & my frosting was not thick enough to spread like a typical frosting. It was thin & it was almost like a thick glaze. I should have added more powdered sugar but it would have been too sweet for my taste. Any ideas of what I might have done wrong? The cake itself was delicious!
You’re only adding 1 tablespoon of liquid and the rest of the ingredients are solids so I don’t see how it could possibly be like a glaze. It should be very thick. Are you sure you added the correct amounts?
Maybe the cream cheese, etc. had been softened too much (or got overheated during mixing)?
My home cooks class made this cake today and it is very good.
We liked it because it’s moist, holds together when served, the nuts were a nice added texture.
Cream cheese frosting for this cake just made this cake one all of us will make for parties and potlucks.
Make it and enjoy it! The name German Apple Cake
Should not keep you from making this cake.
Made it, Love it…. My specialty was baking Carrot Cakes, that has changed! German Apple Cake it is!