Really Good Spiced Apple Cake

If you’re a comfort food lover who’s always eager to explore new flavour twists, this spiced apple cake is your dream bake: Cosy, warmly spiced, and topped with a satisfyingly crunchy streusel.

Jump to:

• Recipe highlights
• More bakes you’ll love: 4 Must-try cakes!
• Key ingredient notes and substitutions
• Quick tip
• Quick tip
• How to make spiced apple cake: Step-by-step guide
• Pro baking tips: Get it perfect every time
• Variations to try - Personalise your cake
• Serving suggestions: From tea to dessert
• Storage and freezing tips for long-lasting freshness
• Recipe
• Top tips

It brings together a symphony of no less than four warming spices, apples caramelised in dark brown sugar, and a pecan streusel that adds just the right crunch.

The sponge uses only dark brown sugar for sweetness, which deepens the flavour and keeps it soft and beautifully moist.

It’s a study in contrasts: soft sponge, spiced depth, and that crisp streusel finish, all playing their part in perfect balance.

A generous dollop of softly whipped cream or a warm pour of custard is all it needs, although it’s just as lovely left entirely alone.

More bakes you’ll love: 4 Must-try cakes!

Looking for your next bake? Try the ridiculously moist orange chocolate cake, the elegant Tosca cake with almond praline, a spiced Tunisian orange cake soaked in syrup, or our sticky, spicy Jamaican ginger cake, each one a little different, but all seriously good.

Key ingredient notes and substitutions

**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.

Butter

You can use salted or unsalted butter. Just skip the added salt if you’re using salted. It won’t ruin the cake if you forget, but the flavour balance will be better if you adjust.

Butter plays three roles here: Melted for caramelising apples, cold for a crunchy streusel, and softened for a fluffy sponge.

Dark brown sugar

Dark brown sugar brings a deep, caramel-like flavour that pairs beautifully with the spices and apples. It also helps lock in moisture, giving the sponge a softer, more tender crumb.

You can swap it for muscovado sugar if you like an even richer, molasses-heavy taste. Light brown sugar works in a pinch, but the cake will be a little less intense and not quite as moist.

Fresh apples

For this recipe, you don’t need cooking apples. Use your favourite eating apples like Pink Lady, Cox, Fuji, Royal Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala or Braeburn.

You can use cooking apples like Bramley, but the cake might be less sweet and the apple pieces firmer.

It’s important to note that you’ll need 14 oz (400g) of apples after peeling and coring, diced into bite-sized pieces.

We usually quarter the apples, then quarter each piece again to get nice, bite-sized chunks perfect for the cake.

Apple cake spices

We use a warm blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and mixed spice to bring depth and balance to this cake.

Each one plays its part, but you can absolutely adjust the amounts to suit your taste, or swap in others like cloves or allspice if you prefer.

Baking should always leave room for a little personal flair.

Pecan nuts

Pecan nuts are a great pick here! They bring a nice mild, sweet, buttery flavour.

You can swap in walnuts if needed, but they’re a bit more bitter and tannic. If you can, try to stick with pecans for the best result.

Eggs

You'll need two large eggs at room temperature, about 2 oz (60g) each with the shell on. A few grams over or under won't matter.

Room-temperature eggs blend more easily into the batter, which helps the sponge rise evenly and gives it a light, tender texture.

Demerara sugar

This gets sprinkled over the streusel just before baking for an extra layer of crunch.

Because of its larger crystals, demerara doesn’t fully melt in the oven, so it adds a lovely, subtle crunch and a hint of caramel.

How to make spiced apple cake: Step-by-step guide

Prepping

1. Place the sultanas in a small bowl and cover with freshly boiled water. Set aside to soak.

2. Line the base of a 9" (23cm) springform pan with baking paper and lightly butter the sides.

Step 1: Caramelising the apples

3. Add the butter and dark brown sugar to a large frying pan.

4. Heat on medium until the butter melts and the sugar starts to dissolve (about 1-2 minutes).

5. Stir in the diced apples until coated in the sauce.

6. Cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until the apples soften a little and the sauce becomes a rich caramel.

7. Remove the apples from the heat and set aside to cool.

Step 2: Making the streusel

8. Add the flour, brown sugar, cold cubed butter and cinnamon to a food processor.

9. Pulse until crumbly. Some pea-sized butter bits are fine.

10. Transfer the streusel to a bowl and stir in the chopped pecans. Set aside.

Step 3: Making the apple sponge cake

11. Preheat the oven to 338°F (170°C) or gas mark 3.

12. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar for at least 5 minutes until light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer for this.

13. Add the first egg and vanilla, beat until combined. Add the second egg and beat again.

14. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and nutmeg.

15. Fold in half of the sifted dry ingredients until mostly combined.

16. Fold in half the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, then the rest of the milk. Gently folding each time until just incorporated.

17. Drain and gently squeeze the sultanas to remove excess water.

18. Fold the caramelised apples and sultanas into the batter.

19. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and level the top.

20. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter.

Step 4: Add the sprinkle

21. Scatter over the demerara sugar and extra chopped pecans.

22. Bake on the middle shelf for 30 minutes.

23. Cover loosely with foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

24. Remove foil and bake for a final 5–10 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

25. Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Remove the collar and cool fully on a wire rack.

26. Serve as is, or with a generous dollop of cream or a drizzle of warm custard.

Variations to try - Personalise your cake

• Change the nuts:
  Swap the pecans for walnuts or flaked almonds. Just note that walnuts have a slightly more robust, tannic bite.

• Play with the spices:
  Add a pinch of ground cloves for extra warmth, dial up your favourites, or skip any you’re not keen on.

• Use raisins instead of sultanas:
  They’ll work just as well and bring a slightly different sweetness.

• Add citrus zest:
  A little orange or lemon zest in the batter adds brightness and depth.

• Top with caramel:
  For an indulgent finish, drizzle warm caramel sauce over the cooled cake.

Serving suggestions: From tea to dessert

This cake is fantastic served as is with a cup of tea or coffee. You can also...

• Serve warm with a puddle of custard slowly melting into every crumb, or cool with a cloud of whipped cream. Either way, it’s pure comfort.

• Vanilla ice cream.

• Caramel sauce.

• A dusting of icing sugar.

If you love an apple dessert, have a look at our apple crumble tart. It's made with condensed milk, stewed apples and desiccated coconut for a great twist on traditional apple pie.

Storage and freezing tips for long-lasting freshness

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container or loosely covered with foil for up to 2 days (3 at a stretch, if your kitchen stays cool).

Fridge: After the first day or two, transfer to the fridge to keep it fresh for up to a week.

Freezer: Once completely cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil, then place in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature.