Go Back
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Apple Pie Cake

This fusion of rustic apple pie and vanilla cake will give you a fresh, but still comforting way to celebrate winter. The cinnamon spiced apple filling will bring you back to your grandma's kitchen, sandwiched between moist vanilla cake.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Chill Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Keyword: apple pie
Servings: 8
Calories: 537kcal

Equipment

  • 2 6 inch cake tin double the recipe for three 8 inch cake tins
  • handmixer

Ingredients

Vanilla cake

  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (200 g)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder 
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar  (200 g)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup whole milk (180 ml)
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter (42 g)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil  (60 ml)

Apple pie filling

  • 2 medium Pink Lady apples (363 g)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (50 g)
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter (14 g)
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp water
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamnon

Cream cheese frosting

  • 360 g cream cheese (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
  • 1 cup icing sugar (130 g) see note 1
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake garnish (optional)

  • 1 stalk rosemary leaves
  • apple peels

Instructions

Make your vanilla cake

  • Preheat the oven to 170°C.
  • Line two 6 inch cake pans with baking paper. Cover the base and the wall of the cake pans.
  • Add flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk to distribute evenly. Set aside.
  • Pour milk into a heatproof measuring cup and add butter.Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and make sure butter is melted. Set aside.
  • In another big mixing bowl, beat egg, sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute and a half. Add your milk-butter mixture gradually on low speed until well mixed.
  • Add your flour mixture to your wet ingredients and mix on low speed, until just combined. Scrape your mixing bowl and fold with spatula to ensure thorough mixing.
  • Divide cake batter evenly between the two lined cake pans.
  • Bake in the middle oven rack for 35 to 38 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove your cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a butter knife along the sides if necessary, and flip your cake pan to remove your cakes. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Cut both layers in half horizontally into 4 evenly layers.

Make your apple pie filling

  • Keep your apple peelings for decorations (optional).
  • Dice your apples and toss them together with lemon juice, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
  • Heat a medium size pan on medium heat and brown your butter. This will take about 2 minutes.  Add the apple mixture to the pan and cook until the sugar completely dissolves about 4 minutes.
  • Mix your cornstarch with cold water and add to the pan. Stir until the pie filling thickens, about 1 minute. Take off the heat and leave to cool completely.

Make your cream cheese frosting

  • In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until creamy.
  • Sift in icing sugar and ground cinnamon and beat until creamy and fluffy. Scrape the bowl to ensure thorough mixing. Refrigeratefor at least 15 minutes before frosting your cake.

Assemble your cake

  • Add half of your frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
  • Add a thin layer of frosting on top of your first layer. Spread evenly with a spatula. Pipe a border around the cake edges and scoop 2 to 3 tablespoons of apple pie filling into the middle and spread evenly. Place another cake layer on top and repeat this step for the following two layers.
  • Use the remaining frosting to frost the top and the side of the cake.
  • Decorate the cake with apple peel roses and rosemary leaves. Chill cake for 1 hour before serving to let the frosting firm up.

Make cake garnish (optional)

  • Gather your apple peels in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 10 to seconds to soften them up.
  • Roll your apple peels tight until they resemble roses.
  • Other garnish ideas include apple slices, cookie crumbs, edible leaves/herbs.

Notes

Note 1 - This makes for quite a soft frosting. For a firmer (and sweeter) frosting, add another ½ cup (65 g) of icing sugar.  
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving  
Calories 537
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22.2g 28%
Saturated Fat 10.5g 53%
Cholesterol 110mg 37%
Sodium 366mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 76.7g 28%
Dietary Fiber 2.5g 9%
Total Sugars 55.7g  
Protein 10.3g  
Vitamin D 19mcg 93%
Calcium 243mg 19%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 252mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.