Old Fashioned Apple Cake
This Old Fashioned Apple Cake with a caramel drizzle is a classic! It’s very moist and tender, chock full of apples, and perfect for fall.
When a similar apple cake recipe appeared in more than a handful of my old recipe books, I knew it must have made the rounds as a popular recipe. It has 3 cups of flour and 1½ cups of vegetable oil, making me think it perhaps once appeared on a bag of flour or a bottle of oil (let me know in the comments if you know!).
Wherever it’s from, this Old Fashioned Apple Cake is a winner—extra tender, packed with apples, warmly spiced with cinnamon, and crunchy on the bottom, with a caramel glaze drizzled on top. It’s fall dessert perfection.
Want more fall dessert inspiration? Don’t miss this Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake, Pumpkin Bars, or Pear Crumble!
Some of the links featured in this post are affiliate links to products I enjoy and recommend, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase.
Ingredients
- Use your favorite variety of apples (I used mostly Honeycrisp), or even a mixture of apples. The only apples to stay away from when baking are Red Delicious and Gala. Both can turn mushy when heated, which makes great applesauce, but a not-so-great cake.
- Several recipes for this cake didn’t contain cinnamon. Make it without if you like, but I prefer the warm flavor and scent that it adds. You can add more or less to your taste.
How to make old fashioned apple cake
Start by whisking together the wet ingredients (eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla) with the granulated sugar. Then, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Combine the two, using a spatula to stir until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Then, add the apples and pour into a well greased bundt pan.
Bake the cake for 60–70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan while you make the caramel drizzle.
The caramel drizzle is a combination of butter, brown sugar, and evaporated milk, heated just until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Take care not to let the caramel drizzle come to a boil, which can cause the evaporated milk to coagulate.
I used a wire rack + sheet pan with foil under the wire rack to catch the excess caramel drizzle. It makes clean-up much easier!
After drizzling the caramel on top, the old fashioned Apple Cake is ready to serve. Serve slightly warm or let cool to room temperature. A dollop of whipped cream on top is a lovely addition.
Storage instructions
Store the apple cake, tightly covered, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3–4 days at room temperature or at least 7 days in the fridge.
More old fashioned cakes
- 1980’s Ding Dong Cake is always a hit
- An old fashioned Jell-O cake is customizable and colorful
- You can’t taste the mayo in this retro Chocolate Mayo Cake
- Grandma’s old fashioned Date Cake recipe is a delight (check out the secret ingredient!)
- 1970’s Pistachio Cake with Pudding gets rave reviews
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Apple Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 3 cups diced and peeled apples
For the glaze:
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- 1 stick butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a bundt pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, stirring gently just until combined.
- Add the apples and stir to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 60–70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the bundt pan.
For the glaze:
- While the cake is cooling, place the evaporated milk, butter, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat just until the butter is melted, taking care not to let the mixture boil.
- Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper or a pan underneath to catch the excess glaze.
- Pour the glaze over the warm cake (most of it will soak into the cake). Let cool, then slice and serve.
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