This apple loaf cake made with eating apples and cooking apples is easy to make yet loaded with flavour and texture. Topped with maple syrup buttercream this is a quick & simple spiced apple loaf cake to put together.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Jump to:
This apple loaf cake is extraordinarily tasty as it comes loaded with eating apples and cooking apples along with carrots, nuts, dried fruit and baking spices. This flavour-packed cake is hearty yet still manages to be soft, light and delightfully moist. It comes topped with a delectable maple syrup buttercream to round off the flavours in style.
Wondering what to serve alongside this cake? Try my mulled apple juice. And if you’re after a more basic cake try my cinnamon apple traybake.
Why you’ll love this cake
Appearance: this spiced apple loaf cake looks incredibly homely and inviting. The maple syrup buttercream is best applied with a knife to accentuate the rustic charm of this bake.
Taste: this bake has so much flavour. With the inclusion of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove my taste testers told me that this apple and raisin cake tasted like Christmas.
Texture: the blend of eating apple pieces, grated cooking apple, finely grated carrot, dried fruit and chopped nuts ensures that this moist apple loaf cake has plenty of exciting texture.
Aroma: the fresh apple and the warming baking spices make this a particularly appetising bake to enjoy the smell of as it bakes in the oven.
Ease: this is a quick and easy bake to make. There are no complicated techniques to master and decorating it could not be simpler.
Uniqueness: this is a loaf pan apple cake like no other, thanks to all those juicy extras included in the recipe.
Ingredients notes
Apples: I’ve included cooking apples and eating apples in this loaf pan apple cake recipe. The tartness of the cooking apple really shines in this bake and the juicy chunks of eating apple hold their shape adding that extra boost of fresh fruit flavour and texture.
Butter and baking margarine: use baking margarine (such as Stork) in the cake batter to ensure a lighter sponge cake texture but use butter in the buttercream for the best flavour.
Sugar: light brown sugar adds colour, moisture and depth of flavour to this rustic fresh apple loaf cake.
Carrots: I wanted to create a cake that was a little different to the average recipe out there, so this carrot and apple bread was born. Only a little is used, but it’s there to add colour, extra flavour and, you guessed it, additional bite to the overall eating experience.
Nuts: I’ve made this cake with pecans and walnuts. They both work beautifully Use either one or a mixture of them both.
Baking spices: again, I wanted to add a little extra excitement, so amplified the obvious inclusion of cinnamon with a touch of nutmeg and clove. The result? A couple of taste testers told me that this cake reminded them of Christmas.
Maple syrup: the mellow sweetness of this ingredient in icings and buttercream is magical. Go with it and be delighted.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Use electric beaters to cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder and spices into the bowl.
- Mix them in, using a large metal spoon, until just combined.
- Chop the nuts finely and grate the carrot using the fine edge of a grater. Blot the excess moisture from the carrots firmly using kitchen paper. Peel the eating apple and chop it into small pieces. Keep on chopping until you have 100g of it. Grate the Bramley apple using the coarse edge of a grater and ensure that you gather 125g of it. Now blot the grated apple lightly to remove excess moisture. (Pay close attention to the quantities of apples used – don’t exceed the recommended amounts as the cake could end up too moist).
- Fold the grated apple, chopped apple, grated carrot, raisins and chopped nuts into the cake batter.
- Spoon the batter into a prepared 2lb loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean (or a digital food thermometer registers 95c-98c when pushed into the centre of the cake). Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- When it has cooled completely make the buttercream by creaming the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the maple syrup. (Optional – press the buttercream with the back of a metal spoon to deflate air bubbles, creating a smoother buttercream.)
- Spread the maple buttercream over the top of the cake and dust lightly with ground cinnamon.
Expert tips
- Always use digital scales and the gram system of measurement when baking this cake. It’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients.
- Use room temperature ingredients to help the cake bake more evenly.
- Grease and line the bottom and sides of the baking tin even if it is a non-stick pan. This makes the cake easier to remove from the pan.
- Do not be tempted to add more apples or carrots to this cake than the quantities listed. If you add more then the cake will end up soggy as these ingredients contain a lot of liquid.
- On that note, it is vital to remove some of the excess liquid from the grated carrot and grated apple before adding them to the cake batter.
- Weigh the correct quantities of carrots, cooking apples and eating apples after they have been peeled and grated or chopped. This is the only way to ensure that the correct quantities of these ingredients are used.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make this spiced apple cake without including any nuts.
Yes, you do. Always line the baking pan when making loaf cakes to enable the cake to be easily removed from the pan once it has been cooked.
This moist apple loaf cake uses both cooking apples and eating apples.
The cooking apple is grated and melts away into the cake as it cooks whilst also imparting a bold and zesty fresh apple flavour. Opt for Bramley apple if you can find some.
Eating apple is also chopped small and folded into the batter to add texture. A sharp-tasting eating apple such as a Granny Smith is my top choice here.
As this apple and raisin loaf cake contains plenty of fruit it is very moist and it will last well, at room temperature, for around 5 days. It can also be frozen if desired.
Yes, you can. To make a smaller version of this cake simply halve all of the ingredients, pour the batter into a 1lb loaf tin and bake for around 40 minutes.
Variations
- Apple and date cake: simply replace the raisins with chopped dates.
- No spice: leave the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves out for a straightforward Bramley apple loaf cake recipe.
- Swap the spice: replace the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves with 3 teaspoons of ground ginger (you could also add a bulb of finely diced stem ginger).
- Caramel apple loaf cake: use caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought) to drizzle over the top of your bake instead of topping it with buttercream.
- Swap the icing: try maple cinnamon water icing, salted maple buttercream or cream cheese frosting.
- Go nut-free, increase the quantity or vary the nuts used. Pecans and walnuts are both lovely in this fresh apple loaf cake recipe. You could also try hazelnuts.
- Apple streusel loaf cake: top the cake batter with a streusel mix before baking (there will be no need to add icing to this version).
Have you made this spiced apple loaf cake recipe? If you have please give it a rating or leave a comment – I love to hear how you get along with my creations.
📖 Recipe
Apple Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 1 x 2lb loaf tin (mine measured 23.5cm x 12.6cm x 6.5cm)
Ingredients
For the cake
- 180 g Baking margarine such as Stork
- 180 g Light brown sugar
- 3 Eggs large, free-range
- 225 g Plain flour all-purpose
- 3 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- 125 g Cooking apples peeled and coarsely grated
- 100 g Eating apples peeled and finely chopped
- 45 g Carrots peeled and finely grated
- 60 g Raisins
- 30 g Pecan nuts or walnuts
For the buttercream
- 150 g Butter room temperature
- 150 g Icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons Maple syrup
Instructions
Bake the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F and grease & line a 2lb loaf pan with baking paper.
- Use electric beaters to cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder and spices into the bowl. Mix them in, using a large metal spoon, until just combined.
- Chop the nuts finely and grate the carrot using the fine edge of a grater. Blot the excess moisture from the carrots firmly using kitchen paper. Peel the eating apple and chop it into small pieces. Keep on chopping until you have 100g of it. Grate the Bramley apple using the coarse edge of a grater and ensure that you gather 125g of it. Now blot the grated apple lightly to remove excess moisture. (Do not add more than these quantities of carrot or apple and the grated carrot and apple must be blotted on kitchen paper).
- Fold the grated apple, chopped apple, grated carrot, raisins and chopped nuts into the cake batter.
- Spoon the batter into a prepared 2lb loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean (or a digital food thermometer registers 95c-98c when pushed into the centre of the cake). Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- When the cake has cooled completely, remove it from the tin and peel away the baking parchment.
Make the buttercream
- Cream the butter and icing sugar together using electric beaters until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the maple syrup.
- Optional: press the buttercream with the back of a metal spoon to deflate air bubbles, creating a smoother buttercream.
- Spread the maple buttercream over the top of the cake and dust lightly with ground cinnamon.
Notes
- Always use digital scales and the gram system of measurement when baking this cake. It’s the most accurate way to measure ingredients.
- Use room temperature ingredients to help the cake bake more evenly.
- Grease and line the bottom and sides of the baking tin even if it is a non-stick pan. This makes the cake easier to remove from the pan.
- Do not be tempted to add more apples or carrots to this cake than the quantities listed. If you add more then the cake will end up soggy as these ingredients contain a lot of liquid.
- On that note, it is vital to remove some of the excess liquid from the grated carrot and grated apple before adding them to the cake batter.
- Weigh the correct quantities of carrots, cooking apples and eating apples after they have been peeled and grated or chopped. This is the only way to ensure that the correct quantities of these ingredients are used.
- As this apple and raisin loaf cake contains plenty of fruit it is very moist and it will last well, at room temperature, for around 5 days. It can also be frozen if desired.
- To make a smaller version of this cake simply halve all of the ingredients, pour the batter into a 1lb loaf tin and bake for around 40 minutes.
Leave a Reply