This apple traybake cake is sweetly spiced and topped with crunchy demerara sugar. It can be in the oven within 20 minutes, feeds a crowd and keeps fresh for days. Leftovers even go well with custard.
Apple lovers should not miss out on Malvern apple pudding or my apple and blackberry crumble.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll receive my trusted recipes each week!
Jump to:
If you are in need of a quick and easy bake to satiate plenty of appetites, look no further than this spiced apple traybake. Each slice comes loaded with plenty of chunks of fresh eating apple. To add an extra dimension to the texture of this cake, demerara sugar is sprinkled on top prior to baking, bringing an element of crunchiness with it.
This delicious apple cake tray bake can easily serve 15 people, making it a great option for bake-sales, school fêtes or parties. It’s particularly suited to Halloween and Bonfire Night parties as apples are in their prime in the autumn.
Try some mulled apple & blackberry juice alongside this cake to ramp up the cosy vibes.
Why you’ll love this cake
There are so many reasons to love biting into this apple and cinnamon tray bake:
- The sponge cake is soft and delicate.
- The spices are sweet and warming.
- Juicy apple is the star of the show – and it’s very evident in the presentation.
- The demerara sugar topping adds a gorgeous crunch to proceedings.
- This recipe is also quick and easy to make.
- No fancy decorating skills are required.
All in all, this rather humble-looking bake is an absolute winner. Trust me, fancy adornments and icings are not necessary and, in my opinion, would spoil this easy apple traybake.
If you were hoping to add a little visual decoration, you might be more suited to my cinnamon apple cake or my apple loaf cake. Both come topped with some lip-smackingly good maple syrup buttercream. And for something sweet without apples, try my vanilla tray bake or my school cake.
What is a traybake cake?
In the world of baking, a traybake cake (or tray bake cake) is a cake that is baked in a square or rectangular tin and cut into portions once baked. Unlike typical sponge cakes, where layers are sandwiched together, a traybake cake comprises one layer.
They are usually decorated simply, perhaps with a little water icing, a quick slurp of buttercream wiped across the top, a crumble topping or, in the case of this apple cake tray bake, a dusting of crunchy demerara sugar.
This form of bake is popular because they are usually quick & simple to make and feed a crowd. This apple cake tray bake serves around 15 people.
Ingredients notes
This apple traybake recipe consists of a selection of easy-to-find common baking ingredients. I’ve broken my notes into 2 sections to enable me to tell you more about the type of apples that are best for this recipe.
What apples should I use?
This recipe has been devised using eating apples. Cooking apples are not a suitable substitute as they emit alot of liquid during cooking which would soak into the sponge cake and affect the consistency.
Though any eating apple can be used, my preference for this apple cake tray bake is to use apples with a crisp bite and zesty flavour. My top choices would be:
- Braeburn
- Pink Lady
- Jazz
I recommend using fruit that has a colourful skin, since it will add extra interest to the final presentation of this cake. If you are still unsure which apple you might like to try in this recipe, take a look at British Apples (and Pears) for a little extra information about each type.
Other key ingredients
Flour & raising agents: a mixture of plain flour (all-purpose), baking powder and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) have been used in this recipe. Use this combination of ingredients if you can for the best results. Failing that, you may substitute self-raising flour for plain flour, but remember to add only the baking soda and leave out the baking powder.
Sugar: I chose to use light brown sugar to add both a warming colour to the bake and a hint of caramel to the flavour of the sponge. Demerara sugar is also needed for the topping – it adds a tantalising crunch to the texture of the cake as it is eaten.
Butter: it’s up to you whether to use real butter or baking margarine. Both will work equally well. Butter will give a richer flavour, whereas margarine tends to give a lighter, fluffier cake. Hand on heart, I’m a bit of a fan of using Stork baking margarine in my cakes. Whichever one you decide upon, ensure it is brought to room temperature as it will be easier to work with.
Spices: This apple sponge traybake pairs beautifully with my choice of spice here: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. You can, of course, use pumpkin spice or chai spice instead.
Soured cream: a little splodge of soured cream (or full-fat Greek yoghurt) works wonders in cakes, giving them a soft and velvety texture.
Lemon juice: this is essential to stop the apple from browning once it has been sliced.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Follow these steps and it should take no more than 15-20 minutes to get this easy apple and cinnamon tray bake into the oven:
- Measure the demerara sugar into a small bowl.
- Mix the spices together in another bowl.
- Add 1 teaspoon of the mixed spices to the demerara and stir in.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining spices together in a bowl.
- Cut each apple into eight wedges. Remove the core, then slice each wedge into chunks approximately ¼cm thick. Put into a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Mix in the soured cream.
- Sieve the flour mix into the batter and beat, on medium speed, until combined and the batter is smooth.
- Spoon the batter into the baking tin and use a blunt knife to spread it out evenly.
- Drain the apple slices and scatter them over the top of the batter.
- Reserve 1 ½ teaspoons of the demerara sugar and sprinkle the rest over the apples.
- Bake for around 30 minutes until the cake is golden, well risen and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top. Leave to cool in the tin.
Expert tips
The recipe for this spiced apple traybake is incredibly easy and straightforward. There are a few tips I have to share with you though:
- If the baked apple proves tricky to cut through, use some clean scissors to carefully snip through the problematic bits to ease the cutting of the cake (just take care not to cut into the sponge itself).Content
- Take time to grease and line your baking tin well. The more precise you are when it comes to lining your tin with parchment, the neater your cake will turn out.
- There is no need to remove the skin from the apples. In fact, leaving it on is preferable as it adds a great burst of occasional colour to the top of the cake.
- Cut your apples around ¼cm thick. Not too thick but not too thin.
- Don’t be tempted to slice apple rings onto the top of the cake. I did this once and found that they slide off during the first bite. Chunks are far better.
- Use a serrated knife to cut through this spiced apple traybake neatly.
Frequently asked questions
I’m afraid not. Cooking apples have a tendency to ooze liquid as they cook and that would lead to a soggy sponge cake.
You can, however, use any kind of eating apple. I personally think crisp and tart apples work well here.
Yes, you can. In this instance, I would suggest including one more apple – just core and chop as before and mix the extra apple directly into the batter.
This apple cake tray bake keeps well for 5 days if wrapped up and stored at room temperature.
It can also be frozen, though since leftovers work well with custard days later, it will probably never need to make it as far as the freezer.
No, this spiced apple traybake is not a Dorset apple cake. I haven’t tried to replicate the Dorset apple cake at all. The latter is usually deep and round, often made with at least some wholemeal flour and has a tendency to be a little denser than the bake presented here. That makes it perfect served with clotted cream (just the thought elicits happy sighs).
Serving suggestions
There are two ways you can enjoy devouring this cake:
- Serve it just warm with a glug of fresh custard or a scoop of ice cream.
- Let it cool completely and serve in generous portions just as it is, preferably alongside a good cup of tea.
Variations
Try altering the base recipe in the following ways for a slightly different take on this apple sponge tray bake:
- Fold some chopped hazelnuts or walnuts through the cake batter just before spooning it into the baking tin. Around 60g should work.
- Alternatively, fold through chopped dates for a little extra sweetness. Try 90g.
- Scatter flaked almonds over the top of the batter prior to baking.
- Turn it into a ginger and apple traybake by replacing the ground cinnamon with ginger and folding 2 tablespoons of chopped crystalised ginger through the batter.
- Fold in around 100g of raisins, sultanas or a mixture of the two.
More tempting autumn bakes to try:
If you make this easy apple traybake recipe then I would love to hear how you get along. If you get a chance please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment. I hope this cake becomes one of your go-to recipes.
New here? Why not sign up to receive LittleSugarSnaps newsletters. You’ll hear first-hand when new recipes are published. You’re welcome to stay in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too.
📖 Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll receive my trusted recipes each week!
Apple Traybake Cake
Equipment
- 1 baking tin approx 20cm x 30cm with a depth of at least 4 cm
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground allspice
- 200 g/ 7 oz Butter softened
- 200 g/ 7 oz Light brown sugar
- 3 Eggs large, free-range
- 200 g/ 7 oz Plain (all purpose) flour
- 1½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoon Soured cream
- 2 Apples eating apples – not cooking apples
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2½ tablespoon Demerara sugar
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 180C/ 250F/ GM4 and grease & line a 20cmx30cm baking tin.
- Next mix the spices together in a bowl.
- Put the demerara sugar into a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the mixed spice and stir.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining spices into a bowl.
- Prepare the apples by cutting each one into eight wedges. Remove the core, then slice each wedge into chunks approximately ¼cm thick. Put into a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. If the batter splits, mix in a spoonful of flour to help bind the ingredients back together.
- Mix in the soured cream.
- Sieve the flour mix into the batter and beat, on medium speed, until combined and the batter is smooth. Take care not to overbeat the mixture, as this will lead to a tough sponge.
- Spoon the batter into the baking tin and use a blunt knife to spread it out evenly.
- Drain the apple from the lemon juice and scatter over the top of the batter.
- Reserve 1½ teaspoon of the demerara sugar and sprinkle the rest evenly over the cake.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for around 30 minutes until the cake is golden, well risen and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
- Carefully take out of the tin and remove the baking paper. Cut into 15 pieces using a serrated knife and sharp, clean scissors to cut through any awkward pieces of apple.
- Wrap in foil and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days
Notes
Expert Tips
- The more precise you are when it comes to lining your tin with parchment, the neater your cake will turn out
- There is no need to remove the skin from the apples. In fact, leaving it on is preferable as it adds a great burst of occasional colour to the top of the cake
- Don’t be tempted to slice apple rings onto the top of the cake. I did this once and found they are hard to eat as they tend to slide off during the first bite of the cake. Chunks are far better.
- Use a serrated knife to cut through the cake carefully
- If the apple proves tricky to cut through after baking, use some clean scissors to carefully snip through the tricky bits to ease the cutting of the cake (just take care not to cut into the sponge itself)
- Do not use cooking apples in the recipe – they loose too much liquid as they cook and will lead to a soggy sponge
Ingredients Notes
- Use pumpkin spice or chai spice in place of my list of spice ingredients
- Flavourless Greek yoghurt works just as well as soured cream
- You can chop an extra apple and mix it directly into the batter before baking for even more apple flavour.
Lisalia
What a delicious cake. The perfect way to use up our harvest of apples! So perfect for our family afternoon snack on this chilly day.
Jane Saunders
Happy baking days with homegrown produce – hope you enjoy it.
Natalie
Oh wow, what an amazing cake. I bet it’s perfect for afternoons with a cup of coffee. I love all the spices you used here. I must make this cake asap.
Jane Saunders
Hope you enjoy it when you bake it – my family love this cake!
Noelle Simpson
This is so perfect! Great flavors and perfect for fall!
Jane Saunders
Thanks so much – please it went down well.
Jo
This looks amazing – definitely going to give it a try.
Jane Saunders
Please do – I’m sure you will love it! Leftovers freeze well should you need to…..
Ashley F.
The best cake! It’s so tender and the flavor really pops! Loved it!
Jane Saunders
That’s great to hear you enjoyed it – thanks for letting me know!