This apple traybake cake is sweetly spiced and topped with crunchy demerara sugar. It can be in the oven in 20 minutes, feeds a crowd and keeps fresh for days. Leftovers even go well with custard.
If you are in need of a quick and easy autumnal bake to satiate plenty of appetites, look no further than this spiced apple traybake cake.
This easy recipe can easily serve 15 people, making it a great option for bake-sales, school fêtes or Halloween and Bonfire Night parties.
The combination of apples and spices makes this cake a perfect reward after enjoying time outdoors embracing leaf falls, conker collecting and everything else that the cooler season has to offer.
Why this Cake is Great
Each bite of this spiced apple traybake delivers soft sponge, sweet and warming spices, juicy apple and a lovely little crunch from the demerara sugar topping.
This recipe is also quick to make, with no decorating skills required. All in all, this rather humble looking apple traybake is an absolute winner.
Trust me, fancy adornments and icings are not necessary, and (in my opinion), would spoil this simple apple traybake.
If you were hoping to add a little visual decoration, you might be more suited to my cinnamon apple cake, which comes topped with some lipsmackingly good maple buttercream.
Ingredients
This apple traybake consists of a selection of easy to find common baking ingredients.
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.
This sponge pairs beautifully with my choice of spice here: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. It's a great combination with the apples too. You can, of course, use pumpkin spice or chai spice instead.
As far as the apples go, I recommend using fruit that has a colourful skin, since it will add extra interest to the final presentation of this cake.
Though any eating apple can be used, my preference is for apples with a crisp bite and zesty flavour. My top choices would be:
- Braeburn
- Pink Lady
- Jazz
If you are unsure which apple you might like to try in this recipe, take a look on Great British Apples for a little extra information about each type.
Step By Step Instructions
Follow these steps and it should take no more than 15-20 minutes to get this spiced apple traybake into the oven:
Step 1: Measure the demerara sugar into a small bowl, then mix the spices together in another bowl. Add 1 tsp of the mixed spices to the demerara and stir
Step 2: 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
Step 3: Using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy
Step 4: 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
Step 5: Mix in the soured cream
Step 6: Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices into a bowl and beat, on medium speed, until combined and the batter is smooth
Step 7: Spoon the batter into the baking tin and use a blunt knife to spread it out evenly. Scatter the drained apple slices over the top of the batter and sprinkle with most of the demerara sugar (reserve 1 tsp)
Step 8: 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 and FAQs
The recipe for this spiced apple traybake is incredibly easy and straight forward. There are a few tips I have to share with you though.
Expert Tips
- 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 they slide off during the first bite. Chunks are far better
- Use a serrated knife to cut through the apple traybake cake neatly
- If the apple proves tricky to cut through, 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)
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 traybake 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.
More Apple Recipes to Try:
- Toffee Apple Flapjack (also great for Bonfire Night)
- Spiced Apple Granola with Spelt (a healthy breakfast option)
- Hot Mulled Apple and Blackberry Juice (non-alcoholic)
- Gin & Tonic with Apple & Blackberry
If you tried this recipe please give it a rating below. Don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram too - I love to hear how you've got along. Use #littlesugarsnaps and tag me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.
Spiced Apple Traybake Cake
Equipment
- 1 baking tin approx 20cm x 30cm with a depth of at least 4 cm
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- ½ tsp Ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp 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 tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Soured cream
- 2 Apples eating apples - not cooking apples
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 2½ tbsp 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 tsp of the mixed spice and stir
- 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
- Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices into a bowl
- 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
- Add the flour mix 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 juice and scatter over the top of the batter
- Reserve 1½ tsp 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 in the tin
- Once cool, 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.
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.
Happy baking days with homegrown produce - hope you enjoy it.
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.
Hope you enjoy it when you bake it - my family love this cake!
This is so perfect! Great flavors and perfect for fall!
Thanks so much - please it went down well.
This looks amazing - definitely going to give it a try.
Please do - I'm sure you will love it! Leftovers freeze well should you need to.....
The best cake! It's so tender and the flavor really pops! Loved it!
That's great to hear you enjoyed it - thanks for letting me know!