Apple Sheet Cake

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5 from 3 votes

An easy and delicious dessert made with fresh apples, tangy buttermilk, toasted walnuts and loads of warm spices.

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple, cake, dessert

Servings:

Calories: 438kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the cake batter:

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
1 peeled and shredded apple (about 1 cup)
½ cup toasted chopped walnuts
1 apple, cored and sliced into thin wedges or rounds, for topping

For the icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk, cream, buttermilk or apple cider
¼ teaspoon vanilla
pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, optional

Instructions

To prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F degrees. Lightly spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Whisk until blended.
Add about ¼ of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugars. Mix on low until incorporated. Add ⅓ of the buttermilk and blend on low. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Alternate by adding ⅓ of the remaining flour, then half the buttermilk, mixing on low after each addition just until incorporated. Start and end with the flour mixture. Once incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently fold in the shredded apple and walnuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange apple slices over the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 325°F degrees, or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack before icing.

To prepare the icing:

Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and spices, if using. Drizzle over the cake. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon or apple pie spice if desired and serve. Keep leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for longer storage.

Notes

Substitute 1 1/4 teaspoons Apple Pie Spice for the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger, if desired.
Gala or Jonagold apples are great for this recipe.
Recipe adapted from Fall Baking 2019 magazine

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition