This easy apple spice cake is everything we love about autumn baking — soft, moist, and beautifully fragrant with sweet seasonal apples and warm cinnamon. It’s a simple, reliable recipe made with everyday ingredients, delivering that classic homemade comfort in every slice. As it bakes, it fills the kitchen with a cosy warmth that makes even an ordinary afternoon feel a little special. Perfect for afternoon tea, a relaxed weekend treat, or a fuss‑free dessert, this is the kind of timeless cake you’ll come back to again and again.

Serving Suggestions for Spiced Apple Cake

• Lightly Whipped Cream Soft, airy cream balances the warm spices and moist apple sponge
• Vanilla Ice Cream Cool, creamy ice cream creates a delicious contrast to the gently spiced cake
• Custard Smooth, comforting custard turns each slice into a cosy autumn dessert
• Crème Fraîche A lightly tangy accompaniment that balances the sweetness beautifully
• Salted Caramel Sauce Sweet, buttery caramel adds extra indulgence and complements the apples perfectly
• Toffee Sauce Rich, sticky toffee flavours pair wonderfully with the warming spices
• Stewed Apples with Cinnamon Soft, fragrant apples enhance the cake’s autumnal flavours
• Poached Pears Delicate, juicy pears make an elegant seasonal pairing
• Fresh Blackberries Tart berries provide a bright contrast to the sweet cake
• Toasted Pecans or Walnuts Crunchy nuts add texture and complement the spiced sponge
• Hot Coffee or Espresso Rich coffee flavours work beautifully with the cinnamon and apple notes
• Spiced Chai Latte Warm spices in the drink echo the flavours in the cake
• Apple Compote A soft, fruity topping that intensifies the apple flavour
• Caramelised Apple Slices Golden, buttery apples make a simple but impressive finishing touch.

Variations: Spiced Apple Cake

• Apple & Cinnamon Cake — add extra cinnamon for a warmer, more aromatic flavour throughout the sponge.
• Apple & Walnut Cake — fold in chopped walnuts for crunch and earthy richness.
• Apple & Pecan Cake — add pecans for a buttery nuttiness that pairs beautifully with apples.
• Apple & Cranberry Cake — add dried cranberries for a sweet‑sharp contrast to the soft apples.
• Apple & Orange Cake — add orange zest for a bright citrus flavour that lifts the warm spices.
• Apple & Ginger Cake — mix in stem ginger for gentle heat and extra depth of flavour.
• Apple & Caramel Cake — drizzle caramel sauce through the batter for a richer, more indulgent finish.
• Apple & Toffee Cake — add toffee pieces for pockets of caramel sweetness throughout the cake.
• Apple & Almond Cake — add ground almonds for a moist texture and subtle nutty flavour.
• Apple & Pear Cake — replace some of the apples with pears for a softer, sweeter variation.
• Apple & Blackberry Cake — add blackberries for juicy bursts of fruit and a sweet‑tart contrast.
• Apple & Coconut Cake — add desiccated coconut for extra texture and gentle sweetness.
• Apple & Oat Cake — replace some of the flour with oats for a heartier texture and rustic flavour.
• Apple & Mixed Spice Cake — increase the mixed spice for a richer autumn and winter flavour profile.
• Apple Crumble Cake — top with a buttery crumble mixture for a delicious cake‑and‑crumble hybrid.
• Apple & Vanilla Cake — add vanilla extract for a richer, smoother flavour that enhances the apples and spices

Apple spice cake

A moist spiced apple cake packed with tender apple pieces and warming spices, creating a cosy autumn bake that looks rustic, homely and inviting.

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Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Cake, Pudding

Cuisine British

Servings 8 slices

Equipment

• electric whisk
• Mixing bowl
• 20cm/8in round cake tin

Ingredients

  

• 450 g bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 225 g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• pinch ground cloves
• 175 g soft margarine
• 75 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 3 eggs
• 100 g sultanas
• icing sugar, to dust

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 180c. Grease a deep, 20cm/8in round cake tin.
• Cook the apples in 4 tbsp water for 5mins until soft, leave to cool.
• Sift flour and spices into a bowl. Add margarine, sugar, syrup and eggs. Beat with an electric whisk until blended. Stir in the cooked apples and sultanas.
• Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level. Bake for 40mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5mins. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.