Name: German Apple Walnut Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 3 large apples (peeled and sliced); 1/4 cup white sugar; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 3 cups all purpose flour; 2 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 cup white sugar; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 cup vegetable or canola oil; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 4 large eggs; 1/2 cup apple cider; 1 cup walnuts

Jump to Recipe

Once the days start getting shorter my mind turns to all things apple, especially desserts. Pair those sweet apples with with the slightly bitter nuttiness of walnuts in an easy spiced cake and you’ve got a winner. Equal parts elevated and homey, this cake is easy to make but looks very impressive. My German Apple Walnut Cake is a simple and delicious cake that’s perfect for all seasons.

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Cafe culture is strong throughout Bavaria and Austria, where whiling away an afternoon over a cake and coffee is an integral part of the day. Cakes and pastries range from simple to sophisticated and when I visited Salzburg and Vienna in the fall apples and walnuts were used in all kinds of desserts. It was here I first had apple walnut cake and where my memories go every time I make this cake.

Ingredients for Apple Walnut Cake

apples
all purpose flour
baking powder
ground cinnamon
kosher salt
white sugar
brown sugar
vegetable or canola oil
vanilla extract
eggs
apple cider
walnuts

How to make German Apple Walnut Cake

Apple Walnut Cake is one of the easiest homemade cake recipes around. To make this cake we’ll start with peeling and slicing three large apples which is really the most labor intensive part of this recipe( This apple corer and this vegetable peeler make the job a little easier). Any good baking apple variety will work including Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Jonagold. Toss the sliced apples with a bit of cinnamon and sugar and set aside while you work on the batter.

This cake batter comes together a bit like a quick bread. In one bowl we’ll combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt). In a separate bowl mix together white and brown sugar along with the rest of the wet ingredients including oil, eggs, vanilla and apple cider (which gives this cake a double dose of apple flavor and a tender crumb). Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and fold in together taking care not to over mix the cake. Stir in the walnuts.

Because this is taller cake you will need to bake it in a springform pan. Make sure the pan is well greased (you can use either oil or cooking spray) and add in half of the batter. Layer half of the apples and then pour in the remaining batter. Top the cake with the rest of the apples, you can either make a spiral pattern like I did or layer them abstractly. Either way your cake will look and taste amazing.

Bake this cake for 70 minutes at 350 degrees and then let it cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the cake before opening the springform pan. You can serve this cake warm or at room temperature and while it’s delicious as is it’s even better with a drizzle of honey (my personal favorite) or caramel sauce, or topped with whipped cream or ice cream ( like my bourbon butterscotch ice cream!).

If you like this German Apple Walnut Cake be sure to take a look at some of my other recipes!

Apple Scones with Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Apple Blackberry Crumble

Apple Almond Puff Pastry Rose Tarts

Blueberry Ricotta Cake

Rustic Strawberry Galette

The Best Apple Cider Cocktails

German Apple Walnut Cake Pinterest Image

If you make this German Apple Walnut Cake please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making!