This snack cake is packed with tart apples, delivering on familiar, comforting flavours with minimal fuss. It’s topped with a brown sugar glaze, earthy pecans and flaky sea salt for a sweet and savoury apple fritter-like finish.

Apple Fritter Snack Cake

Soo Kim

A tender cinnamon-spiced apple cake topped with a buttery toffee glaze, toasted pecans and flaky sea salt.

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Ingredients

4 cups peeled, cored apples (2 Granny Smith, Crispin or Northern Spy) cut into ½-inch (1¼ cm) dice
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch kosher salt

Cake

2¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and levelled
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed dark brown sugar

Toffee Glaze

¼ cup unsalted butter
⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
⅓ cup 35% cream
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup icing sugar

Garnish

½ cup toasted pecans finely chopped (optional)
flaked sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan and line with parchment paper with a little overhang on two longest sides.
In bowl, add apples. In small bowl, combine granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside.

Cake

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In large bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and incorporated, 30 to 45 seconds. Whisk in flour mixture in two increments until smooth.
Toss apples with sugar-cinnamon mixture; immediately fold into cake batter until just combined. Scrape into prepared pan; spreading evenly. Bake until cake tester inserted into centre comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.
Let cook on rack for 30 minutes. Using a paring knife, loosen edges; carefully lift parchment onto rack to cool.

Toffee Glaze

In saucepan, cook butter, brown sugar, cream and salt over medium heat, stirring, until melted. Add nutmeg; bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 seconds; remove from heat, add icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Let cool enough to thicken, 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour over cake, spreading evenly. Immediately sprinkle with pecans (if using) and sprinkle over flaked sea salt (if using) once topping sets a little.

Keyword apple cake, apple fritter, Apple recipes, baking with apples, cake recipes, dessert, snack cake

ELLE Gourmet Tips

Make-ahead:: This is one of those cakes that gets even better as it sits. Store it at room temperature, uncovered, for up to four days.
Finer touch:: Nutmeg is a naturally warming complement to cinnamon. Use a microplane grater to finely grate it, or invest in a nutmeg grater. And remember: A little nutmeg goes a long way, especially when freshly grated.