This apple buttermilk cake is a simple to make one layer cake that has a sweet and spiced apple flavor. It's a great stand alone cake, or serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Apple buttermilk cake is the perfect dessert when you're craving the taste of fall, but don't want to go to lots of effort. This cake doesn't need very many ingredients, pans, or time to make it.
For more fall cakes you should try my pumpkin coconut cake, my apple fritter loaf cake, or my dirty chai spice cake.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Tastes Like Fall: With the brown butter, spices and apples this cake has all the fall flavors.
- Single Layer: It's a simple single layer cake, so no need to layer and frost.
- Moist and Soft: The buttermilk and grated apples help keep this cake so tender.
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter: You will brown your butter and then allow it to cool.
- Flour: Make sure you whisk your flour with other dry ingredients beforehand so that they don't clump up when added to the batter.
- Buttermilk: The higher fat content your buttermilk has, the more moist you cake will be, so try for a full fat if your store carries it.
- Apples: I used granny smith for a little bit of tart flavor.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter (one stick) and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over low-medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour all of it into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray and line an 8 or 9 inch pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
Step 3: In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and all spice. Set aside.
Step 4: In a large bowl whisk together the browned butter, both sugars, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking until combined. Add the buttermilk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients.
Step 6: Using a box grater, grate your apple on the large side. Or you can dice the apple into very small squares if preferred. Fold apples into the cake batter.
Step 7: Pour batter into prepared cake pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the top of the cake with cinnamon and sugar.
Step 8: Bake cake for 33-37 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the pan, and have a golden brown edge. The top will develop a hard shell from the cinnamon and sugar, but you can stick a toothpick through if you want to test it that way. Allow to cool before serving.
Expert Baking Tips
- You can sub in melted butter or oil if you do not want to brown the butter, but it gives it such an elevated flavor.
- Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Honey Crisp are my favorite apples for baking. You just want to make sure and use a crisp apple so it is easy to grate.
- Allowing the ingredients to come to room temperature before starting to mix will help this cake mix and rise better
FAQ
If your cake sank in the middle it's because it wasn't quite done baking. Make sure it doesn't jiggle at all when pulling out of the oven.
Yes, I would dice as small as possible so that the apples are well dispersed.
Yes, just swap out the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour.
Storing & Freezing
Apple buttermilk cake needs to be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. You can wrap it in tinfoil, as this will help the cinnamon sugar topping from getting too sticky and moist.
This cake freezes well for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Other Popular Recipes to Try
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do!
Apple Buttermilk Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter browned and cooled
- 1⅓ cups (186 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ginger
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) all spice
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup (120 g) buttermilk room temperature
- 1 large apple I used granny smith
- 3 tablespoon sugar for topping
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon for topping
Instructions
- Start by browning the butter. You'll take ½ cup of butter (one stick) and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over low-medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour all of it into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray and line an 8 or 9 inch pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and all spice. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the browned butter, both sugars, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking until combined. Add the buttermilk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients.
- Using a box grater, grate your apple on the large side. Or you can dice the apple into very small squares if preferred. Fold apples into the cake batter.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the top of the cake with cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake cake for 33-37 minutes, or until the edges pull away from the pan, and have a golden brown edge. The top will develop a hard shell from the cinnamon and sugar, but you can stick a toothpick through if you want to test it that way. Allow to cool before serving.
Jenna
One word: Phenomenal
Just make it,you won’t regret it
Brooke Homec
Thank you so much!!! This just made my day!
Liz T
What a spectacular cake! I made it as a dessert for a meal we had to welcome new family members, so I was a little preoccupied and added the buttermilk to the wet ingredients. It still turned out beautifully, so I'll probably do it the same way next time. The brown butter and the spices give this cake a special, gingerbread-y flair that's somehow both rustic and elegant. I used a Macoun apple, which added a nice, tart note. It was cold in the house, and I baked the cake an extra 7 minutes. It's just luscious and will be on our table for the upcoming winter holidays. Thanks for sharing an easy, truly delicious recipe.
Dori C
Amazing little cake! Brought for a dinner party and it was a perfect treat for 6 people! The taste was perfection!
Unsweetened Sue
I was looking for recipes to bake to use up buttermilk and found this. Today, I made it. It's not quite cool yet, but I ate two slices anyway. Wonderful cake! I baked it in a 9" round metal pan. After 31 minutes, I shut the oven off but left the cake in the oven for 2 more minutes. It came out perfect, nice and high with a good crumb.
Bailey
This cake is to die for! You will not go wrong making this for your guests. Everyone will be raving about it!
Laura
This cake is wonderful! Everyone loved it!!
Jenn
This cake is so soft and delicious! Not overly sweet. We almost ate the whole thing in one sitting. I had to substitute coconut milk yogurt for the buttermilk. Will definitely be making this again soon.