Dorset Apple Cake
, Published Sep 13, 2021
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Dorset Apple Cake is a classic British bake that looks simple and rustic but tastes sensational! An easy apple cake recipe with apple sauce and apple pieces in the batter that’s perfect for Autumn. Serve plain, with custard or a la mode!
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Sometimes a simple unassuming bake tastes so amazing it knocks the socks off all fancy layer cake confections.
This Dorset Apple Cake is just such a recipe – a classic British bake that makes the most of seasonal apples. It looks pretty rustic but wait until you take a bite… OMG it’s so delicious.
My research reveals plenty of variations in the ingredients and method of this apple cake recipe so I don’t feel too bad in giving it my own twist!
APPLE CAKE INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you will need to make this recipe – as long as the ingredients are room temperature you can just dump it all in a bowl and get mixing. No fuss!
- • Apples: this apple cake contains apple chunks in the batter. Avoid cooking apples such as Bramley as they become too soft when baked. A crisp apple such as Cox or Braeburn will keep their shape better.
- Apple sauce: this is my twist to make this fresh apple cake extra moist and even more apple-tastic! Use a store-bought Bramley apple sauce (usually reserved to be served alongside roast pork) or homemade apple butter. Even baby apple purée works a treat!
- Self raising flour or plain flour plus baking powder and soda (see recipe notes). As always make sure the products you use are fresh. A lot of traditional Dorset apple cake recipes use wholemeal flour. I would suggest you use half wholemeal or spelt and half plain.
- Softened unsalted butter or baking spread such as Stork both work fine. Butter will give a richer taste but make sure it is properly softened.
- Large eggs and light brown sugar
- Spices: I like adding cinnamon and nutmeg to apple cake but it’s up to you whether you want to add these.
HOW TO MAKE DORSET APPLE CAKE
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Simply add all the cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Start by adding the flour, sugar and any spices and giving them a quick stir. Top with the butter, apple sauce and eggs and beat together with an electric hand mixer until you have a smooth batter.
Core the apples and cut into small cubes. Toss with a little lemon juice and cornflour. Fold into the batter then spoon into a greased and lined cake pan. Bake for an hour or until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve a thick slice while the cake is still a little warm and add custard, pouring cream or vanilla ice cream if you want to push the boat out. My kids love this cake with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce!
Recipe notes and tips
- The cake stays lovely and moist for a few days in a cake container at room temperature. You can also freeze it, in portions, for up to three months.
- Unless specified otherwise all your ingredients including butter eggs and apple sauce should be at room temperature in order to achieve a smooth batter. If one or more of the ingredients are cold they will cause your batter to split or look curdled.
- Invest in some baking liners – these are reusable so you don’t have to cut baking paper to size every time you bake.
- To prevent your cake from sticking to the pan, properly grease the cake tin with a little softened butter and then sprinkle with flour shaking out any excess or simply use a cake release spray.
- For this cake you can use a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin or a regular cake tin.
- Oven temperatures can vary so set a timer for 5 minutes before the specified time. The cake is done when the top is springy to the touch, the cake has just started to pull away from the edge of the tin and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Avoid opening the oven too often – or too early! – to check if the cake is done or your oven will start losing heat.
If you’ve tried this Dorset Apple Cake recipe or any others on the blog then please leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
More apple recipes
Dorset Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 350 g (2 ¾ cups) flour plain/ all purpose flour
- 330 g (1 ⅔ cups) sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
- 200 g (7/8 cup) unsalted butter or margarine softened
- 200 g (7/8 cup) apple sauce or apple butter
- 3 large eggs
- 3 medium apples cut into small cubes
- 1 tbsp lemon juice for the apple pieces
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) for the apple pieces
- icing sugar to dust (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C (340F). Spray a 23cm (9 in) springform cake tin with cake release or grease with softened butter and dust with flour shaking out any excess. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.
- Put the flour and sugar in large bowl. Add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices if using. Stir together to combine
- Add the softened butter, apple sauce and eggs.
- Start beating together on low speed setting using a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer using paddle attachment).
- Increase the speed to maximum once the ingredients have been incorporated. Beat for a minute then stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat again until the batter is completely smooth.
- Toss the apple pieces in the lemon juice and dust with the cornflour. Fold into the cake batter.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared cake tin, level and bake for 55 minutes to an hour.
- Check the cake is done by inserting a skewer in the centre – it should come out clean, the cake should be well risen, golden and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve!
Notes
- Unless specified otherwise all your ingredients including butter eggs and apple sauce should be at room temperature in order to achieve a smooth batter. If one or more of the ingredients are cold they will cause your batter to split or look curdled.
- To prevent your cakes sticking to the pans, properly grease the cake tin with a little softened butter and then sprinkle with flour shaking out any excess. I prefer to use a cake release spray for most of my baking.
- For this cake you can use a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin, a loose bottomed tin or a regular cake tin.
- Oven temperatures can vary so set a timer for 5 minutes before the specified time. The cake is done when the top is springy to the touch, the cake has just started to pull away from the edge of the tin and a skewer or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Avoid opening the oven too often – or too early! – to check if the cake is done or your oven will start losing heat.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
Hi Lucy,
Thanks very much for this Dorset Apple Cake recipe. I have baked this cake three times within this month. Twice in your home country using ‘your home’ ingredients and ovens (in London and Canterbury) and once more back home in the San Francisco bay area. Each time the baking time needed to be much longer. It takes an hour and a half for the skewer to come out clean. I have a weighing scale and followed accurate oven temperatures!
I served the cake with custard sauce as you suggested and it was hit with everyone. I just wish I can do something not to give the cake an overbaked appearance due to the extended baking. I am puzzled how you managed to have the cake in the picture looking so good with only an hour of baking. Love to hear from you. Noor
Hi Noor, if you used the same size cake tin and it needed much longer to bake then I would suggest you tent with foil to avoid the cake browning too much. Ovens can vary so much as I have found recently when I switched mine!
I just baked this cake and it’s delicious! Very moist and just perfect to eat on its own.
Hey Lia!!! Miss you
A lovely moist, delicious cake that holds its shape when cut. Loved the bits of apple in it….not too prominent but a little nugget of yumminess. Need to have it with custard next time….would make a lovely dessert. Loved the baking tips with the recipe too.