Basic Apple Brunch Cake

This is the kind of apple cake you can stir together half-asleep on a weekend morning. No mixer, no creaming, no fuss. Eggs get cracked directly over diced apples, oil and sugars go in, dry ingredients get stirred through, and the whole thing goes into the oven.

Four cups of diced apples to two cups of flour means this cake is more fruit than batter. Every slice is loaded with tender apple pieces held together by a cinnamon-spiced crumb that stays moist for days thanks to the oil and all that fruit moisture.

The batter will look thick and chunky, almost like it’s not enough to hold the apples together. That’s exactly right. The eggs and oil bind everything during baking, and the apples release juice that steams the cake from within.

Chef Tips

• Use firm, tart apples like Granny Smith or Braeburn. Soft apples turn to mush during the long bake and you lose all that pleasant fruit texture.
• Dice the apples small and uniform so they cook evenly. Big chunks stay crunchy while the rest of the cake is done.
• A glass baking dish works best here because you can see the edges browning. The cake is done when the edges pull away from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean.

Variations

• Toss the diced apples with a handful of raisins or dried cranberries before adding the wet ingredients.
• Top the batter with a streusel crumble (butter, flour, brown sugar, oats) before baking for a crunchy contrast.
• Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter for extra crunch and richness.