I’ve done a lot of different apple cakes. This Apple Sheet Cake is unique in that it’s 1) in a casserole dish, so can feed a lot of people, and 2) uses apple butter, diced fresh apple, diced dried apple, and cross-wise sliced fresh apples on top!
It probably goes without saying that this cake is loaded with apple flavor. There’s just enough batter to complement the fruit. Really, this is all about the apples.
I think the apple butter in particular carries a lot of weight here. It adds a touch more spice, but most of all it adds moist texture to the crumb.
Modified from a clipping for Applicious Sheet Cake.
Bready or Not: Apple Sheet Cake
This 13×9 apple cake brims with apples in many forms, and will feed a lot of people! The leftovers are also great to freeze.
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 medium baking apples
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup apple butter
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried apples finely chopped
Icing
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter. Set aside.
- Peel, core, and shred or finely dice-up one apple. Thinly slice the other apple cross-wise, removing the seeds.
- In a large bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, apple butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, scraping bottom of bowl to make sure everything is mixed. Fold in the shredded/diced fresh apple and the chopped dried apple. Spread batter in pan, using uneven spatula to level out. Arrange apple cross-sections over cake.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. The middle should pass the toothpick test. Move to a wire rack.
- Immediately mix glaze to go over hot cake. Drizzle it all over the top, using the back of a spoon or a pastry brush to distribute across surface. Cool completely to set the glaze, speeding process in fridge if desired.
- Use foil to lift cake onto a cutting board to slice. Pieces can be individually wrapped and frozen for later, or will keep several days covered in the fridge. Eat cold or warmed slightly in microwave.
