This Fresh Apple Chunk Olive Oil Cake may be the last apple cake recipe you'll need. Packed with fresh apple chunks and toasted walnuts, it's exceptionally moist with a tender, firm crumb and just the right touch of warm fall spice.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cake
- Packed with apples: Four cups of fresh apple chunks mean plenty of apple in every bite.
- Tender with a firm crumb: The cake holds the apple chunks beautifully without becoming heavy or soggy.
- Exceptionally moist: Mild olive oil keeps the cake moist for days.
- Warmly spiced: Cinnamon and pumpkin spice add cozy fall flavor.
- Crunchy and nutty: Toasted walnuts add delicious texture.
- Simple to finish: No frosting is required—just a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Fresh Apple Chunk Olive Oil Cake
When summer peaches, nectarines, and plums disappear, I’m always a little sorry to see them go. But then apple season arrives, and suddenly fall doesn’t seem like such a bad trade.
This Fresh Apple Chunk Olive Oil Cake came about when I was given a mixed bag of freshly picked apples and started looking for delicious ways to use them. Some went into savory dishes, including pork chops with apples, but a good assortment ended up in this cake.
And what a cake it is. It’s moist and tender with a firm crumb, filled with chunks of fresh apple and toasted walnuts, warmly spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin spice, and made with mild olive oil rather than butter.
Originally I baked it as a Bundt cake, but it works beautifully as a simple sheet cake too. Cut into squares, it’s easy to serve for a fall gathering, potluck, or neighborhood barbecue. Or keep it simple and have a piece with your afternoon coffee.
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Fresh Apple Chunk Olive Oil Cake
Equipment
- Bundt Pan or
- 9 x 13 " Sheet Pan
- Stand Mixer or
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups mild olive oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large 168 grams eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups 300 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 4 cups (525 grams) tart apples, peeled, cored, small dice, (about 1 ½ pounds whole apples)
- 1 cup (100 grams) toasted chopped walnuts
- Powdered sugar, for dusting optional
Instructions
Heat the oven
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease and flour Bundt cake pan
Mix the wet ingredients
- Add the olive oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until well combined. Add the eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
Combine the dry ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
Make the batter
- Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined.
Add the apples and walnuts
- Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold in the apples and toasted walnuts, distributing them evenly throughout the batter. The batter will be thick.
Bake
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top. Bake on the center rack until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Begin checking at about 45–50 minutes.
Cool
- Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, then slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and Why They Matter
Apples
Use a good baking apple, or better yet, a combination. Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonathan, McIntosh, or Pippin are all good choices. A mix gives you more interesting flavor and texture.
Peel and core the apples, then cut them into about a ¼- to ⅓-inch dice. You want distinct chunks of apple throughout the cake, but not pieces so large that you get an entire mouthful of apple and no cake.
Because apples vary so much in size, weight is more reliable than counting them. Start with about 1½ pounds of whole apples, which should give you approximately 4 cups (525 g) diced.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the reasons this cake stays so wonderfully moist and tender.
I started baking with olive oil years ago when I worked as a recipe developer for an olive oil exporter, and I've used it in baking whenever it makes sense ever since.
For this cake, choose a mild olive oil, not one that's particularly grassy or peppery. You want the moisture and richness without a pronounced olive oil flavor.
You could substitute another neutral vegetable oil if you prefer. Except canola oil. If you’ve been reading LindySez for a while, you already know how I feel about that. I’ll use it to oil the hinges, but not in my cake.
Walnuts
Toast them! Toasting brings out the flavor of the walnuts and makes a noticeable difference in the finished cake.
Spread the walnuts in a single layer and toast them at 350°F (175°C) for about 5 to 7 minutes, watching carefully toward the end. Let them cool, then chop.
I use walnuts, but pecans would also be delicious.
Eggs
Three large, room-temperature eggs give the cake structure and help create its tender, firm crumb. Bringing them to room temperature also helps them blend more easily into the oil and sugar mixture.
Sugars
A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar gives you the best of both worlds. Granulated sugar provides sweetness and structure, while brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle caramel note that works beautifully with the apples.
Cinnamon & Pumpkin Spice
Cinnamon and pumpkin spice give the cake its warm fall flavor without overwhelming the fresh apples. The apples should still taste like apples.
Choosing Your Pan: Sheet Cake or Bundt
This apple cake works beautifully baked either as a 9 x 13-inch sheet cake or in a Bundt pan. The batter is thick and packed with apples and walnuts, but the finished cake is surprisingly tender with a nice, firm crumb.
For a Sheet Cake
A 9 x 13-inch pan is perfect when you want easy serving. The cake can be cut into squares, making it a great choice for a party, potluck, or neighborhood gathering.
Prepare the pan with cooking spray, spread the batter evenly into the pan, and bake at 350°F (175°C) until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
For a Bundt Cake
The Bundt makes a beautiful presentation and is the way I originally made this cake.
Even when using a nonstick Bundt pan, grease it thoroughly and give it a light dusting of flour. With all those chunks of apple and walnuts, this is not the cake where you want to cross your fingers and hope for a clean release.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 45 to 50 minutes, then let it cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before turning it out onto a rack.
FAQs
Choose an apple that holds up well when baked, such as Granny Smith, Jonathan, McIntosh, Pippin, or Gravenstein. But don't overlook local and regional apples from farmers markets and farm stands. You may find varieties you've never heard of, and a mixture of tart and sweet apples can make an especially flavorful cake.
It sounds like a lot, but no, it isn't. This is a large cake containing four cups of fresh apples, and the olive oil gives it its exceptionally moist, tender texture. The finished cake isn't oily or greasy. It has a tender, firm crumb that holds the apple chunks beautifully.
Keep the cinnamon and replace the pumpkin spice with ground nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cardamom, or a combination. Just keep the total amount around 1 teaspoon so the spices complement rather than overpower the apples.
In this cake, with apples, toasted walnuts, cinnamon, and warm spices providing plenty of flavor, you probably won't notice much difference between real and imitation vanilla once it's baked.
That said, I recommend keeping real vanilla extract in your pantry. It has a more complex flavor and is my choice for baking, especially in recipes where vanilla plays a starring role. If you're only going to keep one bottle on hand, make it the real thing.
Absolutely. In fact, it's a great make-ahead cake. The olive oil helps it stay moist for several days, so you can comfortably bake it the day before you plan to serve it.
Both work beautifully. Choose the 9 x 13-inch sheet cake when you want easy-to-serve squares for a party or potluck. Choose the Bundt when presentation is more important. Same delicious cake, different outfit.
Storage
One of the benefits of using olive oil is that this cake stays wonderfully moist for several days.
Room temperature: Store the cake tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. There's no need to refrigerate it.
Refrigerator: You can refrigerate the cake for up to 5 days, although refrigeration will firm the texture. Bring it to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and tender crumb.
Freezer: The cake freezes beautifully. Wrap individual pieces or larger portions tightly, then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
If you've dusted the cake with powdered sugar, expect it to disappear into the moist surface during storage. Give it another light dusting just before serving.
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