Classic Apple Cake with Walnuts and Raisins: A Cozy Dessert for Any Time of Year
This Classic Apple Cake recipe is a warmly spiced, old-fashioned dessert filled with apples, walnuts, and raisins. Moist, fragrant, and just sweet enough, it’s perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a cozy after-dinner treat.
Rediscovering an Old Favorite Dessert
Every now and then, I pull out an old recipe card from my recipe box, which is filled with newspaper clippings and handwritten cards covered in splatters. This apple cake was one of those cards, given to me years ago by a patient I treated in an outpatient clinic. It was tucked away for a long time until I recently decided to revisit it and make it my own. I adjusted the ingredients, added warm spices, and reworked it for a tube pan until the texture was just right.
This is the kind of cake that fills your kitchen with warm, spicy aromas. It’s not overly sweet and not light and fluffy. It’s a substantial, old-fashioned cake loaded with apples, walnuts, and raisins. The cinnamon and nutmeg make it perfect for the first cool days of fall, but honestly, it’s wonderful any time of year.
Enjoy a slice in the morning with coffee and fresh fruit, in the afternoon with a cup of tea, or after dinner when you want a little something sweet. If you want to dress it up, all it needs is a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or a simple vanilla glaze. I love it just the way it is. Rustic, fragrant, and classic.
Watch How It’s Made
Here is a step-by-step YouTube video so you can see exactly how the batter comes together and what the texture should look like. It’s a thick, rustic batter and seeing it visually can be helpful.
Classic Apple Cake with Walnuts and Raisins
Equipment
- Tube Pan or Bundt Pan
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 2 cups apples, cored, peeled, and finely diced
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉
- Spray a 10-inch tube pan (or bundt pan) with baking spray and set aside. (If you don't have baking spray, butter and flour the pan instead.)
- In a medium bowl, combine the diced apples, walnuts and raisins. Add 2 Tbsp of the flour from your measured amount and toss to coat evenly. Set Aside
- In a large bowl, combine remaining flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients (flour and spices) to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed just until incorporated. The batter will be thick.
- Using a spatula, fold in the apples, walnuts, and raisins until evenly distributed in the batter
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake at 325℉ for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cook in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Every oven cooks differently. Begin checking for doneness after 1 hour.
- Apple type: Firm baking apples, such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith work best. They hold their shape and release less liquid.
- Store in covered container at room temperature up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Let Me Know What You Think
If you try this apple cake recipe, please let me know how it turns out! Send me a message, or tag me on Instagram and Facebook@modernclassichost.
