Sweet, soft, and aromatic cake swirled with brown sugar and cinnamon then loaded with fresh apples. This Brown Sugar Apple Cake is a simple and quick small-batch dessert recipe that highlights some flavors of the fall season.
This Brown Sugar Apple Cake recipe makes a small batch of brown sugar cinnamon cake with fresh apples in every bite. Delicious on its own or paired with a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s the perfect dessert for a fall night that needs only 10 minutes of prep.
Ingredients you'll need to make this Small Batch Brown Sugar Apple Cake:
- Unsweetened soy milk
- Apple cider vinegar – Lemon juice also works!
- Avocado oil – Or another neutral oil, like canola.
- Brown sugar – Dark brown is preferred for this recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Salt
- 1 fresh apple – I’ve used a Gala apple, but any variety will work. If you choose a less sweet variety it may alter the flavor of the cake slightly, but you’ll still get a delicious brown sugar apple cake!
Notes:
How to test the cake for doneness:
If baking in a cast iron pan, look for the edges to start coming away from the pan then insert a knife in the center. If the knife comes out clean or with only a few crumbs it’s ready. If baking in a cake pan the cake may need a couple of extra minutes of baking time, but insert a knife in the center to test for doneness here too. Either way, make sure you’re inserting the knife into the actual cake and not the apples.
What variety of apple should you use for apple cake?
In my opinion, any variety you have on hand works just fine but in actuality it’ll come down to preference. I’ve used Gala apples for this recipe and it produces a deliciously sweet cake, but feel free to use any kind of apple you have on hand.
Storage:
This cake is best eaten within 2 days of baking. To store, make sure you cover any exposed edges of cake with beeswax wrap or place in an airtight container then keep it in the fridge. This cake is best eaten warm, so I recommend reheating before eating any leftovers.
Small Batch Brown Sugar Apple Cake
Ingredients
For the Apple Cake:
- ½ c unsweetened soy milk
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ c all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 apple peeled, cored, and cubed
For the Cinnamon Swirl:
- ½ tbsp avocado oil
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and lightly oil a 6.5-inch cast iron skillet or a 6-inch round cake pan.
- Then, whisk together the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, avocado oil, and brown sugar in a small bowl.
- Next, sift the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Fold the cubed apple into the batter then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Finally, prepare the cinnamon swirl by thoroughly mixing the oil, cinnamon, and brown sugar then pour onto the top of the cake. Marble the cinnamon swirl into the cake batter, making sure not to fully incorporate the two.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan, otherwise enjoy while it's warm!