Cake
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by Jessica September 15, 2023
This apple butter snack cake is so perfect for fall! A sheet cake made with rich apple butter and grated honeycrisp apples, it’s baked until tender and then drizzled with brown butter icing. Incredible!
It’s fall cake time!
This apple butter cake is incredible. Loaded with spiced apple flavor, it’s tender and soft and drizzled with a brown butter icing. The perfect after school or weekend fall treat that everyone can enjoy!
We LOVE apple butter in this house. Especially Eddie. One of his favorite things to do is get a huge jar of apple butter, then have it on toast every night before bed. It’s so satisfying and sweet and spiced – and it tastes like fall. I love the american spoon apple butter, but Eddie doesn’t discriminate. He will pick up any variety at the grocery store!
So I was more than excited to find an apple butter cake recipe! See, I love using pumpkin butter, because it has such jam-packed flavor in a thickened, saucy little mix. I love using pumpkin butter in cookies and even oatmeal, and I really like how it brings the best spiced flavor to treats without making them super “cakey.” Apple butter is the same!
That may sound crazy, because this is a cake after all. But the apple butter has a more concentrated, rich flavor. It works wonders in a cake, especially compared to applesauce. Sure, applesauce is great and delivers a lot of moisture to baked goods, but it rarely brings tons of fall, apple flavor.
That’s why apple butter is here to save the day!
This cake also uses a grated apple, and of course, I love to use honeycrisp apples. Is there anything that screams fall more than honeycrisps? I think not. I used to wait for the day that they were available in the grocery store when I was growing up. Now, my kids love them too and they are so sweet, a little tart and refreshing.
I grate the entire honeycrisp and throw it right into the batter. The batter is simple! Butter, brown sugar, eggs, apple butter, and then the classic dry ingredients.
It takes about 40 minutes to bake and let me just tell you – your house will smell AMAZING. No need for a fall candle with this cake in the oven. It does all the work for you.
There are a few ways you can top this cake. A simple powdered sugar sprinkle works, but I also like to make a brown butter icing glaze to drizzle on top. Mostly because I can never say no to brown butter.
Who can?
It’s as simple as it sounds. I brown butter then mix it with some powdered sugar and it almost tastes like carmel. Then I drizzle the glaze over the cake. You could spread it on too – whatever works!
This is also an excellent cake to make if you go apple picking! Of course, you can always make your own apple butter too.
Such a feel good treat with some coffee or tea.
Apple Butter Snack Cake
Apple Butter Snack Cake
Yield: 12 slices
Prep Time: 30 minutes mins
Cook Time: 40 minutes mins
Cooling time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
This apple butter snack cake is so perfect for fall! A sheet cake made with rich apple butter and grated honeycrisp apples, it's baked until tender and then drizzled with brown butter icing. Incredible!
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5 from 7 votes
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Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup apple butter
- 2 large eggs eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 honeycrisp apples
- powdered sugar, for sprinkling
brown butter icing
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Whisk in the apple butter. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
Grate one of the honeycrisp apples. Stir it into the batter. Pour the batter into the baking dish.
Thinly slice the remaining honeycrisp apple and remove the seeds. Place it on top of the batter.
Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake and let it cool slightly. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar. And/or drizzle with the brown butter icing.
brown butter icing
Place the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and let the mixture bubble, stirring occasionally, until brown bits begin to appear on the bottom. Once the brown bits appear, turn the heat off and continue to stir for about 30 seconds. Let the butter cool slightly.
Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. You want a smooth glaze, so add in 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, whisking until smooth and drizzle-able. Drizzle or spread on the cake!
Notes
slightly adapted from BHG
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: How Sweet Eats
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I appreciate you so much!
Apple season reigns supreme.
posted in: Cake, Dessert, Fall, Recipes 6 comments
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5 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)
Leave a Reply
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AmyG — Reply
Jessica, This looks amazing! I just ordered three jars of apple butter from American Spoon, and of course while shopping several other products. Can’t wait to make this.
Amy
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Jan Smith — Reply
Nice fall cake! I substituted Chinese 5 spice powder for plain cinnamon and also added fresh grated nutmeg…two of my fave for this type of cake.
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Claudette Woods — Reply
Looks so good!
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Jess — Reply
Outstanding cake. I brought it to my office and my coworkers kept coming by to compliment it. I added extra powdered sugar to the frosting which was a mistake, though, as it became too thick. The original recipe as written would have been better. Thank you for sharing this!
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Leah — Reply
I made this today..our first day of relief from the heat. I had to make it in a 9*9 pan. It came out great just needed longer to bake.
Used the recipe for the icing and it is also amazing!!!I’ve never browned butter before but I can’t keep the butter from separating from the icing? But it’s still sooo good!
Definitely recommend this recipe
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