Apple Cinnamon Cake with Warm Maple Sauce
Soft apple cinnamon cake with a golden, gently cracked top and tender pieces of apple throughout, served with warm maple sauce poured over each slice.
- Total
- 1 hr 20 min
- Prep
- 25 min
- Bake
- 55 min
- Level
- Medium
- Serves
- 10
- Tin
- 20 cm springform
This apple cinnamon cake has a soft, close crumb with small pieces of tart apple tucked through it. Brown sugar brings a gentle caramel note, while sunflower oil keeps the crumb tender even after the cake has cooled.
Cut the apples into small, fairly even pieces. Large chunks can leave wet pockets in the middle of this tall cake, so keep the fruit distributed throughout the batter rather than piled in one place. The warm maple sauce goes on at the table, where it can soak into the exposed crumb without softening the golden top.
Ingredients
For one 20 cm springform, serves 10
For the cake
For the warm maple sauce
You will need
- 20 cm round springform cake tin
- Baking parchment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Balloon whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Fine sieve
- Wire cooling rack
- Small saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Cake skewer
- Small pouring jug
Oven
175°C fan 155°C 345°F
Method
Oven 175°C · fan 155°C · 345°F
Prepare the tin and apples
Heat the oven to 175C, 155C fan. Grease the base and sides of a 20 cm springform tin, then line the base and sides with baking parchment. Peel and core the apples, cut them into small, even pieces and set aside. They should look pale and fresh, with no large chunks that might leave wet patches inside the cake.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and oil
Put the eggs and light brown soft sugar into a large bowl. Whisk until the sugar has dispersed and the mixture looks smooth and slightly foamy. Pour in the sunflower oil and vanilla extract, then whisk again until the mixture is glossy, thickened slightly and an even caramel colour. There should be no separate layer of oil on the surface.
Fold in the flour and apples
Sift the plain flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. Add them to the egg mixture and fold with a silicone spatula until only a few faint streaks of flour remain. Add the prepared apples and continue folding until the fruit is evenly coated. The finished batter should be thick, glossy and studded with apple pieces, with no dry flour at the bottom of the bowl.
Fill the springform tin
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, scraping the bowl to collect the apple pieces. Spread it gently towards the edges and level the surface with the spatula. The batter should sit in an even layer, with pieces of apple visible across the top rather than gathered in the middle.
Bake until golden and springy
Place the tin on the middle shelf and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, checking towards the end. The top should be deep golden brown with a few natural cracks, and the edges should look set. A skewer pushed into the middle comes out with a few damp crumbs, and the top springs back when pressed gently. If the surface darkens before the centre is ready, cover it loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.
Make the warm maple sauce
While the cake cools, put the maple syrup, double cream, unsalted butter and salt into a small saucepan. Warm over a low heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture looks smooth. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then cook briefly until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Take it off the heat and transfer it to a pouring jug. It should be glossy, pale amber and fluid enough to pour in a continuous ribbon.
Cool and release the cake
Leave the baked cake for 20 minutes in the tin, then carefully unclasp and lift away the springform ring. Peel the parchment from the sides and transfer the cake to a wire rack to finish cooling. The outside should feel firm enough to hold its shape, while the top remains slightly springy. Leave it whole until it is cool enough to cut without the soft apple crumb breaking apart.
Cut and serve with maple sauce
Transfer the cake to a serving plate and cut into generous wedges with a sharp knife. Lift out one slice to reveal the pale golden crumb and soft apple pieces. Give the maple sauce a stir, warming it gently if needed, then pour it over each slice at the table. The sauce should run down the cut face and gather lightly on the plate rather than sit in a thick layer on top.
Baker's notes
- Granny Smith apples give the cake a little sharpness against the brown sugar and maple sauce. Cox or Braeburn apples also work, provided they are firm and not overripe.
- Use a neutral sunflower oil rather than a strongly flavoured oil. The apple and cinnamon should remain the main flavours.
- Use pure maple syrup for the sauce, not maple-flavoured pancake syrup. The latter can produce a sweeter, thicker sauce with a different flavour.
- Allergens: contains egg, gluten and dairy. The cake contains no nuts or alcohol as written, but check packaged ingredients if cross-contamination is a concern.
Keeping it Keep the unsauced cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store the maple sauce separately in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheat it gently before serving. Bring individual cake slices towards room temperature before adding the warm sauce.
Questions, answered
Can I use eating apples instead of Granny Smith?
Yes. Cox, Braeburn and Pink Lady are suitable choices. Choose firm apples that hold their shape during baking, rather than very soft or floury varieties.
Can I use self-raising flour instead of plain flour?
Yes, but omit the separate baking powder if you make that substitution. Self-raising flour already contains a raising agent, so adding the full amount again can make the cake rise too quickly.
Can I freeze the apple cinnamon cake?
Yes. Freeze the cake without sauce, either whole or in individual slices. Wrap it well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in its wrapping before serving with freshly warmed sauce.
Can I make the maple sauce without cream?
You can warm maple syrup with the butter instead, but the result will be a thinner, more strongly maple-flavoured sauce. The double cream gives the original sauce its lighter colour and softer texture.
Can I serve this cake warm?
Yes. It is particularly good slightly warm, although the crumb is more fragile straight from the oven. Allow the cake to complete its initial cooling time before cutting, then warm individual slices gently if preferred.
If it goes wrong
- It sank in the middleSeven causes, told apart by the shape of the crater.
- It came out raw in the centreBrown outside, wet inside, and how to rescue the one you are holding.
- The caramel seizedIt is almost always fixable. The lump re-melts.
