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This small apple cake has a crisp, golden top and a soft, buttery crumb spiced with cinnamon and packed with chopped apple. It’s made from scratch with one medium apple and sized for one or two.
Featured Comment
“I made this for my husband and I. He loved this cake! His is very picky about apple desserts. Thank you for this recipe. I will be making this again.”
– Michelle
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 to 45 minutes
- Cool Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 60 to 65 minutes
- Equipment: 5×5-inch baking dish
- Cook Method: Oven baked
- Servings: 1 to 2
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Buttery and sweet with warm cinnamon and nutmeg, bright apple flavor, and a moist texture throughout.
While it bakes, this little apple cake fills your kitchen with the smell of apples and cinnamon, and the first forkful cracks through the top into warm cake and tender pieces of apple.
Why You’ll Love This Small Apple Cake
This mini apple cake is a moist, old-fashioned butter cake with pieces of apple throughout. I serve it warm from the dish with a dusting of powdered sugar, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top. It cuts into 4 squares, so it’s an apple cake for two or dessert for one over a couple of days.
It’s made from scratch, and it uses real butter where many apple cakes you’ll find online use oil. That butter is where the rich flavor comes from.
In the fall, I buy my apples from the orchards around Hendersonville, North Carolina, where I live. Whatever variety I bring home goes into this cake, since any apple you like to eat works here, whether it’s a tart Granny Smith or a sweeter Honeycrisp. I peel and chop the apple, so there’s no chewy peel in the way.
For more apple desserts made for one, try my apple crisp for one or mini Dutch apple pie. For another small cake, bake a mini spice cake or mini blueberry coffee cake.
Ingredients
Everything for this small batch apple cake might already in your kitchen. For ways to use any leftover ingredients, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
Apple: One medium apple gives you the 1 cup chopped apple this cake calls for, so there’s no half an apple left in the fridge. If you’ve got extra apples, use them in small batch morning glory muffins or single serve apple pie oatmeal.
Salted butter: We use salted butter, plus a little extra to grease the dish. If you only have unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt to the dry ingredients.
Granulated sugar: Sugar sweetens the cake. Creaming it with the butter until fluffy is what gives the crumb its smooth, even texture.
Egg: One large egg binds the batter and adds richness.
Lemon juice: A little lemon juice brightens the apple flavor. Use the rest of the lemon in a mini lemon cake.
Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla adds a warm background note behind the apple and spices.
All-purpose flour: Flour gives the cake its structure. For gluten-free, use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend.
Cinnamon and nutmeg: Cinnamon is the main spice here, and a smaller amount of nutmeg adds a warm, slightly sweet note behind it.
Baking powder: Baking powder is the only thing that makes this cake rise, so make sure yours is fresh. To test it, stir ¼ teaspoon into ½ cup of hot water. If it bubbles right away, it’s still good.
Salt: A small amount of salt balances the sweetness of the cake.
Milk: Milk adds moisture and thins the batter. Whole milk is best, and almond or oat milk also work.
Powdered sugar: This is optional. I like to add a light dusting over the top of the cooled cake.
Recipe Variations
These swaps change the size or flavor of this apple cake, including single serve apple cakes baked in ramekins.
Mini Apple Cakes In Ramekins
Divide the batter between 2 buttered 10-ounce ramekins and set them on a rimmed baking sheet. Start checking at 30 minutes. They’re done when the tops are golden and a knife in the center comes out clean. You get 2 individual apple cakes.
Double The Small Apple Cake Recipe
Double every ingredient and bake in a buttered 6×8-inch baking dish at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
Apple Pear Cake
Use ½ cup chopped apple and ½ cup chopped pear in place of the full cup of apple. Pick a pear that’s ripe but still firm, like Bosc or Anjou, so the pieces hold their shape as the cake bakes. Peel it and chop it the same size as the apple so everything bakes evenly. Use the rest of the pear in a pear clafoutis for one.
Apple Walnut Cake
Fold ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter along with the apple. For deeper flavor, toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they smell nutty, and let them cool before adding them. Chop them about the same size as the apple so you get a little crunch in every bite.
Extra Spice
Add a pinch of ground cloves or cardamom to the dry ingredients along with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Cloves push the flavor toward a warm spice cake, and cardamom adds a lighter, slightly floral note.
How To Make A Mini Apple Cake
Follow these step-by-step photos to make this easy apple cake from scratch. See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full instructions.
Before you Begin: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly butter a 5×5-inch baking dish and set it on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.
- Add the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat until fully combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time, mixing just until no dry flour remains.
- Add the milk and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Fold in the chopped apple with a rubber spatula until the pieces are spread evenly through the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top with the spatula.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the dish for 10 minutes.
- Serve it straight from the dish, or run a knife around the edges and turn it out onto a plate.
- Dust with powdered sugar, if you like.
Expert Tips
Soften the butter first. Set the butter on the counter for 30 minutes before you start, so it’s soft enough to cream smoothly with the sugar.
Spoon and level the flour. Spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
Chop the apple into ½-inch pieces. Keep the pieces about the same size so they bake evenly.
Mix gently once the flour goes in. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, and stop as soon as no dry flour remains.
Use a 5×5-inch baking dish. A larger dish spreads the batter thinner, so the cake bakes faster and can dry out. If you use a different size, start checking early.
Start checking at 40 minutes. Ovens vary, so test with a knife in the center. It’s done when the knife comes out clean. If the top is browning before the middle is set, tent it loosely with foil.
Let it cool before cutting. Give it the full 10 minutes in the dish so the cake sets and cuts into clean squares.
Troubleshooting
If your mini apple cake recipe comes out dense, dry, or wet in the middle, one small change will usually fix it next time.
Why is my apple cake dense?
The most common cause of a dense apple cake is overmixing after the flour goes in, which builds gluten and makes the crumb heavy. Packed flour and old baking powder can also weigh it down. Stir just until no dry flour remains, and test your baking powder if the container has been open a while.
Why is my apple cake dry?
A dry apple cake is usually overbaked or made with too much flour. Scooping flour straight from the bag packs extra into the cup. Spoon the flour in and level it off, and start checking the cake at 40 minutes.
Why is my apple cake wet in the middle?
A wet middle means the cake is underbaked. Keep baking until a knife in the center comes out clean, even if it takes the full 45 minutes. If it happens every time, your oven may run cool, and an oven thermometer will tell you.
What To Serve With Apple Cake
Besides a dusting of powdered sugar, you can serve the cake with a topping or a hot drink on the side.
- Caramel sauce: Drizzle warm homemade caramel over each square.
- Whipped cream: Top a warm square with a spoonful of fresh whipped cream.
- Butter pecan ice cream: A scoop of butter pecan ice cream goes well with the apple and cinnamon.
- Mulled cider: Pour a mug of mulled cider to sip alongside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any apple you like to eat works in apple cake, including tart Granny Smith and sweeter Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious. The variety changes the flavor a little, so pick the one you like best.
Yes, peel the apples for this apple cake. Peeled pieces bake soft and blend into the cake, and there’s no chewy peel in the way.
Apple cake doesn’t need to be refrigerated if you’ll eat it within 2 days. Cover it and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Warm a square briefly in the microwave if you like it warm.
Yes, apple cake freezes well for up to 2 months. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, then put it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw it at room temperature before serving.
You need 1 medium apple for this small apple cake. One medium apple gives you the 1 cup of chopped apple the recipe calls for.
A 5×5-inch baking dish that’s 1¾ inches deep is the right size for this cake, and it holds about 1½ cups. A 4×6-inch dish also works, or you can bake the batter in two 10-ounce ramekins.
This mini apple cake serves 1 to 2 people. It cuts into 4 squares, so two people can share it, or one person can have it over a couple of days.
More Mini Cake Recipes
For more cakes sized for one or two, browse all of our mini cake recipes.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small apple cake recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small apple cake recipe, please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Mini Apple Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter – plus ½ tablespoon more for greasing the baking dish
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup chopped apples
- powdered sugar, optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Lightly butter a 5×5-inch baking dish and set it on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until light in color and fluffy.
- Add the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat until fully combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture a little at a time, mixing just until no dry flour remains.
- Add the milk and mix until the batter is smooth.
- Fold in the chopped apple with a rubber spatula until the pieces are spread evenly through the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish and smooth the top with the spatula.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the dish for 10 minutes.
- Serve it from the dish, or run a knife around the edges and turn it out onto a plate.
- Dust with powdered sugar, if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Can the Mini Apple Cake be frozen
Yes, it freezes well. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer safe bag or container. It keeps for up to 2 months, and you can thaw it at room temperature before serving.
this sounds so yummy! I am going to need a much larger recipe box just for your recipes! I live alone and on a health related diet and no raw apples. This will be so perfect.
This made me smile. I hope it earns a spot in that recipe box, and I’m so glad it’s a good fit for you.
It’s an awesome cake but seems to be dense? Is there anyway to lighten the crumb a bit? Flavor is awesome. I always enjoy your recipes. Thank you for your help in this matter
Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor! The cake should be soft and moist, not heavy. A denser crumb can happen if the flour is packed into the measuring cup, the batter is overmixed, or the cake is baked a little too long. For a lighter texture, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off, mix just until the ingredients are combined, and check the cake a few minutes early. Also, be sure your baking powder is fresh, since it helps the cake rise properly.
This is such a delicious dessert and doesn’t take all that long to make. It smells divine whilst cooking. A great recipe! Thank you Joanie.
So glad you enjoyed the apple cake! The smell while it bakes really is one of the best parts. Thanks so much for the kind words.
Your mini apple cake is delicious! My husband loved it. And it was just the right size. I will definitely be making this again. 😀
Just made this and I’ve got to say it’s amazing. I will be making it again.
Thank you for the recipe.
Absolutely love all your recipes. So easy to follow
Thank you!
I made this for my husband and I. He loved this cake! His is very picky about apple desserts. Thank you for this recipe. I will be making this again.
I made a double batch in an effort to use up some small bits and pieces of ingredients. My husband loves this one! It’s especially delicious warmed a bit in the oven or air fryer.
Absolutely delicious! I used apples from a neighbor’s tree, which are firm & tart. Added a touch of dark brown sugar, cardamom, & cloves. The apartment smells like fall! Thanks for another hit, Joanie!
This mini apple cake was wonderful. I’ll make that many times.♥️♥️♥️
This has got to be one of the best cakes I’ve made. I did substitute brown sugar( not packed) for 1 cup (I doubled the recipe) of the sugar. The top is crunchy, the cake itself is so moist and it is really delicious. I am now looking forward to trying more desserts from the website.
Thank you!
Great recipe.
Thanks so much!