September 4, 2026

Moist Apple Spice Cake With Cream Cheese Glaze

Name: Apple Spice Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 3 large eggs; 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder (optional); 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and coarsely shredded (about 3 1/2 cups); 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional); 4 oz cream cheese, softened; 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 to 2 tbsp milk

Apple spice cake slice with baked apple on a dark plate

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This apple spice cake is a moist, oil-based 9×13 cake made with three shredded fresh apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, then finished with a thin cream cheese glaze. It takes 20 minutes to mix, 35 to 40 minutes to bake at 350°F, and about 1 1/2 hours to cool before glazing, so plan on 2 hours 40 minutes from start to slicing.

Quick answer

Whisk 2 cups flour with 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk 3/4 cup oil, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3 eggs, stir in the dry mix, then fold in 3 shredded apples. Bake in a greased 9×13 pan at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, cool completely, and glaze with 4 oz cream cheese beaten with 1 cup powdered sugar.

Apple Spice Cake

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Prep: 20 minCook: 40 minCool + glaze: 1 hr 40 minTotal: 2 hr 40 minYield: 12 servings

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Table of Contents

Apple Spice Cake Ingredients

For the cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder (optional)
3 medium apples, peeled, cored and coarsely shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

For the cream cheese glaze

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tbsp milk

How to Make Apple Spice Cake

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla bean powder, if using, until smooth.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no dry flour remains.
Fold in the shredded apples with their juice, and the nuts if using. The batter will be thick.
Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top springs back and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely in the pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar and enough milk to make a thick, pourable glaze.
Spread or drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and let it set for 10 minutes before cutting into 12 pieces.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 of 12) (estimated)

Calories: 410
Total fat: 18 g
Saturated fat: 3.5 g
Cholesterol: 55 mg
Sodium: 310 mg
Carbohydrates: 57 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugar: 40 g
Protein: 5 g

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy values for all-purpose flour, spices, baking soda, salt, canola oil (FDC 172336), sugars, eggs, peeled raw apples (FDC 171689), cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk. The optional nuts and vanilla bean powder are not included; 1/2 cup walnuts adds about 30 calories per piece.

Why Shredded Apples Make a Moister Apple Spice Cake

Diced apples stay in chunks and leave wet pockets around them. Shredded apples break down as the cake bakes and spread their juice through the whole crumb, so every bite of apple spice cake is evenly moist and the cake slices cleanly. Keep the juice that collects in the bowl after shredding; it is part of the liquid the batter needs.

Oil is the other reason this apple spice cake stays soft for days. Butter firms up as it cools, especially in the fridge, while oil stays liquid, so an oil cake feels tender even straight from the refrigerator.

Best Apples for Apple Spice Cake

Apple	Texture after baking	Flavor in the cake
Granny Smith	Holds a little shape	Tart, balances the sweet glaze
Honeycrisp	Soft but not mushy	Sweet-tart and juicy
Gala or Fuji	Very soft, melts in	Mild and sweet
A mix of tart and sweet	Even and moist	The most rounded apple flavor

Any firm eating apple works. Weigh about 1 lb of whole apples if yours are large or small.

The Spice Blend

Two teaspoons of cinnamon carry the flavor, while nutmeg and a small amount of cloves make it taste like spice cake rather than cinnamon cake. Cloves are strong, so keep them to 1/4 teaspoon. If you have pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice, use 3 teaspoons of either in place of all three spices.

How to Tell When the Cake Is Done

Start checking at 35 minutes. The top should be deep golden, spring back when pressed lightly in the middle, and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. A toothpick in the center should come out with no wet batter. Because the batter holds so much apple, an underbaked apple spice cake can look done at the edges but stay gummy in the middle, so test the center, not the corner.

Apple Spice Cake Variations

Bundt cake: bake in a well-greased 10-cup bundt pan for 50 to 60 minutes, then cool 15 minutes before turning out.
Cupcakes: fill 24 lined muffin cups two-thirds full and bake for 18 to 22 minutes.
No glaze: dust with powdered sugar, or serve warm with whipped cream.
Brown sugar glaze: simmer 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tbsp milk for 1 minute and pour over the warm cake.

How to Store Apple Spice Cake

Because the glaze is made with cream cheese, keep the glazed apple spice cake covered in the refrigerator and eat it within 3 to 4 days. Don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours, the limit FoodSafety.gov gives for perishable foods. To freeze, wrap the unglazed cake (whole or in squares) and freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge and glaze before serving.

For a fall dessert table, serve it with our mini pumpkin cheesecakes or a gluten-free pumpkin loaf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to peel the apples for apple spice cake?

Peeling gives the smoothest crumb. Unpeeled apples work, but the shredded peel stays a little chewy.

Can I use applesauce instead of shredded apples?

Not as a straight swap. Applesauce is wetter and makes a denser cake; shredded fresh apples are what give this recipe its texture.

Can I make apple spice cake ahead?

Yes. Bake it a day ahead, keep it covered at room temperature unglazed, and add the glaze the day you serve it. Once glazed, refrigerate it.

Why did my apple spice cake sink in the middle?

It was underbaked or the oven ran cool. Bake until a toothpick in the very center comes out clean, and check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer.