Get your favorite apples together because, in this recipe, we’ll be showing you the best way to make homemade apple nut cake!
Our easy recipe is ready in under an hour and not only contains a fantastic amount of apples but is stuffed with nuts too. We’ve gone for walnuts and pecans in the recipe below, but rest assured, there are many more nutty options available to you.
Keep reading as we explain how to bake the best apple walnut cake with pecans!
How to make apple nut cake recipes from scratch
Learning how to make these recipes from scratch isn’t as challenging as it might first seem, even for a novice baker. There are only a few elements that go into this recipe, and we’ve broken everything down further below to make things clear.
This cake is essentially just a cake with apple added nuts. In this case, those nuts are walnuts and pecans. You need to whip up a cake batter, use an apple peeler to prepare your cooking apples, then mix both the fruit and nuts into the cake batter before baking.
As you can see, the main elements for this apple walnut cake with pecans are the cake batter, the apples, and finally, the nuts. Get these prepared, and then let the oven do the baking!
Let’s take a look at the major components of our apple walnut cake recipe in more detail.
Cake batter
If you’re new to baking, then the scariest part about any cake recipe is mixing up the cake batter. With a little practice and some good whisking, it’s not actually as scary as it looks!
Follow the quantities and steps in the recipe below, and you’ll have no problem. The batter itself consists of eggs, flour, sugar, and baking powder (to make the cake rise). It needs a little oil, and we flavor it with vanilla extract, cinnamon, and a dash of salt.
Our recipe results in a soft, spongy cake that’s perfect for that morning coffee break, or that works wonderfully as an after-dinner dessert with a large scoop of ice cream.
Apples
You can’t have this deliciousness without the apples - otherwise, you’d just have a nut cake! As with all baked dishes that call for apples, we highly recommend using cooking apples. These are always the best apples for baking, and they are widely available in stores. Cooking apples offer a much tougher texture that holds its shape under high heat, rather than simply turning to mush as snacking apples do.
Our favorite cooking apples are the classic Granny Smith apples, but there are other types too. Granny Smith apples are rather tart and bitter, but this complements the sugar and cinnamon very well. If you have much more of a sweet tooth, though, then feel free to try cooking with sweeter red apples such as the Red Delicious or Honeycrisp, alongside the Granny Smith.
Nuts
And without the nuts, this would just be an apple cake! This is the part of the recipe where you have much more choice.
An apple walnut cake is an obvious choice because walnuts complement apple and cinnamon particularly well. We like to throw in an equal number of pecans, too, to add another nutty element. You can pick from either or use both. It’s possible to also try almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias, and pistachios.
As well as nuts, this recipe goes well with dried fruit. An apple raisin cake is delicious, while it’s easy to cook with a few dried apricots to add another level of fruitiness to the finished apple pound cake.
Toppings
And of course, we can’t forget the toppings either. This cake can be served warm or cold, and it can be spiced up with a few of the following toppings:
- Ice cream
- Whipped cream
- Heavy cream
- Icing sugar
- Applesauce
- Caramel sauce
- Maple syrup
- Custard
Apple cake with walnuts and pecans recipe
The following recipe prepares 1 large apple nut cake with walnuts and pecans that can be split into 10-15 slices/servings.
Ingredients
- 5 large apples
- ½ c of chopped walnuts
- ½ c of chopped pecans
- 3 large eggs
- 2 c of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 ¾ c of sugar
- 1 c of olive oil
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 tsp of cinnamon powder
- Dash of salt
Directions
- Start this recipe by preheating your oven to 350°F before greasing up a 9 x 13-inch deep baking dish.
- Next, make sure that all of your nuts have been chopped, and all of your cooking apples have been peeled, cored, then chopped into bite-sized chunks. You can mix them all together in a mixing bowl and set them to one side.
- Now we can prepare the cake batter. First, mix together the ‘wet’ ingredients. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add olive oil and vanilla extract. Whisk together with the sugar until everything is well-combined.
- In a different mixing bowl, measure out the ‘dry’ ingredients. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon powder with a dash of salt until well-combined.
- Now pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixing bowl, and slowly mix the two until combined (you don’t need to whisk, just mix).
- When you’re happy, slowly fold the apple and nut mixture into the cake batter and stir until well-mixed. Pour the batter into your greased baking dish, then place it into the preheated oven.
- Leave it to bake for 35 mins. You can check if the cake is cooked through by performing the toothpick test. Place a toothpick into the cake, and if it comes back out clean, then your cake is ready to go!
- Once cooked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 10 mins before serving!
Store the cake at room temperature in a resealable container. It will last at least 5 days when it’s kept sealed!
The last word
Our recipe has come to an end, so that means it must be time for you to start baking your cake at home!
This wonderful recipe is a great variation on the classic apple cake, offering the same sweet softness with the added bonus of walnuts and pecans.
We enjoy ours with a big scoop of ice cream, but we’ll let you decide how to serve this delicious treat. If you’re looking for new apple desserts to bake, then why not try our cake with walnuts and pecans recipe?