Apple Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting - This apple cake recipe is perfect for fall! Moist apple cake layered with peanut butter frosting and chocolate jimmies, garnished with fresh apple slices. Apples and peanut butter are meant to be together!
This month for the Peanut Butter Bash, we're pairing peanut butter and apple. I put together this apple cake with peanut butter frosting with my son in mind. Lucian loves apples and peanut butter. I can't lie, it's a favorite of mine too. I can do some damage to a jar of peanut butter with an apple.
I have to give a shout out to my amazing apple peanut butter crumble I made last year. It was deee-licious! I could eat that crumble all fall long. Let's be honest though. If it has peanut butter in it, I'm going to think it's the best recipe that's come down the pike. Especially desserts with peanut butter frosting. Smooth, creamy, sweet peanut butter frosting. It's the ticket to peanut butter dessert happiness.
How to Make Apple Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
The cake apple cake is incredibly moist. It's packed full of cinnamon and grated apple. You can definitely tell that there is apple in this cake. I wish I had a larger grater, but I just have a fine grater. When I grated the apples, I kept the juice and added it into the cake with the apple.
Moist Apple Cake Recipe and Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe
Apple Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups grated apples
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon . cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon . nutmeg
- 1 + ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoon . vanilla extract
- 3 + ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon . baking soda
- 1 teaspoon . baking powder
- ½ teaspoon . salt
Frosting
- 2 cups butter room temperature
- 1 + ⅓ cups smooth peanut butter
- 5 + ½ cups powdered sugar
- chocolate sprinkles for garnish
- 2 T . smooth peanut butter for garnish
- 1 apple sliced into 8 pieces, for garnish
- 1 T . lemon juice or 1 tsp. fruit fresh powder
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 4 8 inch pans with non-stick cooking spray. Dust each pan with 1 T. of flour. Tap out any excess and discard.
- Grate about 8 or 9 small green apples. You want enough to make 3 cups of apple. Don't drain off the juice.
- In a bowl, add in the granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
- Add in the vegetable oil and mix until incorporated.
- Add in the vanilla and one egg at a time until combined and then add the next until all of the eggs have been incorporated.
- Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low until incorporated.
- Add in the grated apple and mix on medium until combined.
- Divide the batter into the four pans.
- Place in the oven and let it bake for about 30 - 33 minutes or until they're done. Place a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out with moist crumbs or clean, the cake is done. If there is batter, let the cakes bake longer and check again.
- Flip the cakes out onto cooling racks and let cool completely.
Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, add in the butter and peanut butter. Mix on medium until incorporated.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined. Turn the mixer on high and let it beat for another two minutes.
- Add the first layer of cake and spread peanut butter frosting until it's evenly spread out.
- Add the next layer of cake and peanut butter frosting.
- Repeat with the next two layers of cake. Cover the cake with the frosting.
- Cover the bottom of the cake with the chocolate sprinkles.
- Add about ¾ cup of the frosting in a disposable piping bag with a star tip.
- Pipe 8 swirls on top of the cake.
- Heat up the 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave for about 25 seconds. Stir to make the peanut butter all fluid.
- Pour the peanut butter on top of the cake.
- Add the lemon juice or fruit fresh to each slice of the apples. That will prevent the apples from browning.
- Place the apples skin side up on each mound.
- Cut and serve.
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
We’ve had so many readers want to join us that we’ve started a peanut butter sharing group for all! Join us at The Peanut Butter Recipe Box on Facebook.
Bloggers, do you want to join in on the peanut butter bash fun? If so, email me at miranda@cookiedoughandovenmitt.com and request to join the Peanut Butter Bash facebook group! The first Thursday of each month we post a dessert/sweet with peanut butter and a mystery ingredient. This month’s ingredients were peanut butter and apple.
Here are the other peanut butter and apple dessert creations!
Peanut Butter Apple Pecan Cookies from Rebecca of Sugar & Soul
Peanut Butter and Apple Rice Pudding from Emma of Bake Then Eat
Apple Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting from Miranda of Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
Peanut Butter Apple Dump Cake from Gina of Kleinworth & Co.
Julie @ Tastes of Lizzy T says
This cake seriously couldn't be any prettier, Miranda! My kids eat peanut butter and apples all the time and would love this. It's perfect. Pinned, yummed and stumbled!
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
I adore apples and peanut butter together, so this cake is screaming to me!
Jelli says
This looks so scrummy! I want one piece, two...oh okay, so really I wanna cram that entire cake into my face. YUM!
darrielle tennenbaum says
this looks yummy!
Miranda says
Thank you!
Abby says
Your cake is beautiful! I love baking with apples, but I've never made a cake. This might be my first!
I’m hosting a link party over on my blog, and I’d love to have you link this up! http://winsteadwandering.com/alder-collective-link-party-no-2/
Diane Roark says
Your apple cake with peanut butter frosting looks so beautiful. I would love a piece. Thanks for linking up to Wonderful Wed. Blog Hop.
sharing
Blessings,
Diane
Jamie says
YUM - that looks amazing!! Perfect for the upcoming Fall parties! Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
Karly says
This cake is gorgeous! Thanks for linking up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
Pauline Molinari says
This looks amazingly delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your yummy recipe on the Monday Funday Party!
Tara @ Lehman Lane says
Your cake looks absolutely delicious! Pinning! Thank you for sharing your recipe @ Dream. Create. Inspire. Link. I hope you will join us again tomorrow night @ 8 EST. Take care, Tara
Kara says
Oh man, this looks amazing! The cake looks nice and dense, just like I like it. And that frosting- wow!
M E says
This looks beautiful, but 2 cups of butter in the frosting??? Some how I just can't imagine actually being able to eat it.
Miranda C. says
It does seem like a lot of butter but it is used throughout the entire cake. You won't be eating all the butter yourself, I promise!
Becca says
This cake looks amazing! I know this is an older post but anyone know if you can make this into cupcakes and they come out alright? I know not all cake recipes work well as cupcakes (too flat, etc) thanks!
Miranda C. says
Hi Becca- This cake recipe will work as cupcakes. It will make about 18 cupcakes, just reduce the cooking time to about 25 minutes. Enjoy!
Becca says
I know this is an older post but anyone know if this will work as cupcakes? Thanks! Wasn't sure if they would bake properly.
Miranda C. says
Hi Becca- This cake recipe will definitely work as cupcakes. It will make about 18 regular sized cupcakes. Hope this helps!
Isobel Mitton says
Your cake tasted yummy!! My best friend and i had fun making them. And they tasted sooooo gooood!! Thank you!!
Cynthia Hochhalter says
I added bourbon to the apple cake recipe. OMG, Delicious!
Laura says
Hi, do you know if o would be able to freeze the cooked cake without the frosting on it?
Thanks!
Miranda C. says
Yes you can definitely freeze the baked cake before frosting. Let the cake cool completely and then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to freeze. When you are ready to use it, thaw the cake at room temperature for about 2-3 hours and it will be as good as the day it was baked!