Apple Cranberry Pecan Cake is one of my absolute favorite desserts. It lands somewhere between an apple pie, a quick bread, and a cake. It has a moist interior with a slightly crispy exterior.
If you have some extra apples hanging around your house, this is a super easy recipe to whip up. We tend to have Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apples in our house, which are pretty different apples, but I would say the result is equally delicious either way.
What you need to make Apple Cranberry Pecan Cake:
Equipment:
- 9"x13" baking pan
- 2 large bowls
- stand mixer or wooden spoon
Produce:
- 6-8 apples (chopped)
Dairy:
- 2 eggs
- 1 stick butter (plus enough to grease the pan)
- 2 tablespoon cream
Pantry:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pecans
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Both a 9"x13" and a round 10" cake pan work great for this recipe.
When using the 9"x13" I heavily grease the pan with butter and I cut the peices in to squares when its time to serve.
For the 10" round cake pan I line the pan with parchment paper. Start by tracing the cake pan with a pencil and than cut the paper to fit the bottom and sides of the pan. Lightly grease the cake pan to help keep the parchement paper in place as needed.
While Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apples have pretty different flavors they both have a crisp texture which holds up well for this cake.
80 minutes at 350F. I like to set the timer for 70 minutes and check by sliding a sharp knife in to the center. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, I return it to the oven checking in 5 minutes increments.
Yes, of course! It will still be delicious.
Instructions
Start by preheating your oven to 350F.
Generously grease the baking pan with butter if using a 9"x13". If using a 10" round pan I like to line the pan with parchment paper in addition to the butter. Place the pan on the parchment paper and trace it with a pencil. Then, cut the paper to fit the bottom and sides of the pan. Use a little soft butter to help keep the parchment paper in place as needed.
Chop the apples into ½ inch cubes. Don't worry about peeling the apples. It gives the cake a little color and texture and since the cake takes a full 80 minutes to bake, the apple skin softens enough to not be tough.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and set aside. Melt the butter. In a large bowl combine the melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Then, add in the cream and mix thoroughly.
Substitution Note: Normally I only have half-and-half for coffee in my house so I use that. But if it’s around the holidays, and I happen to have whipping cream or heavy cream, it adds another layer of decadence to this dish.
Once the wet ingredients are fully combined, add the dry ingredients one cup at a time and stir with each round. This batter is going to be super thick, so go ahead and use a stand mixer if you have one handy. If you don’t have a stand mixer and are using a spoon or fork don’t be afraid to abandon your utensils and just use your hands to combine the ingredients.
The final touch is adding the apple, whole pecans, and dried cranberries. Combine the mixture thoroughly. Again, this is going to be pretty thick so it might take a minute or two to get the fruit and nuts fully combined.
Once the pecans, dried cranberries, and apples are fully incorporated, spoon the mixture into your greased 9"×13″ pan. Place in the 350F oven for 80 minutes.
Let the Apple Cranberry Pecan Cake cool off for about 30 minutes before serving. The top is going to have a slightly caramelized crust so I suggest using a serrated knife to slice into it.
This cake will hold up in the refrigerator for a couple of days if you happen to have that much self-control. In our house, it rarely lasts an hour.
If you like this Apple Cranberry Pecan Cake check out these Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Cranberry Orange Pecan Muffins recipes.
Recipe
Apple Cranberry Pecan Cake
Equipment
- 1 9x13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 2½ lb Apples (chopped) (about 6-8 apples)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup pecans
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon cream
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 stick butter (melted)
- 2 tablespoon butter (softend) to grease the pan
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheating your oven to 350 and generously greasing baking pan with butter.
- Chop the apples into ½ inch cubes.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl and put them aside.
- In a larger bowl gently mix together the melted butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and cream.
- Once the wet ingredients are fully combined add the dry ingredients one cup at a time.
- Add the apple, whole pecans, and dried cranberrries and combined them thoroughly.
- Spoon the mixture into your pan. Place in the oven for 80 minutes.
Tammy says
This application is absolutely outrageous!!! Packed with apples, it also has a delicious sugary crust.
Clara says
This recipe is outstanding. I’m not sure I knew what to expect but it really is some combination of cake and apple pie. I’m definitely bringing this to Thanksgiving dinner.