Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Nani’s Apple Cake Recipe
My Nani was my best friend. She was my maternal grandmother who was also like a mother to me. We spent a lot of time together, cooking, traveling, going to library events (oh, how she loved to read!) visiting friends and family and so much more. When you have someone like that in your life, it all but feels devastating when you lose them.
The most moist apple cake recipe
The day she died, HGTV was at my house filming me for a show and it quickly became one of the best and the worst days of my life. I am so grateful to have had someone in my life that loved me as much as she did and as I sit and write this, I know she is still by my side, sending love and support from the spirit world.
Cored and peeled apples
It was at Nani’s house that I felt like I could truly be my creative self. I created for hours and hours in a make-believe kitchen at her home that was only a child’s cabinet that my grandfather had painted white and added animal stickers to it for my mom when she was a kid.
Opening that cabinet was like opening a door to pure fun. It was filled with things I could be creative with. I mostly had it stocked with toy cooking sets, clay and dry “shelly” beans in the cabinet and I loved to “cook up” creations for my Nani and Paw-Paw to “taste”. My sister created with me. Her specialty was “candy roses” which were just clay roses.
I used an apple corer/peeler to make the recipe go faster
I created a menu for my faux kitchen café called “Around The World Café” out of a teacher’s grade and lesson plan book, as my Nani was a teacher assistant and always brought home teacher related items for us to play with. I still have that menu. My love of cooking and baking stemmed from my time at my grandparent’s house and I am ever so grateful that they gave me the time and space to explore that talent I had within my soul.
I used a food chopper to chop my walnuts into small pieces
I played with pretend food until I was old enough to cook and bake for real. My Nani and her sister Sophia included me in on making lots of delicious recipes like Strawberry freezer jam, layered jello treats, plum dumplings and more. I worked my way through many cookbooks on my own like the Betty Crocker cookbook and more.
My latest Apple Cake recipe creation is inspired by all my years cooking and baking as a child, my Nani’s love of a perfect apple and my future move to Georgia. After going through one of the worst hurricanes to hit Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, my husband and I will be moving to the beautiful mountains of North Georgia in the near future.
Folding in the apples is just gently stirring them into the batter
The hurricane itself was terrible, and with the Sanibel Causeway being destroyed during the storm (it’s the only road leading to our home on Sanibel Island), we are SO GRATEFUL we made the decision to evacuate.
I felt my Nani’s strong spirit with me as I was able to calmly pack up many items for my husband, myself and my pets. Her strength, her laugh, and her love (even in the spirit world) has been one of the only things that helped me get through the traumatic event. That and the love and support of my family, friends and my online community, as well as my creative talents.
I grease a pan with a paper towel to keep my hands clean
In the past year, we have had to deal with a lot of hurricane related repairs, insurance, lawyers and more and using my creative talents to create things like this apple cake recipe for others to create on their own has helped my brain and heart in so many ways.
During the year post Hurricane Ian, I created many cute cake ideas, like Vincent Van Gogh Sunflower cupcakes. Sunflowers randomy came up everywhere all over Sanibel Island post Hurricane Ian, so I used that as happy and hopeful inspiration. See me make them in my one minute video tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
My artistic talents have helped me cope with many of my life tragedies. It’s interesting that you can create such beautiful and great things out of so much pain. The weekend after my Nani died in November 2006, I had to create a giant wedding cake for a friend, and I put all my pain into that cake and it turned out perfect and gorgeous.
Spooning the apple cake batter into the bundt pan
I decided to make an apple cake recipe because where we plan to move, North Georgia, has many apple farms. Many know Georgia as the peach state, but they also have a lot of apple orchards. My Nani loved apples and taught me how to pick the very best ones.
When I grocery shopped for her as she aged, I had to make sure I brought home the perfect ones for her. Apples that didn’t smell good or had a lot of bruises were not to be purchased. She was incredibly picky about her produce, and I am now the same as an adult.
I use a sheet pan under my bundt cake pan in case of spills
My Nani loved a delicious dessert, and this apple cake would have been one of her favorites so I aptly named it after her. She loved a good lemon bar too, so maybe that’s in my future recipe creations. It is made in a bundt pan, has just the right amount of sugar and spices and is SO MOIST! The apples give it the extra moisture it needs to be mouthwateringly delicious. I used Granny Smith apples to give it a good sweet and tarte taste.
The baked apple cake
I know if Nani was still alive, she’d ask me to make this cake over and over again. I think if you make this recipe, those you love and share this cake with will do the same. In making this recipe, I actually feel like I’m keeping her spirit alive, which warms my heart. The cake actually comes together pretty quickly and easily when you use an apple corer/peeler tool like I did. Read on to learn how to make Nani’s Apple Cake recipe.
The glazed apple cake
Nani’s Apple Cake Recipe
Recipe by Carolyn J. Braden
Originally created and posted 11/14/2023
Suggested Tools: apple peeler/corer, bundt pan (9.51 or 10 inch., also called a fluted or tube pan), knife, spatula, paper towels, baking sheet pan, mixer, mixing bowls, sifter, food chopper, measuring spoons, shortening or butter (for greasing the pan), small saucepan, cake plate or stand
Makes 20 servings
Time to Create: 30 minutes prep, 1 1/4 hour to bake
The moistest apple cake recipe!
Here’s a one minute video that shows me making Nani’s Apple Cake. Watch it here or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
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Cake Ingredients:
1 ½ cups avocado oil
1 ½ cups granulated sugar (I used a fine sugar cane sugar)
½ cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups peeled and chopped tart fresh apples (I used 3 large granny smith apples)
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla
Glaze Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (I used a fine sugar cane sugar)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla
How To:
Peel and core the apples, then slice into small chunks. Set aside. (If they brown a little, it will not hurt the cake, or else you can sprinkle them with a touch of lemon juice to prevent browning).
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees (F).
To a large mixing bowl (I used a KitchenAid stand mixer for this), add the avocado oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Blend well on a low speed until smooth.
Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, blending on a low speed until fully combined. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the flour baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add this mixture to the egg mixture and blend on a low speed until fully combined.
Using a spatula, fold in the chopped apples, chopped walnuts and the vanilla.
Grease a bundt pan with a little butter or shortening and spoon the batter into it. Place the pan in the oven (I place mine on a baking sheet before placing it in the oven in case of spills, though the batter is very thick).
Bake for 1 ¼ hours, or until the cake tester comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to set for 20 minutes (timing is key here!).
While the cake is resting prepare the glaze: Combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream and vanilla in small saucepan. Allow it to melt all together on a medium-low heat setting, stirring occasionally. After it’s melted, remove from the heat.
Invert the cake pan onto a cake plate at the 20-minute mark (in my testing, allowing it to fully cool before removing it from the pan may cause it to not all come out in one piece!)
Pour the glaze onto the warm cake and serve!
See Recipe Tips and Tricks Below!
My Nani would have loved this apple cake!
Tips and Tricks:
I use a paper towel dipped in shortening to grease a cake pan. It helps keep your hands clean.
Because this cake is very moist, I stored leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, so it would not mold. Because my husband and I were the ones doing the testing of this recipe, we were able to keep the cake tasting fresh for about a week when stored in the refrigerator!
We used granny smith apples, but another tart apple would work
A basic bundt pan works best for this apple filled cake. In one test I used a design style bundt pan and the apples prevented the design from being seen.
I used avocado oil, but any mild flavored/high heat type of oil would work.
You can omit the nuts without sacrificing too much flavor. The nuts merely add a nice texture.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.