Name: Apple Spice Cake with Dehydrated Apples
Prep time: 2 h 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 3 h 5 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 ½ cup (270 g) brown sugar; ¾ cup (180 ml) vegetable oil; ¼ cup (60 ml) molasses; 4 eggs; ½ cup (120 ml) apple sauce; 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract; ½ cup (120 ml) water; 2 cups (240 g) flour; 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder; 1 tsp (5 ml) salt; 1 ½ tsp (7.5ml) ground cinnamon; 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) ground ginger; ½ tsp (2.5ml) ground cloves; ½ tsp (2.5 ml) nutmeg; 2 Honeycrisp Apples, sliced horizontally into slices; ¼ cup (48 g) whipped cream cheese; 1 tbsp (7 g) powdered sugar; 1 tsp vanilla; 1-2 tbsp (15-30ml) milk, or more to reach a pourable consistency

Jump to Recipe

This Apple Spice Cake Recipe with Dehydrated Apples is a wonderful fall dessert recipe that guests go nuts for. It's great for a special occasion like Thanksgiving or Christmas and when it comes to creating a spectacular looking cake, you can't beat a Bundt pan to help you get that WOW factor.

Seriously, folks these pans do all the work for you! If you don't have a bundt pan, but you do have a loaf pan, you can try my Pear Spice Cake. This is an equally delicious spice cake recipe that's a bit quicker and easier if you need something fast!

I'm using a pan from Nordic Ware, I think they make the best Bundt pans, their designs are just terrific! You can find this model known as a"Crown Pan" on Amazon (this link goes to Amazon where I am an affiliate partner)

WATCH MY APPLE SPICE CAKE VIDEO BELOW!

There is something so empowering about that very moment when you release the cake from the pan and you see a perfect design emerge! It's like magic! But be sure to grease it well with the baking spray! I find it works much better than butter, and for added insurance distribute the spray well with a pastry brush to get into all those nooks and crannies.

I like to decorate this cake with a cream cheese frosting and some rustic looking dehydrated apples. Which are much easier to make than you might think, and no need for any fancy dehydrator gadgets or machines. You can make these beautiful apples right in your oven!

How to Dehydrated Apples?

The first step for making dehydrated apples in your oven is to slice the apples very thinly. You'll get many slices from one apple. But not all will be created equal.

$Slicing apples into thin slices with a chef\'s knife on a cutting board$

Take the slices that are the thinnest, these work best for decoration since they will curl up as they dehydrate in the oven. Any apples that are too thick you should save those for snacking. The thick apples won't curl or look as pretty on the cake.

How Long Does it Take To Dehydrate Apples?

Place the apple slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place them in a 200F oven, for 2 hours. I know it does take time, but it really goes fast if you have other things to do around the house! (i.e laundry, bill paying, cleaning, etc)

At the 1 hour mark, flip the apple slices with some tongs. If you have them, use the rubber ended tongs, they will be more gentle with the apples which start to become a bit more fragile at this stage.

Then let the apples go for another hour in the oven and after their 2 hours in the oven, they will become dehydrated and curled.

Place the dehydrated apples on the counter to cool and completely dry out. They will have the most beautiful rustic charm to them. Perfect for cake decorating! I like to make between 6-8 apple slices for decorating on top of the cake.

This allows you to overlap the apples on the cake and assures that each slice of cake gets a decorative, dehydrated apple on the side.

Not only is this cake beautiful, but it's so delicious too! Incredibly moist and flavorful it's the perfect fall cake for Thanksgiving or holiday entertaining.

MORE TREATS FOR FALL

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS APPLE SPICE CAKE

LEAVE A RATING AND A REVIEW BELOW

THIS HELPS OTHERS FIND AND ENJOY THE RECIPE TOO!