This tasty apple cake, baked in a pie pan, will satisfy your cravings for apple pie without the fuss of dealing with a crust. Plus…there’s frosting, need I say more?!
Looks like a pie, tastes like a cake! I had never heard of Apple Pie Cake until I came across a recipe for it in an adorable-sized church cookbook given to me by a friend.
One may say “this sounds like cake” and they wouldn’t be wrong. However, when baked in a pie pan, the dessert takes on a double personality. Is it a cake? Is it a pie? There is no reason to pick a side, just go with it.
No matter the name, this recipe caught my attention for its short list of ingredients and an even shorter list of instructions that simply say, “mix ingredients in order and put in a greased 9″ pie pan. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.” I’ve made the cake a few times now and it really is that easy.
Apple Pie Cake can be made just as the recipe says without frosting, but I would highly recommend serving it warm with vanilla or salted maple ice cream (I am looking at you Trader Joe’s). You could also top the dessert with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of the glaze of your choice.
My favorite way to top Apple Pie Cake is with a slathering of Brown Sugar Frosting. It’s a vintage recipe that my husband’s grandmother Charlotte made to top various cakes such as her Tomato Soup Cake that she served to her ladies’ group friends (e.g., Garden Club, Homemakers Club) at her farmhouse near Roseau, Minn. I love the added sweetness and flavor combination that the frosting adds to the Apple Pie Cake and how it slightly hardens and gives the cake a pretty, subtle sheen.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not giving up on Apple Pie, but Apple Pie Cake is a nice option when you have a craving for the fall-forward flavors of apples and cinnamon but maybe don’t want to fuss with a pie crust or if you are just looking for yet one more way to enjoy the flavors of the season. It’s definitely a recipe I will be adding to my bucket list of fall bakes!