Quick Apple Cake

Quick apple cake is an apple dump cake from scratch – fresh shredded apples, no cake mix, no eggs, and no batter to mix. You layer the dry ingredients with the apples in the pan, and the apple juice turns the dry mix into cake as it bakes. It comes out soft, juicy, and packed with apple, and all the work fits in the time the oven takes to preheat.

For more apple baking, try my 4-ingredient sharlotka, apple coffee cake with streusel, or apple upside down cake.

I came across this recipe a while ago, and the way it comes together was so intriguing I had to try it. I could not believe it actually worked – and for something this quick, it is an amazing apple cake. Where I come from, this style of layered Ukrainian apple pirog (nasypnyi, or “bulk” pie) is an old weeknight shortcut. It will not win a baking competition, but for about 15 minutes of effort it is exactly what you want with hot tea.

Ingredients for the Quick Apple Cake

Only a few ingredients, most already in your kitchen. The dry mix is easy to remember: 1 cup each of flour, semolina and sugar, plus 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Here is what each one does (full amounts are in the recipe card below):

• Apples – shredded, juice and all. The juice IS the liquid in this cake, so the juicier the apples, the better. Go tart – sweet apples make a bland cake. If sweet is all you have, add a squeeze of lemon juice to each apple layer (varieties in the FAQ below).
• All-purpose flour + semolina – the dry base that becomes cake. Semolina (coarsely ground wheat) is the one thing you might not have. Look in the bulk section of most grocery stores. It gives the layers a tender, slightly rustic crumb. Measure the flour my way: fluff it up, scoop with the cup, scrape the top level, about 150 g a cup. Packed flour matters more here than in most cakes. There is no batter for extra flour to hide in, so it shows up later as a dry floury pocket.
• Sugar – sweetens the dry mix so every layer is seasoned.
• Baking powder – gives the lift, since there are no eggs or creamed butter to do it.
• Butter, cold – shredded over the top. Straight from the fridge works, and frozen shreds even easier. Either is fine.
• Cinnamon – optional, a pinch over each apple layer. I usually skip it, but it makes the cake taste more like apple pie.
• Powdered sugar + lemon juice – a two-ingredient glaze for the cooled cake. Optional, but the lemon brightens all that baked apple.

How to Make Quick Apple Cake (Step-by-Step)

There are only a few steps, and the layering is the only part that needs any care:

1. Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, semolina, sugar, and baking powder in one bowl. Blend evenly, since you will not stir it again.
   💡 TIP: Doubling the recipe? Keep the first batch of baking powder in full, then add only three-quarters of it for the second batch. Baking powder does not double well – a fully doubled amount makes the cake rise more than it should.
2. Shred the apples. Use the large holes of a box grater, and keep all the juice.
3. Layer. In a parchment-lined pan, alternate dry mix and shredded apples, starting and finishing with a dry layer. If you are using cinnamon, add a pinch over each apple layer. Do not press the dry layers down – loose layers soak evenly. Then shred the cold butter straight over the top dry layer, right before the pan goes in the oven, so it stays cold and shreds instead of smearing.
   💡 TIP: Changing the pan? In an 8-inch round, the cake stands about 3 inches tall. In a 9×12-inch pan, it bakes up shorter, more like apple cake bars. Keep it to 3 dry layers and 2 apple layers, and check at 35-40 minutes.
4. Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. You are looking for a top that is evenly golden and puffed in the middle. To be sure, push an instant-read thermometer into the center – it should read 200-210°F. The apple juice needs the full time to turn those dry layers into cake – pull it early, and you will find floury pockets.
   
   💡 TIP: If the top browns before 50 minutes, tent it loosely with foil and keep baking. If it is still pale at 60, give it 5-10 more minutes. Most home ovens run about 25°F off the dial, so an oven thermometer on the rack will tell you what yours is really doing.
5. Glaze. Stir powdered sugar and lemon juice together and drizzle over the cooled cake – on a warm cake, the glaze melts and disappears.

Ways to Serve It

With hot tea, the way it is meant to be. Or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real dessert. A dollop of sweetened sour cream is the Eastern European way – stir in a little sugar and a splash of vanilla extract or emulsion, and try it once and you will see. A drizzle of caramel sauce over a warm slice works here too.

In apple season, we pair it with a mug of hot Apple Compote – yes, apples with a side of apples.

More Apple Desserts to Try

When the apple haul is big, keep going:

• Easy Apple Sharlotka – the 4-ingredient apple cake of every post-Soviet childhood.
• Apple Coffee Cake with Streusel – for when you want a proper crumb topping.
• Upside Down Apple Cake – caramelized apples, zero fuss.
• Apple Caramel Hand Pies – pocket-size apple pie.
• Apple Tarte Tatin – the fancy French cousin.

Now go grab the shredder – the full apple dump cake recipe with amounts is right below. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

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Quick Apple Cake

5 from 8 votes

Quick Apple Cake is a version of the Apple Dump Cake where the dry ingredients are layered with shredded apples before being baked together into a layer apple cake. This is the perfect fall coffee cake that's quick, easy and tastes perfect with a cup of hot tea after on busy weeknight.

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Russian

Keyword: apple cake

Calories: 293 kcal

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients for Apple Cake

• 1 cup sugar, granulated
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semolina (манная крупа)
• 1 tbsp baking powder

Topping for the Apple Dump Cake

• 4 oz butter, unsalted

Apple Cake Filling

• 9 apples, peeled
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1/4 cup caramel topping (optional)

Lemon Glaze (optional)

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp lemon juice

Tools

• 8-inch round spring form
• Parchment Paper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep for the Apple Dump Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, with the baking rack in the middle. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch springform with parchment paper or foil. If lining with foil, spray with non-stick spray. Set aside. 

2. Whisk all ingredients for the Dry Cake mixture (1 cup sugar, granulated, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup semolina (манная крупа), 1 tbsp baking powder) until well combined. 

Layer the Apple Cake

1. Sprinkle 2/3 cup of the dry cake mixture on the bottom of the springform and spread it into an even layer. 

   On a large box-grater shred 3 apples on top of the dry mixture and press them into an even layer. Sprinkle with 1/3 tsp of cinnamon and a drizzle of caramel, if using (I did not use either).

   Repeat this 2 more times, then finish with the remainder of the dry mixture on top. 

2. Shred 4 oz butter, unsalted all over the top of the dry mixture. 

3. Bake for about 1 hour. The top should be well browned and slightly puffed up in the center. If the top starts to brown before the cake is baked, tent the top with foil. 

4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, before cutting. 

Make the Lemon Sugar Glaze

1. Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the lemon sugar glaze.

Recipe Notes

1. Which apples: pick ones that are both tart and juicy (Granny Smith, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jonagold, Cortland). All the liquid in this cake comes out of the apples, so a dry or mealy apple leaves the middle powdery. Sweet varieties work if you sprinkle each apple layer with a little lemon juice, otherwise the cake tastes flat.
2. Measuring flour: stir the flour to loosen it, spoon or scoop it into the cup without packing, and level the top. That comes to roughly 150 g. Too much flour here cannot be absorbed and stays as dry patches.
3. Semolina: the coarse wheat granules sold in bulk bins and in the hot cereal aisle. If you cannot find it, farina (cream of wheat) gives the nearest result.
4. Butter: use it cold or frozen, and grate it over the assembled cake as the last thing before baking. Butter that sits out gets too soft to grate.
5. Layers: the first and last layers are always dry mix. Leave everything loose - pressing the layers packs the flour and it will not soak through.
6. When it is done: 50-60 minutes, until the whole top is golden and the center has risen. A thermometer in the middle reading 200-210°F confirms it. Browning too fast? Lay a sheet of foil over the pan. Still pale after an hour? Add 5-10 minutes.
7. Other pans: the 8-inch springform makes a tall, 3-inch cake. A 9x12-inch pan works with 3 dry layers and 2 apple layers - it comes out flatter, more like bars, and is ready in 35-40 minutes.
8. Making a double batch: double every ingredient except the baking powder. Use 1 tablespoon for the first batch plus ¾ tablespoon for the second (1¾ tablespoons total). Doubling it fully makes the cake puff more than the pan can support.
9. Cinnamon: optional. A small pinch on each apple layer pushes the flavor toward apple pie. The cake is good without it.
10. Lemon glaze: optional, and only on a fully cooled cake - poured on warm it soaks in and vanishes. Leave it off if you are serving with sweetened sour cream or ice cream.
11. Keeping it: eat within 1-2 days. Cover and keep on the counter, or refrigerate for up to 4 days if needed. Freezing is not recommended for this cake.

Nutrition Facts

Quick Apple Cake

Amount Per Serving (135 g)

Calories 293 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 20mg7%

Sodium 73mg3%

Potassium 284mg8%

Carbohydrates 54g18%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 30g33%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 310IU6%

Vitamin C 6.3mg8%

Calcium 58mg6%

Iron 1.3mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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I first published this quick apple cake in 2018. I updated it in September 2026 with a shorter intro, notes on what each ingredient does, new tips on pan size and doubling the recipe, storage and make-ahead notes, and a FAQ.