Potluck German Apple Cake

Name: Potluck German Apple Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 16 servings.
Ingredients: 3 large eggs; 2 cups sugar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 4 cups chopped peeled tart apples; 3/4 cup chopped pecans; FROSTING:; 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened; 2 teaspoons butter, softened; 2 cups confectioners' sugar

My mother made this German apple cake for my brothers and me when we were kids. It's an excellent choice for potlucks any time of year. —Edie DeSpain, Logan, Utah

Ingredients

3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups chopped peeled tart apples
3/4 cup chopped pecans
FROSTING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth. Spread over cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Test Kitchen Tips

Unless otherwise specified, Taste of Home recipes are tested with lightly salted butter. Unsalted, or sweet, butter is sometimes used to achieve a buttery flavor, such as in shortbread cookies or buttercream frosting. In these recipes, added salt would detract from the buttery taste desired.

Cinnamon comes in two basic types: Ceylon and cassia. Ceylon cinnamon’s delicate, complex flavor is ideal for ice creams and simple sauces. The spicy, bolder cassia cinnamon (often labeled simply as cinnamon) is preferred for baking.

Try all of our best apple dessert recipes.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 455 calories, 24g fat (6g saturated fat), 57mg cholesterol, 212mg sodium, 57g carbohydrate (42g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g protein.

Originally published as German Apple Cake in Taste of Home August/September 2003

Reviews

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Aman

Apr 19, 2019

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Cindy

Feb 15, 2019

To Linton from Nov. 2017, did you, by any chance, use beat sugar or turbinado in your subsequent cakes. I’ve found they work differently and can be grainy.
Mollie

Jan 8, 2019

Very easy and amazingly delicious! Only difference in mine was I used the Gala apples I had which aren't a "tart" Apple and I added a dash of vanilla to the frosting. Thats just personal preference, but it really is perfect just as written!
ellimaye1

Nov 15, 2018

This was my first apple cake. I reduced sugar to 1.5 cups. The frosting was lacking flavor so I added some vanilla and cinnamon. Good, but I will try some other recipes before I make this again.
bakingmad

Sep 27, 2018

I used my own cream cheese frosting recipe instead of the one listed above, but that is the only change I made. My preferred apple for baking and eating out of hand is Golden Delicious and it works well in this moist cake. It's a little tedious peeling and chopping the apples, but after the first bite of yummy cake and cream cheese frosting, you'll find it so worthwhile in the end. It just tastes like Fall and makes a nice dessert for Thanksgiving.
CydDelve

Sep 27, 2018

This is a very forgiving and easy recipe, besides being crazy delicious. We prefer less sweet desserts so I reduce the sugar to 1 cup and omit the frosting. I add what apples I have: first time it was 4, tonight it was 6. Both cakes are perfect. I have found that just greasing the pan is not sufficient, so I grease and line with parchment paper and that works beautifully. Thank you for this terrific recipe!
seablue02

Jun 18, 2018

Made this on Saturday, for Father's Day, and I must say, this is really, really good. The taste is incredible. Reminds me of what I ate when I lived in Germany. So, here's what I can tell you...I frosted 1/2 of it with cream cheese frosting, not the one with the recipe, another one I have that's much better. Anyway, I frosted 1/2 the cake and I left 1/2 the cake unfrosted. Most of us liked it unfrosted but one person preferred it with the frosting. But it really does not need frosting of any kind, at all. This is a really good cake. I will definitely be making this again. I did follow the recipe as written and I had no problems with it. I did bake the caked for about 45 minutes. I highly recommend you try this cake. You won't regret it.
DrDoom77

Apr 3, 2018

Moist and really good, sweet and familiar but not as boring as some cakes. We'll make this one again sometime. Didn't use any sort of caramel topping, as we thought it was plenty sweet enough as is.
linton

Nov 7, 2017

I have made this before an it is delicious! For some reason now when I bake it feels like it is grainy with sugar and gets really moist on bottom. I can't figure out what is different! Any thoughts ?
annie1992

Nov 6, 2017

I made this as written other than I added a handful of dried cranberries, and kept the chunks of apple pretty big. It was delicious with a meal of sauerbraten, red cabbage and potato dumplings, and it stayed moist and didn't get stale. My husband ate the last piece 6 days after baking and it was still good.Rhonda, there is a printable version, just click the "print" icon above the recipe directions, below the title and description.