Gamma’s Dutch Apple Cake with Vanilla and Cardamom

A few months ago, I inherited an old box of recipes from my great-great-grandmother, who everyone affectionately called “Gamma”.  The box was filled with stained sheets of paper holding her flowing cursive handwriting and recipe clippings from magazines and newspapers. This box was a treasure trove of vintage recipes and ideas for me! The first one that caught my interest was a Dutch Apple Cake, perfect for autumn! It took a few tries, but I made a few changes to this recipe so that it would come out with the perfect balance of fall flavor and apple chunks!

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Following this recipe

Cakes can be quite finicky so I would highly recommend following this recipe exactly for best results. Pay careful attention to how long you mix things, especially when using a stand mixer, as the mix time will affect the density of your dutch apple cake. Also be sure to use softened butter and room temperature ingredients.

What apples are best for baking?

I find that using a more tart and sturdy apple is best for baking because it can hold up better to moisture and heat. Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, McIntosh, Northern Spy, Pink Lady, Rome, and Winesap are all great options. Slice them into

Supplies and Ingredients you will need to make this dutch apple cake:

Stand mixer

Glass mixing bowls-something like this is perfect for mixing and pouring ingredients

Spring form pan or loaf pan

Apple Peeler Core slicer– If you love apples, definitely invest in this old fashioned kitchen tool

How to serve dutch apple cake

Last night I ate this cake with vanilla ice cream and it was absolutely delicious! You can also serve it with vanilla yogurt and a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. If you’re feeling really fancy, you can mix the cake with homemade vanilla frosting and form into cake balls!

Gamma’s Dutch Apple Cake with Cardamom and Vanilla

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Keyword dutch apple cake

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup of brown sugar not packed
• ½ cup granulated cane sugar
• 8 TBSP softened salted butter
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cup organic, unbleached all-purpose flour see notes on flour below!
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBSP of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1 big pinch of salt
• 2 room temp eggs
• 1 cup room temp buttermilk
• 3 medium Granny Smith apples (or other baking apples) peeled, cored, and sliced

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 F
• Prepare your cake pan by coating it in a thin layer of butter and then flour
• Cream softened butter and sugars for 1-2 minutes (be careful not to overmix here!) add the vanilla extract and combine. Let stand
  ⅔ cup of brown sugar not packed, ½ cup granulated cane sugar, 8 TBSP softened salted butter, 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• In separate small bowl, sift flour baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt
  2 2/3 cup organic, unbleached all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 TBSP of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom, 1 big pinch of salt
• In a different small bowl, combine 1 beaten egg and buttermilk
  2 room temp eggs, 1 cup room temp buttermilk
• Starting and ending with the dry mixture, alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to the butter mixture while mixing slowly.
• Stop mixing when just combined
• Rest your batter while you prepare the apples
  3 medium Granny Smith apples (or other baking apples) peeled, cored, and sliced
• Add most of the apples to the bottom of a prepared baking pan. If you're using a loaf pan, you will need to use two
• Cover completely with the batter
• You can decorate the top of the cake with a few apple slices
• Bake at 350 for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean

Notes

Remember to spoon flour into your measuring cup instead of scooping directly. This will give you a much more accurate measurement.