Easy Apple Cake with Cake Mix – Moist & Cozy Fall Dessert

This apple cake has been my go-to fall dessert for the past three years, and honestly, I stumbled onto it completely by accident. I was supposed to make an apple crisp for my daughter’s school bake sale (back in 2022, I think?), realized I didn’t have enough oats, panicked, and grabbed a box of yellow cake mix from the pantry. Best panic decision ever.

Now look, I’m not usually a cake mix person—I always thought it was cheating or something—but this apple cake changed my mind completely. It’s so moist and cozy and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when really it takes maybe 15 minutes to throw together. My mom was convinced I’d made it from scratch until I showed her the Duncan Hines box in my recycling.

Why This Apple Cake Actually Works :

Here’s the thing about using cake mix for apple cake—it just makes everything easier without sacrificing flavor. I know some people are all “homemade or nothing,” but those people probably have more time than I do. This cake is tender, stays moist for days (if it lasts that long), and the apples keep it from being too sweet.

The first time I made it, I added way too many apples and it turned into this weird apple-bread hybrid situation. Still tasted good, but it was dense. Really dense. Like, doorstop dense. So I adjusted the proportions and now it’s perfect every single time.

What You Need for Apple Cake :

The ingredient list is embarrassingly short. Like, you probably have most of this stuff already.

Main ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hines Butter Golden, but Betty Crocker works too—just don’t use angel food cake mix, learned that one the hard way)
• 3 medium apples, peeled and chopped (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are my favorites)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter if you’re feeling fancy)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sour cream (this is the SECRET ingredient—don’t skip it)

For extra fall vibes:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice (optional, but it makes your kitchen smell AMAZING)

Optional but highly recommended:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Vanilla ice cream for serving

Wait, I almost forgot—you’ll also need cooking spray or butter to grease your pan. I once forgot this step and had to basically destroy the cake to get it out of the pan. Fed it to my kids anyway. They didn’t complain.

How to Make This Apple Cake :

Getting Everything Ready

Preheat your oven to 350°F. This is one of those recipes where you actually need to preheat because—oh wait, I should mention—you need a 9×13 inch baking pan. Greased really well. Or you can use a bundt pan if you want to be all fancy about it, but then you need to bake it a bit longer.

Prep Those Apples

Peel and chop your apples into chunks. Not too big, not too small. About 1/2 inch pieces? I don’t measure, I just eyeball it. Some chunks end up bigger than others and honestly it doesn’t matter.

I usually use Granny Smith because they hold up well when baking and add a nice tartness, but I’ve used Honeycrisp, Fuji, and even those sad apples that were sitting in my fridge too long. They all work. Just don’t use Red Delicious because those are basically just crunchy water masquerading as apples.

Toss the chopped apples with about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon while you’re at it. This helps them not turn brown while you mix everything else, plus extra cinnamon is never a bad thing.

Mix the Cake Batter

In a big bowl, dump your cake mix, eggs, oil, water, and sour cream. Add the remaining cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Now here’s where people usually grab their mixer, but honestly? I just use a wooden spoon. Mix it until everything is combined and there aren’t any dry pockets of cake mix lurking at the bottom. Takes maybe 2 minutes.

The batter will be thicker than regular cake batter because of the sour cream. That’s exactly what you want. That’s what makes this apple cake so moist and amazing.

Fold in the Apples (and Nuts)

Add your cinnamon-coated apple chunks to the batter and fold them in gently. If you’re using nuts, throw those in too. I like pecans because they’re buttery and go perfectly with apples, but walnuts work great too. My husband picks them out because he’s weird about nuts in baked goods, but more for me I guess.

The batter will look really chunky at this point. Like, concerningly chunky. That’s totally normal. You’re basically making apple cake, not regular cake with some apple pieces floating around. Big difference.

Bake Until Golden

Pour everything into your greased pan and spread it out as evenly as you can. It won’t look perfectly smooth and that’s fine. Nobody’s judging.

Bake for 40-45 minutes if you’re using a 9×13 pan. If you’re using a bundt pan, you’ll need closer to 50-55 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Not wet batter, just moist crumbs.

The top should be golden brown and your whole house will smell like fall exploded in the best way possible.

The Hardest Part: Waiting

Let the apple cake cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before you try to serve it. I know it’s hard. I never wait the full 15 minutes either. Usually make it to about 10 minutes before I’m cutting into it with my kids hovering around like vultures.

My Tips for the Best Apple Cake :

Don’t overmix: Once you add the apples, just fold them in until they’re distributed. Overmixing makes the cake tough. I learned this from my grandma who was very serious about not overmixing anything ever.

Sour cream is non-negotiable: I tried making this with Greek yogurt once when I ran out of sour cream. It was… fine. But not the same. The sour cream adds this tanginess and moisture that Greek yogurt just doesn’t quite match. If you absolutely have to substitute, use full-fat Greek yogurt, not the low-fat stuff.

Spice it up: The spices listed are just a starting point. I’ve made this with cardamom added (very fancy), extra nutmeg (my favorite), and once with pumpkin pie spice when I was too lazy to measure individual spices. All versions were delicious.

Serve it warm: This apple cake is good at room temperature, but it’s INCREDIBLE served warm with vanilla ice cream melting on top. Or with whipped cream. Or just by itself with a cup of coffee for breakfast. (Yes, I eat cake for breakfast. Don’t judge me.)

Storage: Keep it covered on the counter for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. It actually gets more moist after a day or two as the apples release their juice into the cake. Sometimes I’ll warm individual pieces in the microwave for 15-20 seconds before eating.

Why This Apple Cake Is Better Than Complicated Recipes :

I’ve tried those from-scratch apple cakes with creaming butter and sugar, folding in egg whites, letting it rest, all that stuff. And sure, they’re good. But are they SO much better that it’s worth the extra hour of work and pile of dishes? Not even close.

This cake mix version is moist, flavorful, and honestly tastes like something you’d pay $6 a slice for at a fancy bakery. Nobody who eats this knows it started with a box mix unless you tell them. And I usually don’t tell them until after they’ve raved about how good it is.

My neighbor Andrea (who bakes everything from scratch and judges me for it) even asked for this recipe. I may have left out the “box of cake mix” part when I texted it to her. She figured it out eventually and was actually impressed that it worked so well.

Variations I’ve Tried :

Caramel Apple Cake: Drizzle caramel sauce over the cooled cake. Game changer.

Apple Streusel Cake: Make a quick streusel topping (flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon) and sprinkle it on top before baking. Adds a nice crunch.

Add chocolate chips: My 12-year-old’s idea, and I was skeptical, but chocolate and apple together is actually really good. Who knew?

Mini cakes: Use a muffin tin instead of a 9×13 pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Perfect for portion control, though I usually eat three so maybe not.

This apple cake has become my signature fall dessert. I bring it to potlucks, make it for family dinners, and honestly sometimes just make it for myself on a random Tuesday because I’m craving something cozy. It’s that good and that easy.

If you’re looking for a simple, no-fuss fall dessert that actually tastes homemade, this is it. No complicated techniques, no fancy equipment, just a box of cake mix and some apples turning into something your family will ask for again and again.

Let me know if you try it! And seriously, don’t skip the sour cream. Trust me on this one. 🍎😊