This apple spice cake recipe is filled with sweet shredded apples and cinnamon, drizzled with creamy bourbon icing. It's the perfect sweet addition to breakfast or brunch!
2apples, such as Gala or Honeycrisp, grated (1 ½ cups)
For the icing (optional):
1cuppowdered sugar
2tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted
1tablespoonbourbon whiskey(see note for non-alcoholic alternatives)
Instructions
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 10.5 x 7.5 inch (or 11 x 8 inch) cake pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
In medium bowl, beat eggs and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add yogurt and vanilla; beat to combine. Gradually beat in melted butter until well combined.
On top of mixture in bowl, add all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, spice, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix dry ingredients lightly with your fingertips. With mixer, mix just until well-blended and smooth. Do not overmix.
Fold grated apple into the batter. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Smooth top.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool cake on wire rack for at least 30 minutes before glazing.
Icing:
Combine powdered sugar, melted butter, and bourbon in a small bowl; stir until completely smooth. Adjust the consistency by either adding more powdered sugar if it's too thin, or few drops of bourbon if it's too thick.
Drizzle the icing over the cake.
Video
Notes
If you don't have apple pie spice, substitute: 1¼ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ginger, and a pinch of allspice. If you'd rather, you could also simply substitute 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
If desired, omit whole wheat flour. Substitute an additional ¾ cup of all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cup total).
If you would like to omit the whiskey in the icing, use apple cider or apple juice instead.
Alternatives to bourbon icing: Serve cake with a simple powdered sugar glaze, whipped cream or ice cream. You could also frost the cake with cream cheese frosting, brown sugar frosting, or brown butter frosting.