This Danish apple cake is everything a fall dessert should be. Tart apples bake into an incredibly moist cake fragrant with warm cardamom, then the whole lovely thing is covered with cream cheese frosting, drizzled with caramel, and sprinkled with crunchy pecans.
Cardamom and apples are wonderful together. The spice is warm and sweet with a faint citrusy flavor that makes an ordinary apple cake taste unusually special. One whiff while this cake is baking, and you may never settle for cinnamon alone again!
The recipe came from my husband’s Grandma Frieda Hacker many years ago. I chased her down after a family gathering to get it, and I’m so glad I did. Like any cook, I’ve made a few changes of my own over the years, including swapping the original cinnamon and nutmeg for cardamom.
Cardamom has always smelled like happy childhood memories to me. When I was a little girl, my brothers and I helped our Danish mother break open whole cardamom pods. She ground the tiny seeds in a special brass grinder I still treasure today.
We often ate cardamom-scented sweets when our Danish cousins gathered at our house in Iowa. The old Danes washed down all those goodies with gallons of hot coffee, so I consider apples, cardamom, and coffee a very happy marriage!
You can buy ground cardamom in the spice aisle, but please check the date on the jar. It is an expensive spice, and its delicate flavor fades with age. I store mine in the freezer to help it stay fresh.
If you absolutely must substitute, use equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg—but I hope you’ll try the cardamom. This cake is worth buying a fresh jar.
Now grab some good tart apples—Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, or your favorite baking apple—and let’s make this wonderful Danish apple cake.
But, like anyone who loves to cook and bake, I've made a few changes of my own!
Grandma Frieda's recipe called for strong coffee as one ingredient. I decided to try freeze-dried coffee granules instead and love the subtle flavor it gives this simple cake.
The fragrance of Cardamom brings back happy childhood memories for me, so I used it in my version instead of the more traditional cinnamon and nutmeg.
I fondly remember the cardamom-scented sweets we ate when my Danish cousins gathered back in Iowa. The old Danes washed down all the goodies with gallons of hot coffee, so I consider this combination of flavors a very good marriage!
When I was a little girl, and our mother was baking something wonderful, my brothers and I would break open whole cardamom pods, and she would grind the seeds in a special brass grinder that I have and treasure today!
They are such wonderful memories. You can still buy whole cardamom pods, and a coffee grinder works perfectly to pulverize the little seeds! These days, I usually buy ground cardamom, which I store in my freezer to maintain its quality, as this expensive spice can be easily damaged.
I have been reading a little more about Cardamom, and I am running quite low. This time, before starting my kitchen baking, I will buy decorticated Cardamom, the whole seeds of the Cardamom that my brothers and I worked so hard to remove from the husks. You grind what you need and keep the rest in a tightly sealed container.
This sentence sold me on trying whole cardamom seeds: "One whiff of the freshly ground seeds, and you will never go back to pre-ground again." Later, I will post more of my beloved Scandinavian cookie recipes and give you an update. I know I'm going to love it. (Update: The difference is amazing!)
When you bake this wonderful Danish apple cake, I sincerely hope you'll try Cardamom! But if you must substitute something for Cardamom (I will be very sad), mix equal parts of ground cinnamon and nutmeg and use that instead of the Cardamom.
No nutmeg? Then try equal parts cinnamon and ginger or equal parts cinnamon and ground cloves.
It starts with some nice tart apples. I used Jazz apples in this recipe, but Granny Smith, Braeburn, or your favorite tart apple will work just as well. Here's a very informative guide to the best apples for baking.
I peeled the apples and cut them into wedges, then chopped them in my food processor, pulsing as I went along. You can chop them any way you like; use a chef's knife or a food chopper, but stop when you get to chunks about the size of a raisin.
The cake is easy to make. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cream the sugar and eggs until fluffy, then add the oil and vanilla. Continue beating until thick and smooth. Grandma Frieda’s recipe called for strong coffee, but I use instant coffee granules instead. The cake stays moist, and the granules add the same wonderful flavor without adding more liquid.
Next, add the dry ingredients alternately with the chopped apples, and mix just until blended.
Bake at 350 degrees in a greased 9" x 13" pan for about 40-45 minutes. The cake will pull back slightly from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean.
Once the cake is completely cool, slather on the easy cream cheese frosting. The bit of tang in the cream cheese plays nicely with the dense, moist Danish apple cake.
You don't need to get too stylish with the frosting application, but here is a fun garnish: one part Fancy Nancy and one part Simple Simon!
To create this lovely garnish, you'll need only some bottled caramel ice cream topping and a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts—toast them if you prefer.
Starting in a corner, drizzle the caramel topping diagonally from left to right and back again until you cover the whole apple cake. Now, take a table knife and pull through the caramel lines in the opposite direction of the caramel drizzle.
While everything is still soft and hasn't set, sprinkle about one-half cup of chopped nuts over the top. Ta-da! It's pretty enough for the Thanksgiving table!
This Danish apple cake is dense, rich, and very moist. Cut it into smaller pieces than you would an average cake. And my old Danish relatives were right—hot coffee is the ideal accompaniment to this delightful cake!
Here's a wonderful recipe for a dense, moist cake with subtle notes of coffee and cardamom. Top it lavishly with tangy cream cheese frosting.
While we wait for fresh fall apples to be abundant, you may enjoy this Incredible Peach Cake Recipe with caramel frosting. When apples are abundant, try my fried apples (we think they're better than Cracker Barrel), or a vintage family favorite, Oatmeal Apple Crisp! What's your favorite apple dessert recipe?
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Love GB (Betty Streff)
Real food. Real kitchen. Real easy.
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First of all, congratulations!!! I’m excited to check out the amazing photography and of course delicious recipes in your book! I have no idea what the first flour would be… I’m tempted to say almond but I have a feeling that your cookbook may inspire something completely different! :o)
I hate a coffee taste. Would I use 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg to interchange the coffee and cardoman?
Absolutely girl!! I think that sounds amazing!! You got a great idea there!
This looks delcious! And you know me I’m ALL about the fresh produce!!
oh yeah!! Fresh is best!
[…] It was absolutely delicious, so moist. I had it in the fridge for 3 days and it was still very moist. The flavors are all on point! RECIPE HERE —->BEST EVER FRESH APPLE CAKE RECIPE […]
So happy you liked it. A family favorite for sure!