Invisible Apple Cake

Total time: 10 min prep/ 60 min bake

Difficulty: Low

Serves: 6-8

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By Jennifer Philipp

Chock full of apples, this Invisible Apple Cake is an apple lover's dream! It involves mixing thinly sliced apples with batter before baking it in a cake pan in the oven. The layered effect of the apples makes this a cake that isn’t particularly fluffy, but everything mouthful is a melt-in-your-mouth experience. Served as it is or with a dusting of icing sugar or a scoop of ice cream, this cake makes a wonderful dessert or afternoon snack.

To make this invisible apple cake, you begin by making a batter with eggs, brown sugar, butter, milk, flour, and baking powder. Then, you stir in the thinly sliced apples before pouring it into a round cake pan and baking it in the oven. After it is finished baking, it is then brushed with apricot jam for a sticky coating.

What is Invisible Apple Cake?

Invisible apple cake gets its name from the fact that the apples are so thinly sliced that they disappear into the cake and are indistinguishable from the batter. Using a mandoline slicer ensures that the apples get nice and thin so that they melt into the cake. If you happen to slice the apples a little thicker, the cake will still work out, they just won’t disappear into the cake.

Pro Tips

To slice the apples thinly, use a mandoline slicer to ensure they get nice and thin.
Use a whisk or electric beaters to mix the batter to ensure it is smooth and doesn’t have any lumps in it.
Since you don’t need to worry about the apples holding their shape during the baking process, you can use whatever type of apples you like the best.
If you would like to make a dairy-free invisible apple cake, you could replace the butter and milk with plant-based butter and milk, such as almond milk or soy milk, instead.
This cake would also work well with pears if you have an abundance of them on hand.
If you love the combination of apples and cinnamon, feel free to add some cinnamon to the cake batter.

What to Serve with Invisible Apple Cake?

This invisible apple cake can be served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or even a dusting of icing sugar. The sweetness of the cake pairs beautifully with anything creamy like whipped cream or ice cream, particularly if it is still warm when you serve it.

What Type of Apples Should I Use in Invisible Apple Cake?

Since the apples are meant to cook into the batter rather than hold their shape, you can really use whatever type of apples you prefer. Golden delicious are wonderful in this cake as they are both sweet and acidic but macintosh, spartan, Jonagold, and honeycrisp would all work well, too.

Can I Make Invisible Apple Cake in a Different Pan?

Yes, you can! If you would prefer to not make this cake in a round cake pan, you could bake it in a loaf pan instead. Alternatively, you could bake it in muffin liners to have invisible apple muffins.

How Can I Tell the Cake is Baked?

This cake is a little more difficult to tell the doneness of than with traditional cakes since it has so many apples in it. However, you will be able to tell it is baked through in a few ways. When the cake is done, it should be golden on the top and sides, and the sides should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. You can also insert a skewer into the centre of the cake to see if it comes out clean or with wet batter on it.

How to Store Invisible Apple Cake

It is best to store this cake in the fridge due to its high moisture content from the apples. Simply cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. It should stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge.