Apple Butter Snack Cake

This Apple Butter Snack Cake is an easy one bowl wonder that is moist, full of cozy Fall spices, and such a fun way to use up my homemade apple butter. It is the perfect, easy, non-pumpkin recipe to help us all ease into Fall. And what is it about calling a cake a snack cake that just makes it sound so irresistible?? Let's make it!

I have to confess that this recipe was a complete accident - a very happy accident. Last year I decided I needed to create a few recipes to use up my Slow Cooker Apple Butter. Well, I was trying to create a chewy apple butter blondie (still trying) but much to my surprise I created a fluffy, moist apple butter cake. Totally not a fail but also totally not a blondie. So here we are a year later (hey, I had a baby!) and I'm finally sharing this cute little Apple Butter Snack Cake just in time for apple season!

What makes it a snack cake?

I suppose this cake could be called an apple butter spice cake but I just love the "snack" part of the title so that's what we're going with. This is not a fancy cake. No layers, filling, or frosting, just a one bowl batter topped with cinnamon sugar. This is the kind of cake your kids sneak slices of and scurry off leaving a trail of crumbs. The kind of cake you slice into warm and eat with your hands over the kitchen sink - mug of coffee or tea optional but highly recommended. It is the most casual, friendly cake - totally my style.

Why do they call apple butter butter?

Apple butter is like a very thick, spiced, and sweetened apple sauce. It is cooked down to a thick, spreadable consistency which is why it is called butter. You can spread it on bread like butter. I love spreading it on a piece of buttered toast. So, so good! Most apple orchards sell apple butter but if you want a real treat make a batch of my homemade Slow Cooker Apple Butter. It is so easy and it makes the house smell amazing!

Check out these other recipes using apple butter:

Apple Butter Snack Cake Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, melted
• ¾ cup apple butter (I use my homemade but you can use store bought)
• ¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark brown both work here)
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon apple pie spice (feel free to just use cinnamon)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Optional topping : 2 tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon apple pie spice

How to make apple butter snack cake

Like I wrote above, having snack in the title automatically makes this an easy, casual cake in my opinion. No sifting, no creaming, no alternating wet and dry, and NO mixer. You will need a bowl and a whisk for this. And a silicon spatula to scrape every last bit out into the pan. Here's how to make it:

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