Apple Butter Spice Cake

I found this recipe when I was looking to use up a jar of apple butter a friend gave me. It is a great cake! I did some modifications; brown sugar instead of white; walnuts instead of pecans; instant oats instead of bran/wheat germ. Perfect for potluck or church socials - no messy frosting.

It is delicious - I baked it in a bundt cake pan and it was also very pretty -

Very moist, delicious cake. Would make a good breakfast cake. I made mine in a bundt pan and layered with 1/2 crumb mixture, 1/2 batter, crumb, batter. Scrumptious!! I also made the 'All Day Apple Butter' recipe from this site and used it in this recipe.

Wonderful, moist cake! A real treat. The batter was thicker than I expected and I thought I made a mistake, but the result was a big hit with everyone.

I made muffins out of this recipe. I used APPLE CIDER apple butter and I cut the sugar in the actual bread recipe in half. For muffins, there was a little too much topping (and imo, I think the topping needs butter, more like a streusel) but I'm not complaining. ;) I can't stop eating it. Quite moist, slightly chewy and VERY flavorful, one of the BEST quick breads I've had in a long time.

The recipe as written has 2x as much sugar as I'd want! So minus a few stars for that. I made it healthier with whole wheat flour, reduced the butter a little, plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and cut the sugar in HALF - it was still a little too sweet for my tastes. Otherwise it was moist and tasty, will make again - with less sugar.

Outstanding recipe for a great coffee cake for a brunch. I added 1/2c. of cinnamon chips and a chopped Gala apple- Excellent!

This was a good coffee type cake - but for me it was not as good as the "Graham Struessal" cake found on this site. I had given that cake FIVE stars and for some reason - I suppose because they are both coffee type cakes - everyone in my family said "It is not as good as the cake you made last week". I will probably just stick to that one - although this was tasty. So..because of that I need to give this FOUR!

I only made this to use up some applebutter but this recipe is a keeper. It is worth buying the apple butter just to make the cake. Delish!

We love this cake! Soft, moist, tender and slightly dense with a perfectly spiced and crunchy topping/filling. I used toasted wheat germ and the "All Day Apple Butter" from this site and could not be happier with the outcome. This is perfect as written and there is no need to change a thing. Although not needed, I added a drizzle of caramel and it is wonderful with or without. Very happy that I found this recipe. It will be enjoyed often. Thanks for sharing!

Wonderful recipe. I have added fresh diced apples in the past---good either way.

Everyone loved this cake. My husband ate half of it by himself! I substituted oats for the what germ and used half white sugar and half brown. Yum!

This was actually a lot better than I expected it to be. I was a little hesitant about not adding any frosting but it really came out quite good. The chopped nuts really added a nice flavor, and the spices in the topping were great. I made this for my grandpa's 81st birthday since his favorite cake is spice cake, and he loved it.

I took this cake to work and it was gone in 2 hours. Everyone raved and it was so moist! Thanks for a great recipe.

It looks great, it tastes great and it's really easy to make! I will definitely make this one again..thanks for sharing this recipe

Wonderfully sweet cake. Also made one with pumpkin butter - both were great. My sister and mother-in-law both asked for the recipe.

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving desert. My family really liked it, but many commented that it was like a coffee cake. I think next time I'll serve it for brunch. Note: Eat this cake quickly. Leftovers don't stay moist as long as othe ckaes might.

Outstanding! I made it for Christmas dinner and everyone loved how moist it was. No one touched the other desserts once someone had a bite and said how good it was. I also added a light glaze on top to dress it up a bit and I used a bundt pan. Enjoy!

This is a keeper! I used bran flakes for the cereal and chopped almonds instead of pecans (what I had in the house). This is perfect to make for office gatherings, too.

This cake is wonderful, albeit a little dry. Perhaps reduce the bran cereal by a 1/4 cup, and maybe increase the sour cream by 1/4 cup. That is the only reason I am giving this recipe 4 stars instead of 5. The flavor is wonderful. It is a very comforting cake. On my mom's last birthday she was alive, she requested a spice cake and this is the one I made. She loved it. Very fond memories with her and this cake!

I made this recipe while working in the kitchen at Camp Katrina for 60 people. Everyone loved this cake. For days everyone raved about this cake. Delisious as is!!!

this cake was absolutely delicious. I did swap out the bran cereal for oatmeal---because i didn't have any bran cereal. i also added a diced apple to the batter and layered thinly sliced apples on top, beneath the brown sugar layer. it was very moist and flavorful. it was best when warm with caramel sauce and ice cream.

This is such a good recipe! I made this a while back for a senior citizen center, and everyone raved about it. My husband absolutely loves this, too. It's a really good way to use up apple butter, too. I substitute different things like oat bran for the wheat bran, or walnuts for the pecans if I need to. It still turns out really good. Thanks for sharing!

Good flavor. But don't bake it 40 min in a 9x13! Probably more like 30 mins and if using a dark pan, set oven to 325.

Being from the Midwest, I love apple butter but I'm the only one in my house that likes it. I didn't want the jar to go to waste so I thought I'd give this a try. I bake a lot and my husband said this was crazy good. They only thing I did different was add about 2 cups chopped apples right into the batter. It took almost 15 minutes longer to bake than suggested. Not sure if that was due to the added fresh apples which do add moistured. But this was a do over for sure.

good basic coffee cake. made it just as written but split into 2 cakes by baking in twin aluminum pie pans. baked for 45 minutes. very good.

I was looking for a good fall dessert recipe to make for a group we have over each Thursday night. I made it at night to test it out and so my family had it warm. I didn't like it warm as much as I liked it the next day when it was cold. It had a very moist texture. BUT, I don't think I would consider this a cake really. It is more like a coffee cake or dense like banana bread.

This recipe is perfect as written, I followed the recipe exactly and it is absolutely the best recipe I have used on this site. I made it as cupcakes and used the topping on the top only, I baked them for 25 minutes and they were perfection. I will definately use these as a brunch recipe! Thank you so much!

I didn't change anything in the recipe and it was perfect. No one will ever know there is wheat germ in it! Very good.

Wow, I was NOT expecting this cake to be this good!! I just wanted to use up my apple butter, but now I feel like I should buy some more just to make this cake again!! It is so moist, and the brown sugar in the middle makes it so very flavourful with the cinnamon...WOW...really perfect texture and taste! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!

My very first "from scratch" cake was this one. I got rave reviews from everyone! It has a delightful flavor and is quite easy and quick to make.

This cake was soooo good. I used oatmeal instead of wheat germ, and put slices of a honeycrisp apple on top before i baked it. The cake turned out very soft and stayed that way for a few days after (until it was gone). Next time I'll add apple chunks into my batter. Great recipe!!

Super delicious, very moist, and definitely cake-y (that's a good thing) but not overbearingly sweet. I love it!

Fantastic "coffee style" cake! I added a chopped apple that I tossed with cinnamon and a little nutmeg and put it in the middle layer of the cake...it was fantastic! (Turned out great even with fat free sour cream!)

This recipe was pretty good. The spices were a bit over whelming. If the spices were cut in half I believe this recipe would be even better.

This turned out absolutely amazing! All who tasted it said they could not have just one piece! My husband didn't even know that apple was in it. Which means I can now substitute applesauce for butter in any recipe and he won't know it. I couldn't get the layers right, but don't worry, it doesn't make a difference.

AWESOME!!! A MUST make! It was gone in 1 day! & made it how the recipe said to.

I love this recipe, especially because my picky eater Husband loves it. I did make some adjustments based on what I had on hand. I used a 6oz carton of light vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream and I used old fashioned oats in place of the wheat germ. The cake came out delicious and beautiful.

My family loved it soo much that it was gone within the same night I made it

It was really good. I stuck to the recipe but it wasn't enough to fit in 13x9 pan. Put it in abt a 9x9 instead and it barely spreaded out completely in that pan. But it taste good.

This turned out amazing. I had some apple butter I wanted to use up and I actually wound up buying more apple butter because I kept having people ask me to make it for them. Its pretty quick and easy. I also experimented with it a little and added caramel pieces as I baked it to give it an added flavor (and use up some other ingredients I had laying around).

Delicious, and not difficult to make! I just made this for my husband's birthday and everyone raved about it. Very moist, and definitely no need for icing. Yum!

I enjoyed this cake a lot. Very easy and quick to make. I didn't need a 13X9 cake, so I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a smaller square pan. Like others, I didn't have any bran cereal or wheat germ so I subbed in rolled oats with no discernible difference. I also cut back on the sugar a bit. A flavorful, moist cake I'll make again and again.

I was disappointed with this. i did not like the topping at all, in my opinion walnuts or no nuts would've been better than pecans and it had too much nutmeg . I had a lot of topping leftover as well and put it on quite thick. The cake was nice and moist though.

DELICIOUS! It is made with my favorite ingredients and a perfect dessert for this great fall weather. A big hit with my fam!

This was good, but not an "Oh, wow!" for me.

I used wheat germ thinking the bran might dry this cake out. It was very moist and enjoyable.

This cake got rave reviews by my seven year old granddaughter, who is someone who is not always easy to please! Wonderfully moist and full of flavor. Baked in 9x13 pan for 30 minutes. I served individual portions with caramel sauce and whole pecans, omitting the pecans from the topping. There was even more flavor the next day, making it a great do ahead recipe. Best served warm. So happy to be adding this recipe to my collection.

Moist and Hearty!

Definitely a keeper. I made this for dessert tonight. The weather was cold and wet and it was perfect. I didn't use the topping - we used a little Cool Whip - and I substituted about 3/4 cup whole wheat flour for white. I served the cake warm. Another idea is to top with chunky, warm applesauce or a broiled icing (coconut, nuts, brown sugar).

This cake had great flavor and would be a nice treat for brunch or dessert. The only change I made was to add small chunks of apples to the batter before baking. I found the topping to be a little dry so next time I may add something to moisten it.

So comforting. I added chopped apples, but other than that, kept everything the same. I think that next time, I'd like to try switching out the sour cream for some strawberry flavored yogurt, just to save on calories, and also, although this cake is super good, I can taste the sour cream, and I'd rather taste yogurt. This is a keeper, though. My kids loved it.

Very good. Will make again.

I made this per the recipe so I could give it a fair rating and it was delicious. Very moist and tasty. Definately a keeper and a great fall recipe. 5 stars all the way!

EXCELLENT!! I have now found a new Thanksgiving and Christmas baking tradition! For anyone who enjoys a good apple butter, you must definitely try this recipe.

Wow!! This recipe is what made me become a member!! #1) This site has never done me wrong. #2) This cake was amazing!! It was gone in a day (twind 10yr olds & my husband) - with begging for more! Although I did not have anymore Apple Butter, I did have a jar of Pumpkin Butter that I used and it was just as yummy !! Thankyou

Very good. The cook time was a little long for my oven so use a toothpick to remove as soon as it is cooked through to retain as much moisture as possible. I will definitely make this again next fall to use up my extra apple butter.

Excellent recipe! Very easy to make and everyone loved it. Baking time here took a little longer (about 10 minutes more) but VERY pleased with the results!

Excellent, moist... a great way to use up excess apple butter just sitting in the 'fridge. Big hit at school function, everybody wanted the recipe! Thanks!

I made this cake for our annual family pumpkin carving/dinner. I used my bundt pan and also added 1 1/2 c. chopped apples as other reviews suggested. I also put a sugar glaze on the cake. Very good.

As with some of the other reviewers, I made this recipe to use up some apple butter a friend had made. He said he had put too much clove in the butter, so I thought it would be better to use as an ingredient. This cake is delicious! I used the bran cereal that is shredded. I love any recipe with brown sugar, and pecans are the family's favorite nut. While this cake was baking, my grandson asked if I was making coffee cake, and I think this is actually more of a breakfast or brunch cake, but I'm certainly not going to "split hairs" on the issue. This recipe is a definite recommend! Thanks, Shirley!

Best use of apple butter! I substituted pecans for walnuts, and whole bran cereal/ wheat germ for rolled oats per another review. It turned out wonderful.

Easy to make and suprisingly GREAT flavor...Perfect recipe "As Is"..Thanks for sharing!

I get rave reviews about this cake every time I make it! thanks for the recipe!

This cake was awesome. SOOO moist and fragrant. Thank you Shirley for sharing this recipe.

Absolutely delicious! My family ate the entire cake in minuets and wanted more! Definitely the best cake we have ever had!

Soooooooooooooo good. I, too, baked it in a bundt pan and it turned out wonderfully!

I made this for Thanksgiving and my family loved it. I took the leftovers in to work and they also loved this. Unlike another review, my leftovers remained moist. I will absolutely make this again.

Great recipe, I made this using a homemade apple butter from this site. Very similar to a coffee cake, except not a dense... YUM!

So, I made this late tonight and as it was sitting on the counter cooling, my husband was already digging into it. He actually told me to right this review right now that this is his favorite cake and that he usually likes the middle of the cake more, but the edge of this one is awesome. So much for taking this one to work tomorrow. I think I may end up single if I try. I can't wait to try it myself.

This is a moist great cake to have with a good cup of coffee or tea. I will definitely make it again. I did change a few things only because of what I had on hand. I used brown sugar instead of white and I used oatmeal instead of wheat germ. Yummy!

how much wheat germ is needed in this recipe? I used 1/3 cup.

This cake is really fantastic. I needed a recipe calling for Apple Butter and this far surpassed my expectations. I used Special K Cinnamon Pecan for the Bran cereal and subbed in 1 cup of canned pumpkin for the sour cream (my sister HATES sour cream and was convinced she'd be able to taste it). Turned out GREAT! I'll make this again over the holidays when family is in town!

Fantastic recipe! I ran out of sour cream so I substituted 1/2 C of buttermilk and it was just superb! Thank you so much.

I made this twice, first with apple butter then with some pumpkin butter I wanted to use up. I was looking for a not-too-sweet cake I could have with a cup of tea or coffee so I halved the topping and that was plenty sweet for me. Very moist crumb - thanks for a delicious recipe!

A scrumptious little coffee cake, if a bit on the sweet side. I made a small cake subbing pumpkin puree for half the butter and using equal parts all-purpose and whole wheat flour, as well as exchanging the sour cream for plain nonfat yogurt. Very nice moist texture and mild spice flavor warm from the oven as well as the morning after (there was a hint of "wheaty" taste I thought at first that was absent after sitting overnight). The next time I make this I will reduce the sugars both in the batter (half?) and in the topping (even less), which I thought was unnecessary/undesirable as an intermediate layer. I did omit the nuts.

This is honestly the best cake I have ever made. Every time I make it, people go crazy! I get 50lbs of apples every fall so make a load of apple butter and didn't know what to do it with. Well, until I found this cake! I also cut up an Ambrosia apple into small pieces and add it to the batter which makes it even more moist. My absolutely favourite dessert recipe!

I made this recipe last Thanksgiving and it has a very nice flavor. It would be nice to serve with brunch also.

This cake is just scrumptious. And Very moist. I've baked this cake twice this week for other people. Everyone loves it. Excellent served with real whipped cream on the side. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.

Great staple for a quick cake!! I only had pumpkin butter (my preference) and added 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice to make it more of a spice cake. SO good. I'll be making the apple version as well. going in the permanent recipe stash. thanks!

Excellent cake!! I subbed 2 ingredients-I used vanilla yogurt in place of the sour cream & brown sugar instant oats(1 pkg) for the bran flakes/wheat germ). It was incredible!!

Everyone loves this cake.....so light, flavorful and moist. Perfect after a big meal.

this cake hot outof the oven poke holes in top and take warm apple butter poured over the top and game over this cake rocks.

Delicious!!!

Everyone enjoyed this and it is an easy recipe to tinker with if you would like to switch out some of the all purpose flour for whole wheat. Very moist. Others I served this to mentioned that they might like some apple chunks in it. I think I may try it again sometime, cutting the recipe in half and baking it in a springform pan.

This was a good cake but it tasted like most coffee cakes. I put it in a smaller pan and cut down on the sugar in the cake.

this is a great recipe!! Very moist cake the is just wonderful for Brunch or Desert after a family meal. Enjoyed it as is.

This was really good but I used a bundt pan and I think I need to adjust time/temp. For those using a bundt for this, at what temperature and for how long did you bake it?

The nutmeg was a little strong for my taste, however everyone else who tried it loved it!! Will make this again soon!!

This recipe was very very good! I made this for a coworker's birthday party and everyone loved it! I added the chunks of apple that a reviewer suggested and used my homemade apple butter. I will be using this one again!

I made it in a Bundt pan according to recipe but cut the sugar in half only in the batter, I layered the crumble then the mix then the crumbled then the mix. The crumble stuck to the pan but otherwise it turned out great it tasted awesome, my husband loved it I love it too, little sugary for me I did cut the sugar in the cake part in half. It is a very sweet cake, very aromatic, and yes I will be doing it again.

Don't know what I did wrong?? but, the sugar didn't melt? I didn't think this cake was that good, will not be making again.

Made exactly according to recipe and is great!

Just made this cake. Exceptionally moist and tasty. The best thing about this cake is every ingrediant is always on hand at our home. The only thing I did different was add a little cinamon and Nutmeg to the cake batter.

I made this with everything the same except I used wheat bran, because I couldn't find wheat germ in the store. I cooked it for about 35 minutes and it turned out well. Still cakey, but also moist. I had a hard time layering and it seemed like it was even when I did it, but it came out that the middle topping layer was pretty low in the cake. It didn't really make a difference to me, but it was difficult to layer without feeling like I was moving all the topping layer around. I also only used about 3/4 of the topping because it felt like a lot, but probably would have been fine to have it a little more "crumby" in the middle. Ate this warm with vanilla ice cream and oh my goodness...

I made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was gone very fast. I used my own homemade apple butter and made a glaze from powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and hot water.

The cake got good reviews at coffee hour after church. The baking time was a little bit too long in my oven so the cake was not as moist as I had hoped.

This cake was delicious. I followed the directions except as another reviewer suggested, I added one chopped Gala apple. The cake is moist and very tasty. I would definitely make this again.

The only change I made was to sub 1/4 c. white sugar plus 1/2 c. brown sugar for the 1 c. white sugar in the cake. Reduced the amount a bit but was still plenty sweet and spicy. Took it to small group and all the ladies asked for the recipe. Baked for 35 min. and it was perfectly done and moist. Topped it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream since it was for our group dinner. Otherwise, great without. Next time I'm going to add some raisins.