This Apple Pumpkin Cake will be perfect for Fall—delicious, moist pumpkin cake layers topped with apple pie filling and tangy cream cheese frosting.
We are officially in FALL, and we have felt it. The week began balmily but soon turned into torrential downpours and wind. The Fall is like… Hi! You wanted me. I’m right here! It’s raining! Not what I was expecting, but I loved it.
To me, Fall means apples and pumpkins. What could be better than combining them in one delicious cake? The idea for this cake was conceived unusually.
Sara, my friend from Diner at the Zoo, talked to me and told me about these Fall-scented soaps she bought. They all sounded like great cake flavors. She insisted that I make a cake out of Apple Pumpkin. Who am I then to disagree? I thought it sounded great!
How to make this Pumpkin Apple Cake
This is my favorite Pumpkin cake recipe, except I made it a 6″ cake. This cake is so easy to make! No mixer is needed, just two bowls.
Combine the ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients
Mix dry and wet until combined.
Bake!
Homemade Apple Pie Filling
I have made this apple pie filling several times for my Apple Crisp Cake and Apple Crisp Cookie Cups. You can also use apple pie filling from a store if you like.
You can make apple pie filling by combining everything except for the apples in a pot. Please bring it to a rolling boil and cook it for two minutes. Add the chopped & peeled apples to the pool and continue cooking until they become tender.
Cream Cheese Frosting
I swear that every time I make the cream cheese frosting, it will be the last. The frosting is challenging no matter which ratio or combination of buttercream and cream cheese I use. It’s hard to frost pretty cakes with it. This particular cake was a real pain in the shins.
I tried to make a naked cake, but it didn’t look right. I had to use rustic icing on the sides. This took so much more time than I thought a rustic icing should. It came out “ok.”
The dried apple slices I used to cover up my sins didn’t look great. The most important thing, however, is the taste. Let me tell you, this cake is delicious. My taste testers all agree!
The layers of cake are moderately sweet. This goes well with the apple pie filling, which is a sweet-tart combination.
This is a perfect combination of fall flavors. I hope you love it as much as I did!
How do I convert a recipe?
For three 8” pans, 1.5x the recipe. To make three 8″ pans, multiply the recipe by 1.5. The baking time may have to be adjusted.
You can make cupcakes by reducing the baking time. Start checking after 15 minutes. This recipe makes 18-24 cupcakes, depending on the size.
Click here to see other conversions.
Can I prepare it in advance?
You can bake the cake layers ahead of time and freeze them for up to three months. Remove 2-3 hours before assembling.
Frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated in an airtight container for one week. Bring the frosting to room temperature and re-whip it before use.
You can make the apple pie filling in advance. Transfer into a glass jar, let cool, then cover and refrigerate. Please bring it to room temperature and shake it well before using it. The fridge will keep the mixture for up to 2 weeks.
The cake can be frozen (in its entirety or in slices, if stored airtight) for up to three months.
How can I measure by weight/grams?
The recipe card has a Metric option. Clicking on it will convert all the ingredients to grams.
The conversion is automatic, and I can’t guarantee the accuracy, but many readers who have used my recipes in metric have found success.