Tender, fluffy, lightly-sweet, and absolutely scrumptious! My Vanilla Apple Olive Oil Cake is ready to make its debut into the holiday season with its Autumn-inspired spices and heartwarming flavors.

The other week, I was put up to the challenge of making a healthier version of the traditional Southern brown sugar caramel cake – the pressure was on! lol
If you know me, then you probably know how much I enjoy adding a little twist of my own to every traditional recipe creation. Testing out a new vanilla cake recipe, I also wanted to try adding some Autumn fruit into the mix! So I went with my favorite… honey crisp apples… YUM!
While I still have a little work to do on the caramel sauce, the cake itself turned out fluffy, tender, and oh. so. delicious!!
My family enjoyed it so much, that I was requested to make it again less than a week from making it the first time! Except, this time I tested it with a new maple buttercream recipe that I am sure will become a go-to holiday frosting recipe!

Now, it’s time to grab our aprons and begin baking scrumptiousness!
Vanilla Apple Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Apple Olive Oil Cake:
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Anise
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Granulated Cane Sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temp.
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Apple Mix:
- 1 cup Apples, finely diced
- 1/2 tbsp. Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Maple Buttercream:
- 1 cup Butter, softened
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp. Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
Apple Mix:
- In a small bowl, mix together the finely chopped apples, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
Vanilla Apple Olive Oil Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare two 6" cake pans by greasing each lightly with olive oil and lining the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground anise.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat together the olive oil, brown sugar, granulated cane sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract for 3 minutes on high speed.
- Gradually mix in the flour mixture, then fold in the apple mix. Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then cool completely on a wire rack before frosting/layering.
Maple Buttercream:
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter for 1-2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar, then beat on medium speed for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla extract, maple syrup, nutmeg, and cinnamon to beat for 2-4 minutes more. Frost the cake according to your preference.
I truly hope you all enjoy this scrumptious apple-picking-inspired cake recipe that will have you going back for seconds before you’re done with the first slice! 😉 ’till next time… xxL
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.“
Galatians 1:10 (ESV)
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If you loved this delicious crostini recipe I would truly appreciate it so much if you would give a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #abrightmoment and tagging me @brightmomentco. It always makes my day seeing y’alls creations!
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