Easy Apple Sheet Cake Recipe (With No-Sugar Option)

Name: Easy Apple Sheet Cake Recipe (With No-Sugar Option)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 7 oz 200 g non-salted butter; 3 oz 85 g sour cream; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 3 1/3 cup 400 g all-purpose wheat flour; 18 oz 500-510 g sour cream; 1 egg; 1 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1 glass sugar (or alllulose/monk fruit sweetener, or chopped dates); 3-4 medium-sized apples; 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

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This apple sheet cake is our family favorite. We enjoy it any time of year, be it hot summer afternoons or cold winter nights. It's also a delicious dessert or snack for picnics and home gatherings. And the best part is that it contains zero sugar and only becomes better with each day!

Three slices of an apple sheet cake on a beige plate, one being picked up.

While there's nothing like a warm, fresh apple cake straight from the oven, you might be looking for cake recipes that can be prepared well in advance. This is the right recipe for such occasions, ensuring you have a sweet snack throughout the week or on a special day.

Over the years, we've made similar sheet cakes with different fillings, including fresh rhubarb. This apple pie recipe is perfect for fall baking and will help you prepare the most delicious crust that can be topped with different sweet and sour fillings. It's also great for mini tarts.

Two triangle apple pie slices on a beige plate.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This is a truly amazing crust recipe that'll give you a sheet cake that only becomes better the following day and can easily be refrigerated. One of its secrets is the small amount of dry ingredients.
It contains a sugar-free option, which is our regular choice.
The dough doesn't need to be proofed and is ready to be cooked immediately, making it an easy apple sheet cake that's perfect for almost any occasion!
With the simple ingredients and the straightforward cooking process, this is a perfect dessert, even for novice cooks.

Ingredients

The Crust:

Butter: We use regular, non-salted farm butter. It's one of the main ingredients of the crust, and the required amount might seem like a lot but don't worry; it won't add any greasiness to the cake.
Sour cream: Mixed with the butter, it will give a perfectly creamy and moist texture to the crust. This combo is so special!
Baking powder: Just a touch for the best texture.
Wheat flour: You'll need an all purpose wheat flower without any raising agents added.

The Topping:

Fresh apples: This is the right time to use sour winter apples or any type of apple you have (if possible, opt for the sweet and sour sorts). Their sourness will balance the sweetness of the sour cream mixture and will make your taste buds jump for joy. During the apple season, we use any apples that we have at hand. When using sweet apples, you might want to reduce the sweetness of the cream for best results.
Sour cream: You'll need enough sour cream to cover the whole sheet cake. The more sour cream, the more moist the cake!
Wheat Flour and an egg: To reduce the runniness of the sour cream mixture and to make the topping more defined.
Sugar: You can use fine brown sugar or confectioners' sugar for the cream. Another great option is to reduce the amount of sugar by ⅓ and add a caramel glaze or a caramel drizzle on top of the cake. Caramel lovers will appreciate it! For a sugar-free option, use an equal amount of your favorite natural sweetener or finely chopped dates (or date syrup). If you can find allulose in your grocery store, go for it. This is a perfect keto sweetener for baked desserts. Since allulose is no longer available in the EU, we use monk fruit sweetener or dates.
Cinnamon powder: Cinnamon is a perfect addition to this recipe, creating a festive mood. It only takes one tiny teaspoon of cinnamon for a complete dessert perfection! Another great option is to use a blend of warm spices that include cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

An apple sheet cake with a couple of triangle slices cut out.

Instructions

Start making the batter by combining soft butter and sour cream in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into smaller chunks if it's not completely soft.

Add flour (no need to sieve it) and baking powder.

Start kneading.

First, use a spoon to combine all the ingredients, then continue using your hands or a stand mixer.

We rarely use a stand mixer for this recipe because the process can be done easily and quickly with your hands.

The crust needs to be flexible enough not to stick to your hands.

Spread the dough evenly onto a lined baking tray.

The measurements are based on a 13-inch pan (perfect for half sheet pans), and this recipe will give you a nice thin crust with this tray size.

What's great about this crust is that you can also use it for a round cake mold with removable sides (with the given amount of ingredients, you should be able to make 2 medium-sized round cakes).

Preheat the oven to 355 ℉ (180 ℃).

Meanwhile, remove the skin and the core from the apples (use an apple corer or a regular fruit knife) and chop them into small pieces.

Take a medium-sized bowl and combine all the ingredients of the cream, including apples. Alternatively, slice apples into very thin slices, layer them on top of the crust and prepare the cream with the rest of the ingredients (leaving out apples). You'll cover the apple slices with cream in the next step.

Pour the cream over the crust and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 50 minutes (or until golden brown) with top and bottom heat.

Once done, remove it from the oven and wait (if you can) until the cake cools to room temperature.

View from above on an uncut apple sheet cake.

Three slices of an apple sheet cake on a beige plate, view from above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store the sheet cake leftovers?

Since it's rather large, you might not be able to eat the entire cake in one go. You can cut the leftover cake into portions and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days. Our cake usually doesn't last that long because it's too delicious to keep our fingers away from it!

What are the best apples for this cake?

It's best to choose apples that are somewhat sour but not entirely sweet. The more sour the apples, the better! Even winter apples will turn into tender apple chunks, adding to the texture and flavor of the cake.