After more than 25 years of running a bakery, I can tell you that apple season is not just a moment on the calendar — it's a feeling, and it smells like brown sugar, warm spices, and buttery pastry.
Apple Cake Doughnuts
Over the years, my clientele taught me what they loved most, and apples were always at the top of the list. Not just any apple dessert, mind you, but ones with a little something extra. A cinnamon bun topping where a plain crust used to be. A whiskey-spiked sauce where you'd least expect it. A hand pie that mimics puff pastry without a single butter block in sight.
These nine recipes represent the very best of what apple season can be. Some are rustic and comforting, some are elegant enough for a dinner party, and all of them will make your home smell absolutely wonderful. I hope they find a permanent place in your fall baking rotation.
Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
This Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake is a dream for anyone who secretly eats around the cake just to get to the crumbs — and here, you never have to. A river of cinnamon apples runs through a sour cream cake that stays tender for days, all under a crumb topping so generous it nearly matches the cake layer for layer. It is the kind of thing you pull out on a slow fall morning and feel very good about yourself for having made.
Cinnamon Bun Apple Pie
I first spotted this idea on King Arthur's site and was immediately intrigued by that cinnamon bun top crust. It is a wonderfully fun way to finish a classic apple pie, and the result is as impressive to look at as it is to eat. October and apple picking season could not ask for a better tribute.
Apple Caramel Hand Pies
These feature my Amazing Pastry Dough, which mimics puff pastry without any of the fuss — no butter blocks, no breaking through, no worries. Sweet apples and chewy caramels tucked inside a shatteringly flaky pastry make for the most satisfying grab-and-go treat of the season. With apple season just around the corner, what could be better?
Irish Apple Cake
This wonderfully moist cake is simplicity itself to make, and the reward is great. Packed with Granny Smith apples and topped with a streusel that adds one more layer of flavor, it is not too sweet and not too fussy. We especially loved it in the morning with a cup of tea — a perfect snack cake for any time of day.
Apple Fritters with Speculaas Spice
Warm, crisp, and ready in about 30 minutes — these are sure to become a fall favorite. I use beer in the batter for a lighter fritter with a bit more lift, and the Speculaas spice gives them a depth that cinnamon alone simply cannot match. They come together with just a bowl, a whisk, and a few pantry staples.
Cake Doughnuts An Easy Treat
These Apple Cake Doughnuts are baked, not fried, which means you get a light and airy treat with a lot less mess and a lot more likelihood of actually making them on a weekday morning. Applesauce and oil keep them tender for days — four days uncovered, according to the baker herself, which is the kind of staying power that makes a recipe worth keeping. A roll through cinnamon sugar at the end gives them just the right sparkle for apple season.
Apple Crisp Cheesecake
This Apple Crisp Cheesecake is what happens when you refuse to choose between two of fall's greatest desserts and simply make both at once. A graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake, and spiced apple filling are all crowned with an oat, walnut, brown sugar, and cinnamon crisp — and the whole thing comes together without a water bath, which alone makes it worth bookmarking. It freezes beautifully too, so you can get a head start before the holiday chaos begins.
Apple Spice Bundt Cake
What if I told you this cake comes together in about 20 minutes, with no apples to peel, core, or slice? A secret ingredient carries all that rich apple flavor, and warm fall spices do the rest. Finished with a Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting, this is sure to be your newest fall cake.
Traditional Apple Strudel
I grew up watching my mother and grandmother pull strudel dough so thin you could read a newspaper through it — my job was to sweep up the thin shards that flaked off as it was folded. These days I use frozen phyllo, and I honestly cannot see any advantage to doing otherwise. Filled with spiced apples and baked until golden, it is a nostalgic bake I return to every single fall.
I don't know about you but fall is my favorite time of year and I welcome the apples, pumpkin, spices and the upcoming holidays. I have a lot to share with you and look forward to doing so,
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