Merryfield Apple Cake: An Easy Apple Cake with Cake Mix

This easy Merryfield apple cake starts with a box of yellow cake mix and three cups of fresh apples, plus walnuts and raisins. It’s topped with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar so there’s no frosting needed!

Why this recipe works

Somewhere in a Good Housekeeping cookbook there is a recipe named after a woman nobody can identify. That, my friends, is called Merryfield apple cake. It turns a box of yellow cake mix into one of the best apple cakes I have ever made. Three cups of diced apples, two kinds of nuts, three kinds of dried fruit, and a pretty lace pattern of confectioners’ sugar on top instead of a heavy frosting. I have been making this one every fall for more than a decade and I still get asked about the doily dusting every single time!

There is so much apple, nut, and dried fruit going into this batter that a from scratch cake would be a lot of work for a crumb you can barely taste underneath it all. A box of yellow cake mix gives you a quick and easy base in about four minutes. Because it’s a fruit heavy cake, the tops bake up lumpy and uneven instead of smooth. But I think that’s what gives it character! Plus, the fruit keeps the crumb moist for days.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

YELLOW CAKE MIX – One standard 15.25 ounce box, prepared with the ingredients listed on the back. If you are working from an older copy of this recipe that calls for an 18.5 ounce box, ignore it, that size has not been on shelves in years and I’ve updated the recipe to reflect the new 15.25 ounce standard box. Yellow cake mix is best because it has enough richness to stand up to this much fruit. Spice cake mix is a good swap if you want more warmth. I also think butter pecan would go nicely with the nuts here!

FRESH APPLES – Three cups of diced apple is a lot of fruit for one cake batter, so the variety matters more here than it would in a pie. I use Honeycrisp, and any firm apple that holds its shape through a long bake will do just as well, so Braeburn, Gala, Fuji or Pink Lady are all good swaps. Granny Smith is worth reaching for if you want more tartness against the sweet batter! Cut the pieces small, around a half inch, so they distribute evenly instead of sinking. I peel mine, though leaving the skin on is fine if you like the texture and the flecks of color.

WALNUTS AND PECANS – The original called for walnuts only. I use both, but you can use all of one type if preferred. Chop them roughly rather than finely so you get actual crunch. Toasting them for eight minutes at 350F first is optional, but totally worth it for the extra flavor!

RAISINS AND GOLDEN RAISINS – Using both gives you two levels of sweetness and two colors in the slice. Golden raisins are milder and a little tarter. If you only have one kind on hand, use a half cup of whatever you have.

DRIED CRANBERRIES – Dried cranberries are something I added to the original recipe. They add a bit of tartness to a batter piled with sweetness. Plus they look so beautiful against the pale crumb.

CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR – Sift it rather than shaking it straight from the bag. Lumps will not pass through a fine sieve cleanly and you will get blobs instead of a lace pattern.

What Kind of Doily Should I Use?

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You want roughly an 7-8 inch round doily for an eight inch cake, but that turns out to be harder to find than it used to be. The small paper doilies I used for years are no longer made, and nearly everything sold now comes 10 to 12 inches, which is too wide to sit on the cake properly. These are the ones I use now. If you can track down a small paper doily it works exactly the same way, and so does a stencil you cut yourself out of parchment or cardstock if you want a different design.

How to Make Merryfield Apple Cake

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Prepare cake mix according to box directions. Fold in the apples, walnuts, pecans, raisins, golden raisins, and dried cranberries.
3. Distribute the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks to room temperature.
5. Place paper doily on top of cake and sift confectioners’ sugar directly over the doily. Carefully remove doily, shake excess into sink and repeat for second cake.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Storage and Freezing Information

Store your cake in an airtight container kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Once the cake is covered, the confectioners’ sugar will likely melt into the top of the cake and the lace pattern will fade. It doesn’t affect the texture or flavor. You can always add a fresh dusting with a doily to bring the pattern back!

• To freeze the cakes whole and decorate them later, let them cool completely on a wire rack, then set them on a parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze for about 2 hours. Once firm, wrap each cake a few times in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil and return it to the freezer for up to three months.
• To freeze individual slices instead, cool the cake completely, slice it into serving size pieces and arrange them on a parchment lined baking sheet so no two slices are touching. Flash freeze for 2 hours, then wrap each slice in plastic wrap and transfer them to a freezer bag or container.
• To thaw, remove the cake or slices from the freezer and unwrap them. Allow them to thaw at room temperature. Dust with confectioners sugar once thawed.

Serving Suggestions

Merryfield apple cake is the perfect sweet treat alongside your morning coffee or tea but it’s just as amazing as an after dinner dessert. It’s especially popular around fall and Thanksgiving, and is a great way to use up freshly picked apples! Serve at room temperature, or slightly warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The recipe makes two cakes which is great for making ahead of time. Bake both, serve one, freeze one. You can also bake the cakes up to two days before you need them and hold them undusted in an airtight container, then do the doily step right before serving so the pattern is fresh.

More Apple Recipes

For a full apple spread in the fall, put it out alongside a mug of hot apple cider and a bowl of peanut butter apple dip with sliced apples for the kids. On Thanksgiving it works as the quieter option on a dessert table that already has pie, since it slices cleanly and does not need a plate and fork situation to eat.

If you have a bag of apples to work through, this cake and a batch of apple muffins will handle most of it between them, and a crockpot apple cobbler will finish the rest without heating up the oven.

Here’s a few more ideas!

• Apple Bread
• Homemade Apple Pie
• Apple Crumble
• Apple Dump Cake

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