cream cheese apple cake;

October 17, 2025Katie
Apple cake drizzled with honey and apples in the background
cream cheese apple cake;
A soft and crumbly cake filled with apples and a cream cheese swirl.
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Cream Cheese Apple Cake Bars @ bestwithchocolate.com

Originally posted October 18, 2019. Updated for content and clarity on September 21, 2020; October 17, 2025.

It’s been a while so hello, and eat this cream cheese apple cake. You won’t regret it. I might be eating it now. Things have been crazy lately. Between taking multiple graphic design courses, trying to workout 30 days in 2 months, and you know, life, we try to fit in some fun! And fall always means it’s time for apple picking!

I’ve wanted to go apple picking for a while, but we haven’t managed it the past couple years. So I was happy we fit it in this year! And now I have a billion apples. Okay, maybe not a billion, but trust me, you’ll be getting some apple recipes coming up. And I’m happy with just how delicious this cream cheese apple cake turned out.

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Mixing Cream Cheese Apple Cake Batter @ bestwithchocolate.com

We actually went to a local cidery for apple picking! We’ve visited Distillery Lane Ciderworks before for cider tasting. (It’s sadly closed since we went back in 2020.) When I found out they did apple picking, I was psyched. They have an apple festival every year. There were food trucks, tickets and stations for wine tasting, and of course apple picking. Because it’s a cidery and they deal in apples, there’s so many new and unheard of varietals to pick from. A lot more than you’d find in the grocery store.

My personal favorite apples to use are ‘goldrush’ but those can be quite elusive to find—this recipe works with most varietals! Granny Smith is a great (and probably more common) option.

Secret to success

We ended up picking “goldrush”, “sundance”, and “splendour” apples. The Goldrush was my favorite. I would describe them as a cross between a granny smith and gold delicious. They’re yellow and crisp, but have a little more tang like a green apple. So yummy. I highly recommend—if you can get your hands on some. They’re absolutely delicious in this cream cheese apple cake. But if you don’t have access to this varietal that I had never heard about before, don’t be discouraged! I’ve used granny smith and various apples that are easy to find, and it’s still amazing.

Freshly Baked Cream Cheese Apple Cake @ bestwithchocolate.com

This recipe actually is a variation on a recipe handed out at that same fall festival! An apple cake with a creamy tangy cream cheese swirl makes this dish delectable. Here’s a super pro tip: heat it up. This cream cheese apple cake is delicious room temperature, but absolutely delicious warm.

Super secret tip: serve it warm! This cream cheese apple cake is delicious room temperature, but absolutely delicious warm.

Secret to success
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And if that wasn’t even enough of a tip, I love how versatile the recipe is. It makes a big sheet pan, so serve it one night for dessert, and then leftovers become perfect coffee cake the next morning. As if you needed more excuses to eat this cake. When serving for dessert, heat serve warm and top with some vanilla bean ice cream. You can even add a drizzle of caramel sauce, and play on the caramel apple theme.

Serve this cream cheese apple cake as a dessert or serve with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning as a coffee cake!

Secret to success

If you’re a tea drinker and add honey to your tea, just drizzle on a little extra for your morning coffee cake. Of course this cake is delicious enough that it stands delicious on it’s own. You don’t even need the extra goodies!

Drizzling cream cheese apple cake with honey

secrets to success;

Want all the best tips and tricks to make this recipe a success? Check out the blog post above to find out more!


more recipes;

Looking for other recipes to help use up all those apples from apple picking? Check out these options:

  • Apple pie tacos are perfect for a party. Perfect for picky kids and adults, build your own dessert tacos and add your favorite toppings!
  • For a savory twist, try this caramel apple baked brie. Put together the perfect platter of your fun apple varietals, and dig into warm gooey, caramelly, nutty cheese.
  • For a chocolatey twist, make apple butter and then make these no bake apple butter truffles for a decadent, classy dessert.
Cream Cheese Apple Cake Bars @ bestwithchocolate.com

cream cheese apple cake;

A soft and crumbly cake filled with apples and a cream cheese swirl.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Oven Temp: 350°F
Servings: 24
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Ingredients

Apple Cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ cups butterscotch chips
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 3 cups apples peeled and diced (approximately 3 medium apples)
  • ½ cups walnuts chopped

Cheesecake Filling

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • cup sugar
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Instructions

Apple Cake

  • Spray a 9”x13” pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir together sugar, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. The mixture should be thick, more like cookie dough than batter.
  • Fold in chopped apples, butterscotch chips, and walnuts.
  • Reserve 2 cups and set aside, pouring the remaining batter into the pan.

Cheesecake Filling

  • In a small bowl, combine all cheesecake filling ingredients. Beat until smooth and pour over the dough in the pan.
  • Dollop reserved dough over the cheesecake filling and swirl together.
  • Bake 50-55 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes. Top with caramel or ice cream, as desired.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @bestwithchocolate or tag #bestwithchocolate!

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