5 Easy Autumn Cakes You Won't Be Able to Resist

2026. 10. 20.

There's something about autumn baking that makes even a perfectly ordinary afternoon feel a little different. The scent of cinnamon and baked apple drifts out of the oven, a bowl of pears or a few plums waits on the worktop, and suddenly getting out the flour and the mixing bowl doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

You don't need complicated recipes: autumn fruit and a few basic ingredients make great cakes. Here are five recipes, from a simple one-bowl cake to a rustic apple galette, that are worth saving for weekend guests and for a quiet afternoon at home.

1. Apple and cinnamon one-bowl cake

Apple cakes need no introduction. Sweet apple, cinnamon and a soft crumb together make a true autumn classic, and this version needs no lengthy prep or special kitchen experience. It comes together in one bowl, goes into the tin, and then all that's left is to wait for the oven to do its job.

Time: approx. 15 minutes prep + 35–40 minutes baking

Ingredients for a medium baking tin:

• 3 eggs
• 220 g sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 225 ml sunflower oil
• 280 g plain flour
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 medium apples
• 100 g walnuts

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line a medium baking tin with baking paper.
2. Peel the apples, then grate them or cut them into small cubes.
3. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until fluffy, then work in the oil.
4. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and finally fold the apples into the batter.
5. Spread the batter in the tin and bake for 35–40 minutes. Before taking it out, check with a skewer that the centre is baked through.

What else goes well with it: a handful of coarsely chopped walnuts or a few spoonfuls of raisins. If you often bake one-bowl cakes, a hand mixer lets you put the batter together faster, so less time goes on preparation.

2. Plum crumble cake

The crumble cake is one of those desserts that actually benefit from not being perfect. There's no dough to roll out, no edges to straighten and no worrying about how the slices will turn out. The cinnamon plums soften in the oven, while the buttery crumble on top bakes crisp.

Time: approx. 20 minutes prep + 45 minutes baking

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 200 g granulated sugar
• 5 g baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 375 g plain flour
• 225 g butter
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 600 g plums
• 150 g granulated sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 12 g cornflour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C and prepare a medium baking tin: grease it with butter or line it with baking paper.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and work it in until the mixture is crumbly. Finally, mix in the beaten egg. The dough should stay dry and crumbly.
3. Press half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the tin, then spread the diced plums over it. Toss the fruit beforehand with the sugar, cinnamon and cornflour.
4. Crumble the remaining dough over the plum layer, then place the tin in the preheated oven. Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top turns a nice golden brown.
5. Let it cool before slicing, so the cake sets nicely and is easy to portion.

Serving idea: it's best lukewarm. With a little vanilla custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it becomes a proper dessert.

3. Pumpkin muffins

When a pumpkin comes into the kitchen, the first thing that comes to mind is usually cream soup. But it's worth trying in baking too: roasted pumpkin purée makes the batter pleasantly soft, and cinnamon and ginger go well with its mildly sweet flavour. These muffins are great with breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or packed for a longer hike.

Time: approx. 15 minutes prep + 20–25 minutes baking, not including preparing the pumpkin

Ingredients:

• 275 g pumpkin
• 85 g sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• 150 g cane sugar
• 175 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp gingerbread spice mix (pumpkin spice mix)
• 1 sachet baking powder
• 1 pinch salt

Method

1. Scrape the flesh of the previously roasted pumpkin out of its skin and put it in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, eggs and cane sugar, then blend with a stick blender until you get a smooth, creamy mixture.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and gingerbread spice mix into the mixture, and add a pinch of salt. Mix with a spatula or whisk until you have a lump-free batter.
3. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and divide the batter among them. An ice cream scoop makes it easier to get muffins of equal size.
4. Preheat the oven to 185 °C, then bake the muffins for about 20 minutes. At the end of baking, do the skewer test: if the skewer comes out clean, the muffins are done.
5. Let the muffins cool completely before removing the paper cases or starting to decorate.

Variation: a few cubes of dark chocolate or a handful of chopped walnuts make them even richer. You can also purée the pumpkin smooth with a stick blender or food processor, so no larger pieces are left in it.

4. Pear and walnut cake

Besides apples, pears are a great ingredient for autumn baking, especially paired with walnuts. This cake is soft and fruity, and the walnuts add pleasantly crunchy bites. It's not too complicated, yet it's a little different from the usual apple one-bowl cake.

Time: approx. 15 minutes prep + 30 minutes baking

Ingredients:

• 200 g plain flour
• 200 g sugar
• 150 g butter
• 75 g walnuts
• 3 pears
• 2 eggs
• 100 ml milk
• 1 sachet baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Peel the pears, remove the cores and cut them into small cubes. Sprinkle with cinnamon, toss and set aside. Chop the walnuts coarsely.
2. Whisk the eggs with the sugar and butter until fluffy. Sift the flour mixed with the baking powder into the mixture, then gradually add the milk. Stir until smooth, and finally fold in the cinnamon pears and the chopped walnuts.
3. Line a baking tin with baking paper, pour in the batter and level the top. Place in an oven preheated to 180 °C and bake for about 20 minutes.
4. Check the cake with the fork test: if no raw batter sticks to the fork, it's done. Let it cool slightly before slicing.

A small trick: if you toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for a few minutes beforehand, their flavour becomes more intense.

5. Cinnamon apple galette

If you fancy something a little more impressive than a one-bowl cake but don't feel like fussing with a classic pie, try a galette. This French-style free-form tart isn't about neat edges: the dough is simply folded back around the fruit, which gives it a rustic, homemade look.

Time: approx. 20 minutes prep + 30 minutes resting + 35–40 minutes baking

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 150 g cold butter
• 190 g plain flour
• 30 g icing sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp ice-cold water
• 1 egg yolk
• grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon

For the filling:

• 5 large apples
• 50 g brown sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Put the butter, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and blend until you get a fine, crumbly texture. If you don't have a food processor, you can rub the ingredients together by hand.
2. Add the ice-cold water, egg yolk and grated lemon zest, then knead quickly into a uniform dough. It's right when it's smooth, slightly sticky and no pieces of butter remain.
3. Wrap it in cling film and rest it in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
4. While the dough rests, prepare the apples: peel them, remove the cores and cut into thin slices. Toss with half of the sugar and the cinnamon. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
5. Roll the chilled dough out to about half a centimetre thick on floured baking paper, then transfer it to the tray. It doesn't need to be a regular shape.
6. Arrange the apple slices on the dough, leaving a 3–4 cm border free around the edge. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples and press down gently.
7. Sprinkle the top with the remaining brown sugar, then bake for about 35 minutes, until the apples are soft and the pastry is a nice golden brown. If the edges brown too quickly, cover them with aluminium foil.
8. After baking, let it rest on the tray for a few minutes, then serve lukewarm. It's especially good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Which kitchen machines come in handy for autumn baking?

An apple one-bowl cake doesn't need much preparation, but if you bake at home often, a few well-chosen kitchen machines can make the work more comfortable. For mixing doughs, for example, an GAMMO planetary mixer can help with mixing and whisking. For the pumpkin muffins, you first need to roast the pumpkin until soft and then make a smooth purée from it. A stick blender or purée maker is a practical help here. A purée of the right consistency also makes the muffin batter more even.

And if you enjoy trying new recipes and, besides everyday baking, also experiment with bread, pizza dough or other homemade treats, a versatile kitchen machine can be a useful companion in the long run.

Autumn offers plenty of ingredients for baking. You don't need to look for a new, complicated recipe every weekend: sometimes a tried-and-tested cake, a few seasonal fruits and a free afternoon are all it takes. Take a look at GAMMO's kitchen machines and find the tools that can make your next autumn bake simpler.