• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Mug Cake Recipes
  • Military Care Packages
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Mug Cake Recipes
  • Military Care Packages
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Apple Gingerbread Cakelets

    By Wendy Sondov · Published: Sep 28, 2018 · Modified: Jan 23, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Apple Gingerbread Cakelets are chewy gingerbread cookies made with apple butter and baked in a Nordic Ware’s Apple Cakelet Pan. These adorable shaped treats fill cookie jars and care packages with spicy fall flavor.

    This  recipe is sponsored on behalf of #AppleWeek. Our generous sponsors, Swiss Diamond, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, Nordic Ware, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oatmeal, Nairn’s and The Spice House have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. All opinions are my own.

    Apple shaped cakelets, three wrapped in gold foil, on wood cutting board with sliced apples.

    About this recipe

    I baked some memories of fall orchard trips with Nordic Ware's Apple Cakelet pan in the form of Apple Gingerbread Cakelets.

    These cakelets are firm and chewy, more like a thick cookie than a cake. They are full of gingerbread spices, with a touch of sweetness from apple butter.

    These cake-like cookies are pretty adorable right out of the pan. Some are half apples with a leaf and others are cut apples with seeds.  They bake to a beautiful rich golden brown.

    The pan has 14 cavities. Two of the cavities are deep and round without any details. These can be used with other recipes for sandwiching two cakelets together to form a complete apple.

    I didn’t use those cavities. I used the molds of cut apples with seeds inside and the molds of apple halves with leaves.

    Apple Gingerbread Cakelets on top of Nordic Ware apple mold pan.

    To make them extra special for care packages and gift giving, I turned some of the cakelets into Golden Apples.

    The concept of a Golden Apple appears in folktales from many cultures. In Norse legends, the Golden Apple is a divine food and a source of immortality. I don’t know about the immortality part, but Apple Gingerbread Cakelets do taste divine.

    Making  Golden Apples adds a small, easy craft project to this baking project. Two squares of gold foil candy wrappers, one on the top and one on the bottom, are pressed around the half apple cakelets to create the sparkling Golden Apples.

    Recipe directions

    1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars, then add the remaining ingredients.
    2. Fill 12 apple molds (cut apple and apple with leaves only) with dough, pressing firmly to avoid air pockets. Deep molds should be filled up to ¼” from the top. Shallow molds should be filled up to ⅛” from the top. There will be enough dough for 4 more cakes remaining.
    3. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
    4. Remove from the oven and allow the little cakes to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan.
    5. Use the remaining dough to fill 4 molds and bake just like the first pan of cakelets.
    6. To wrap in foil to create Golden Apples, wrap the bottom, flat surface of the cakelet first, bringing any extra foil up toward the upper rounded surface of the apple.
    7. Set the cakelet on a flat surface and lay the second foil square on top of the cakelet.
    8. Holding the foil in place, use a fingertip to rub over the leaf first to emphasize the leaf edges and veins. Then press the rest of the top foil into place.

    Tips for creating golden apples

    Apple Gingerbread Cakelets closeup with some covered in gold foil.
    • When wrapping cakelets in foil, don’t worry about wrinkles. It’s nearly impossible to apply the foil without wrinkles, and the added texture looks lovely.
    •  If using two 4” x 4” foil squares, like I did, wrap the bottom of the cakelet first, set the cakelet on a flat surface and lay the second foil square on top of the cakelet. Holding the foil in place, use a fingertip to rub over the leaf first to emphasize the leaf edges and veins. Then press the rest of the top foil into place.

    Baking tips

    Closeup showing cake-like texture of inside of one half of a cakelet.
    • I use Musselmans Apple Butter which already contains spices, so only ½ teaspoon each of ginger and cinnamon is used. If your apple butter doesn’t contain spices, you may need to adjust the amount of spices added to the dough.
    • The individual molds on the Nordic Ware Apple Cakelet Pan hold varying amounts of dough. Rather than providing an exact amount of dough to use for each cakelet, my suggestion is that the deep molds be filled up to ¼” from the top edge and that the more shallow molds be filled up to ⅛” from the top edge. The deep molds need to be filled a little more so that all of the cakelets bake evenly.
    • Be sure to press the dough firmly into each mold to minimize air bubbles and maximize the leaf and seed details on the cakelets.
    Apple shaped cookie-cakes, some wrapped in gold foil, inside a red laquered bowl.

    I had so much fun baking with the cakelet pan. The Nordic Ware Apple Cakelet Pan is part of Nordic Ware’s Fall Harvest collection.

    The heavyduty, cast aluminum pan has a beautiful sparkly copper colored finish. For this recipe, the pan did not require any greasing. Every one of my little cakelets popped out of the mold with one tap on the counter.

    These cookie-cakes are an memorable care package treat and would also be a show stopper dessert for any fall gathering!

    I hope you have enjoyed the many recipes that are part of #AppleWeek. The Monday Box contributed Apple Gingerbread Cakelets, Apple Raisin Oatmeal Cookies and Apple Cherry Jam Cookies. 

    Apple Gingerbread Cakelets

    Apple Gingerbread Cakelets

    Chewy gingerbread cookie-cakes made with apple butter and spices.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 187kcal
    Author: Wendy Sondov

    Equipment

    • 4" x 4" squares of gold foil candy wrappers

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup brown sugar
    • ¼ cup apple butter
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ginger
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
    • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350° F.
    • In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars.
    • Mix in apple butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and flour, until a dough forms.
    • Fill 12 apple molds (cut apple and apple with leaves only) with dough, pressing firmly to avoid air pockets. Deep molds should be filled up to ¼” from the top. Shallow molds should be filled up to ⅛” from the top. There will be enough dough for 4 more cakelets remaining.
    • Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.
    • Remove from the oven and allow the cakelets to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan.
    • To remove the cakelets, turn the pan over on countertop. Tap the pan on the countertop to release the cakelets. If any of the cakelets remain in the mold, use the tip of a butter knife to loosen and remove the cakelet.
    • Place the cakelets on a wire rack to cool completely.
    • Use the remaining dough to fill 4 cakelet molds and bake just like the first pan of cakelets.
    • To wrap cakelets in foil to create Golden Apples
    • Wrap the bottom, flat surface of the cakelet first, bringing any extra foil up toward the upper rounded surface of the apple.
    • Set the cakelet on a flat surface and lay the second foil square on top of the cakelet.
    • Holding the foil in place, use a fingertip to rub over the leaf first to emphasize the leaf edges and veins. Then press the rest of the top foil into place.
    • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.

    Notes

    • I use Musselmans Apple Butter which already contains spices, so only ½ teaspoon each of ginger and cinnamon is used in Apple Gingerbread Cakelets. If your apple butter doesn’t contain spices, you may need to adjust the amount of spices added to the dough.
    • The individual molds on the Nordic Ware Apple Cakelet Pan hold varying amounts of dough. Rather than providing an exact amount of dough to use for each cakelet, my suggestion is that the deep molds be filled up to ¼” from the top edge and that the more shallow molds be filled up to ⅛” from the top edge. The deep molds need to be filled a little more so that all of the cakelets bake evenly.
    • Be sure to press the dough firmly into each mold to minimize air bubbles and maximize the apple leaf and seed details on the cakelets.
    • When wrapping cakelets in foil, don’t worry about wrinkles. It’s nearly impossible to apply the foil without wrinkles, and the added texture looks lovely.
    •  If using two 4” x 4” foil squares, like I did, wrap the bottom of the cakelet first, set the cakelet on a flat surface and lay the second foil square on top of the cakelet. Holding the foil in place, use a fingertip to rub over the leaf first to emphasize the leaf edges and veins. Then press the rest of the top foil into place.
    Packing tips
    Wrap each cakelet individually in plastic wrap. For a special presentation, place each cakelet into a cellophane cookie/goodie bag and close with a twist tie or ribbon. Then pack wrapped cakelets snugly into a freezer weight zip lock bag or plastic storage container.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheMondayBox or tag #themondaybox!

    You might also like:

    Apple biscotti in a bowl with an apple.Apple Cinnamon Biscotti
    « Italian Jam Cookies
    Root Beer Float Bars »
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Miz Helen

      October 09, 2018 at 1:33 pm

      5 stars
      Your Apple Gingerbread Cakelets look adorable! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday, we have really enjoyed it. Hope you have a great day and come back soon!
      Miz Helen

      Reply
      • The Monday Box

        October 10, 2018 at 8:15 am

        Thank you, Miz Helen! This pan does make the cookies look adorable!

        Reply
    2. Lee MacArthur

      October 07, 2018 at 2:49 pm

      These look great and I bet they'd be good for children's lunch boxes. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      • The Monday Box

        October 07, 2018 at 3:00 pm

        Thanks, Lee! I think these cakelets would be great for lunch boxes! They are sturdy, chewy cookies (not delicate, fluffy cake) and they travel well. Not to mention, that i think their cuteness would be the hit of the lunchroom! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome

      October 07, 2018 at 11:21 am

      These are awesome! What a great gift to give to your Thanksgiving hostess!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party! Have a lovely week and hope to see you next week too!

      Reply
    4. Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck

      October 01, 2018 at 8:29 pm

      These look gorgeous, especially wrapped in foil! Love that pan!!!

      Reply
      • The Monday Box

        October 03, 2018 at 7:57 am

        Thank you, Colleen! The shapes from Nordic Ware pans are always fun to work with. The shapes and designs make the baked goods look special. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Carlee Scharnhorst

      September 30, 2018 at 4:00 pm

      These could not be any more adorable and the wrapped one are extra precious! It looks like I am going to have to add that pan to my wish list!

      Reply
      • The Monday Box

        October 03, 2018 at 8:02 am

        Goodies baked in Nordic Ware pans always have special appeal! I've been thinking of all kinds of occasions where apple shaped cookies or cakelets would be so much fun!

        Reply
    6. Linda

      September 28, 2018 at 6:41 am

      I just don't need another Nordic cake pan and now I NEED this one. These are so darned cute. It would be so easy to order this. I'm going to try not to think about it. But this recipe sounds so good. Hmmmmmm!

      Wishes for tasty dishes,
      Linda

      Reply
    7. Saltandserenity

      September 28, 2018 at 5:23 am

      These are beyond cute! And I
      am cursing you because I saw these Nordicware apple cake pans last fall and managed not to buy them. You have started those lustful feelings of need all over again.
      I’m enjoying all these apple treats! Fun idea.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Wendy, a baker, care package maker, and smile creator. On The Monday Box you’ll find care package inspiration and recipes for delicious treats that make it easy for you to share home baked love. Let’s spread happiness, one cookie at a time!

    More about me →

    Passover

    • The World’s Best Passover Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread
      The World’s Best Passover Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread
    • Peanut Butter S'mores Cookies (Gluten Free)
    • Plain and chocolate drizzled coconut macaroon cookies.
      Coconut Macaroons without Condensed Milk
    • Gluten Free Brownie Brittle
    • Almond Flour Cookie Bars with swirls of melted chocolate inside.
      Almond Flour Cookie Bars
    • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies covered in confectioners sugar on a slate background.
      Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
    Favorite Biscotti Recipes

    Most Popular

    • Closeup of raisin biscuit squares with golden crust speckled with raisins.
      Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies
    • Honey Applesauce Cake
    • Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies- melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread made even better with added espresso and chocolate! | The Monday Box
      Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
    • Chocolate cake mix mug cakes and bowls of cake toppings
      Cake Mix Mug Cake
    Amazing 1 Minute Mug Cakes

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    Contact

    Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer

    As Seen On

    Copyright © 2012 - 2023 The Monday Box, All Rights Reserved.