Jewish Apple Cake

I remember the first time I tried my Bubbe’s Jewish apple cake. Normally, I am not a cake girl. Frosting, sure. Chocolate, yes please. Brisket, I’ll take seconds! But cake- and cake with fruit in it no less- just doesn’t tempt my fancy. (How old am I that I just used that phrase?) But you just try saying “no” to Bubbe, especially when it comes to food. “Oy, just try a sliver” she said as she placed a huge chunk of cake in front of me. So of course I had to sample it. And believe me when I say, this cake is freaking fantastic. Delicious, cinnamony hunks of apple, and ridiculously m-word that I hate moist. Jewish Apple Cake is traditionally served during Rosh Hashanah to ensure a sweet New Year, but who wants to wait until fall to enjoy this delectable treat? I sure don’t.

Time to make your own Jew-licious Apple Cake. This cake borders on a breakfast bread, so I thought I would propel it straight to dessert-ville by adding a sugary icing. Oh yeah I did.

First, mix up your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make sure to level off the flour. Then, make a well in the middle. Add in your wet ingredients: oil, eggs, juice and vanilla.

Mix until combined. And your dough looks this good. Thick but pourable.

Yum! Next, it’s apple time. Peel and core your apples, and slice into thin wedges. Cover with cinnamon and sugar.

Spoon less than 1/3 of your batter into a greased bundt pan. Top with 1/2 of the apple mixture. Repeat with another 1/3 of the dough, the other 1/2 of the apples, and the last 1/3 of the dough. 1 hour later or so, and you have one tasty cake!

Let the cake cool for 15 minutes or so until you can handle it and then flip it onto a rack to finish cooling. Ta da!

Oh but we aren’t done yet. Once your cake it totally cool, mix confectioners sugar with water to get a tasty sugary glaze. Then go to town and cover that bad boy to your heart’s content. This glaze is also perfect for covering any blemishes on your cake. Luckily, mine was perfect as is.

Come to mama.

What Is Jewish Apple Cake?

Jewish apple cake is a tall, moist bundt cake layered with cinnamon sugar apples, made with oil instead of butter and a splash of orange juice. It is a staple of Ashkenazi home baking and shows up on every Rosh Hashanah table for a sweet New Year.

The defining detail is what is not in it: dairy. Because it uses oil rather than butter and milk, the cake is pareve, which means it can be served after a meat meal in a kosher home. That single constraint is the reason the recipe exists in this form, and happily it also makes an unusually moist cake that keeps for days. It’s even better after a day or two, honestly!

Why You’ll Love This Cake

• It is pareve. No butter, no milk, so it works after brisket at a holiday dinner.
• Ridiculously moist. Oil based cakes stay tender far longer than butter cakes.
• No mixer needed. A bowl, a spatula and a well in the dry ingredients. That is it.
• It gets better on day two. Bake it ahead and it improves overnight.
• Breakfast or dessert. This cake borders on a breakfast bread, so I propelled it straight to dessert-ville with a sugary icing.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Granny Smith apples. Four or five, about 4 cups sliced. Tart and firm, so they hold their shape instead of turning to sauce.
• Neutral oil. One cup of canola or vegetable. Do not swap in butter unless you are giving up on pareve.
• Orange juice. A quarter cup, fresh and no pulp. It adds moisture and a brightness you cannot quite place.
• Eggs. Four large, at room temperature and whisked before they go in.
• Flour, sugar, baking powder and kosher salt. Level off the flour, since too much is what makes this cake dry.
• Cinnamon. Two teaspoons, tossed with the apples rather than mixed into the batter.
• Vanilla and confectioners sugar. The vanilla goes in the batter, the sugar becomes the glaze.

How to Make Jewish Apple Cake

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, then make a well in the middle.
2. Add the wet. Pour the oil, whisked eggs, orange juice and vanilla into the well.
3. Combine gently. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon just until combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick but pourable.
4. Prep the apples. Peel, core and slice into thin wedges about 1/8 inch thick. Toss with 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon and set aside.
5. Layer it up. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan. I like using the non stick baking spray. Spoon in a little less than 1/3 of the batter, then half the apples, another 1/3 batter, the rest of the apples, and the remaining batter. Do not fuss over even layers.
6. Bake. 350 degrees F for 70 to 75 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool and glaze. Cool 15 minutes before inverting onto a rack. Once fully cool, whisk confectioners sugar with a little boiling water or lemon juice and drizzle all over.

The Best Apples for Apple Cake

Granny Smith is my default. It is tart enough to stand up to two cups of sugar and firm enough that the wedges stay recognizable after 75 minutes in the oven.

Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Pink Lady all work well too. What you want to avoid is a soft, mealy apple like Red Delicious or McIntosh, which collapse into applesauce and leave wet pockets in the crumb. Mixing two varieties is a good trick if you want both tartness and sweetness.

Tips for the Best Jewish Apple Cake

• Slice the apples thin. About 1/8 inch. Thick chunks release too much water and weigh down the batter.
• Do not overmix. Stir just to combine. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you a tough, chewy cake.
• Grease the bundt pan properly. Oil or melted fat plus a dusting of flour, into every crevice. That nonstick baking spray works great. A decorative bundt has a lot of places to stick.
• Let it cool 15 minutes before inverting. Too soon and it tears, too long and the sugars glue it to the pan.
• Glaze only when completely cool. Warm cake melts the icing straight off the sides.
• Trust the long bake. Seventy plus minutes sounds like a lot. It is a big, wet batter and it needs the time.

How to Store and Freeze

Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Do not refrigerate it, which dries out the crumb. It genuinely tastes better on day two once the apples have settled in.

To freeze, wrap the unglazed cake tightly in plastic and then foil for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and glaze after thawing. It also freezes well in slices for the kind of emergency that calls for one piece of cake.

Jewish Apple Cake FAQ

What makes it a Jewish apple cake?

It is pareve. The recipe uses oil instead of butter and orange juice instead of milk, so it contains no dairy and can be served after a meat meal in a kosher home. That is what separates it from a standard apple bundt, along with its traditional place on the Rosh Hashanah table.

Is Jewish apple cake kosher for Passover?

Not as written, since it is made with all purpose flour. For a Passover dessert, my flourless almond fig cake gives you the same holiday feeling without the chametz.

Why is there orange juice in apple cake?

It does two jobs. It provides the liquid that milk would supply in a dairy cake, keeping the recipe pareve, and its acidity tenderizes the crumb while adding a background brightness that keeps all that sugar from tasting flat.

Can I make it in a 9×13 or a loaf pan?

Yes. A 9×13 works nicely and bakes faster, roughly 45 to 55 minutes. For this version I would do one layer of apples or mix them in. Two loaf pans work as well, at around 50 to 60 minutes. In both cases start checking early, since the shallower the pan the sooner it is done.

Why did my apples sink to the bottom?

Usually the slices were too thick or too wet. Slice them thin and layer them between the batter rather than stirring them through it, which is exactly why this recipe layers instead of mixing.

How do I keep the cake from sticking to the bundt pan?

Grease thoroughly with oil or melted fat, getting into every groove, then dust with flour and tap out the excess. Baking spray with flour in it also works well; this is my preference. Then cool for 15 minutes before inverting, not longer.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Absolutely, and you should. It keeps beautifully for several days at room temperature and improves overnight, which makes it a genuinely low stress holiday dessert. Glaze it the day you plan to serve it. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Making a whole holiday meal? This cake is on my Rosh Hashanah menu alongside tzimmes cake and apples, honey and goat cheese crostini. A drizzle of honey caramel sauce over a slice would not be the worst idea either.

Jewish Apple Cake

Amy

4.78 from 9 votes

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Servings 12

Ingredients

  

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For Cake:

• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup neutral oil, canola or vegetable
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, whisked
• 1/4 cup orange juice no pulp, from one orange
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• baking spray for greasing the pan

For Filling:

• 4-5 granny smith apples (to yield 5 cups sliced)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

For Glaze:

• 1½ cups confectioners sugar

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Make a well in the middle, and add in oil, whisked eggs, juice and vanilla.
• Mix all ingredients with a spatula or wooden spoon until combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick but pourable.
• Next, peel and core apples and cut into thin wedges, about 1/8" thick. You should have about 5 cups.
• Combine apples with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon and set aside.
• Grease 12-cup bundt pan with melted butter/oil and a light coating of flour or a nonstick spray (my favorite) and set aside.
• Spoon a little less than 1/3 batter in pan. Add a layer of 1/2 apple mixture, add another 1/3 batter. Follow with other half apple mixture and the rest of the batter. Don't worry too much if the layers aren't even or if the apples are totally covered, the cake will spread and it will taste great!
• Bake for 70-75 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly (15 minutes) before inverting it onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
• Mix confectioners sugar with enough boiling water or lemon juice to make a thick but runny glaze. Drizzle all over your cooled cake cake!

Notes

This cake is great to make ahead and tastes even better after a day or two! Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

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