Jewish Apple Cake is one of my favorite food memories from my high school years. It was one of the cakes that the girls made in Home EC as a project. A lot of you probably have never heard of Home Ec either.
I could always count on the new class making Jewish apple cake, and thankfully I was always asked to sample the cakes the girls in the class made.
This cake truly is an American Classic and is definitely a cake that you need to make. Trust me on this one. Your friends and family will love you forever when you serve them a slice of this delicious apple cake!
What is a Jewish Apple Cake?
A Jewish Apple Cake is a dense cake made with apples. Suspected to have originated in Poland, this delicious cake was well known in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
The Cake is made with vegetable oil, unlike many American cakes, which are usually made with butter. Because it doesn’t contain any dairy products, the cake can be eaten after a meat meal under the Jewish dietary laws that prohibit mixing meat and milk.
Did I mention it’s Ah-mazingly Delicious!
What ingredients do I need to make a Jewish Apple Cake?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make a Jewish Apple Cake. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Why use oil in this cake instead of butter
The use of oil instead of butter makes the cake pareve, meaning Jewish families who observe Jewish dietary laws can serve it at either meat or dairy meals.
Oil cakes also tend to bake up loftier with a more even crumb, and they stay moist and tender longer than cakes made with butter. Cakes made with butter will taste better, but for this cake, oil is definitely a good choice.
How do I make a Jewish Apple Cake?
Start by prepping the apples.
In a large bowl, toss the chopped apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
What kind of apples should I use?
Whenever anyone mentions baking and apples, the first thought turns to Granny Smith. It may be sacrilege, but I don’t like those apples. And because I’m baking for my family, I use the kind of apples I like.
These are the apples I like to use for baking:
- Gala
- Fuji
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
- Winesap
- Jonathon
This is how you should approach recipes. Use ingredients that you like, not necessarily what the recipe calls for (if it’s an easy substitution).
Prepare the Cake Batter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition (the batter will start out very thick but will get looser and easier to mix as you continue to add the eggs).
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Prepare the tube pan with butter (or margarine) and flour before adding the cake batter to the pan. Lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper will also help with the release.
Add a thin layer of the cake batter to the bottom of the pan, then add one-quarter of the apples on top of the batter.
Add one-quarter of the remaining cake batter over the top of the apples, spreading it with a rubber spatula.
The batter will not completely cover all of the apples (it will spread when baking). Really, it will… I promise.
Repeat this process two more times with the remaining apples and cake batter, ending with a layer of cake batter.
Remember, the batter will not completely cover the apples. Don’t worry, it’s okay… trust me, I’m a chef.
Okay, I admit I had my doubts. It’s been decades since I made a Jewish Apple Cake, but it came out better than expected. And the house smelled of apples and a time long gone.
Do I have to use a Tube Pan?
That’s really a tough question; I would use a tube pan aka angel food pan if you have one. If not, a 12-cup bundt pan should work; a 10-cup bundt pan might be cutting it too close.
Food stirs memories, and this delicious cake certainly brought me back to a simpler time when a delicious slice of cake on the bus home from school made me happy.
How do I get the cake out of the pan?
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15-20 minutes before attempting to remove it. Do not let the cake cool completely before removing it.
Most cakes are best unmolded from their pan while they are still warm; otherwise, they may stick to the pan.
If the cake won’t come out of the pan, place the pan on a stove burner on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. That will help the cake release from the pan.
FAQ Jewish Apple Cake
I suggest a tube pan with a removable bottom. These pans are also used for angel food cakes.
You can use a 12-cup bundt pan to make this cake. A 10-cup pan may be too small.
Traditionally, everyone suggests Granny Smiths. Personally, I don’t like them. I suggest using Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady. Winesap or Jonathon.
This apple cake is often made on Rosh Hashana to celebrate the eating of a new fruit such as apples. The use of oil makes the cake pareve, meaning Jewish families who observe Jewish dietary laws can serve it at either meat or dairy meals.
Yes, you can. Oil will make a higher, more tender cake that will last longer, but a butter cake will taste better.
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Jewish Apple Cake
Ingredients
APPLES
- 6 medium Gala or Fuji apples (frozen peeled apples work too) peeled, cored and rough cut from ½ inch to 1 inch. (4½ – 5 cups of peeled apples)
- 5 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon more can be used if you like cinnamon
CAKE
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.*Place a cake circle with a cut out for the tube pan in the bottom of the pan. This will make it easier to remove from the pan.
Prepare the Apples
- In a large bowl, toss the chopped apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Prepare the Cake Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, zest and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition (the batter will start out very thick, but will get looser and easier to mix as you continue to add the eggs). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add a thin layer of the cake batter to the bottom of the pan, then add one-quarter of the apples on top of the batter. The batter will not completely cover all of the apples (it will spread when baking). Really, it will… I promise.
- Repeat this process two more times with the remaining apples and cake batter, ending with a layer of cake batter.
- Place the cake in a 350 degree F preheated oven on the center rack in the middle of the oven.
- Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.Baking times can vary depending upon your pan, and your oven. Start checking the cake at 1 hour 10 minute mark. One of my ovens took 1 hour 30 minutes, while another took 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before serving and enjoy!
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then carefully remove the cake from the pan. Letting it cool too long in the pan will make it difficult to remove.**Run a knife along the edges of the cake and the pan to help it release from the pan.
DavetteB
I’m from the Tri-state area and my mom made this recipe a lot when I was growing up. During our last move the recipe was lost. This looks very similar, though the original recipe called for an orange juice glaze (I only remember making the glaze once; we loved the cake as is). My uncle loved it too; he preferred sturdy cakes. Now I have to make it for my son. Thanks so much.
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re very welcome. It would be easy enough to add an orange glaze, just mix orange juice with powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency and drizzle it over the cake.
Natalie L
Have you ever drizzled honey over the apples?
When I lived in Pennsylvania, my neighbor had given me a recipe, and I know she she drizzled honey over the apples but sadly I lost the recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley
I have not used honey in this recipe.
Jackie Siff
Can you cut the recipe in half and use a loaf pan?
Chef Dennis Littley
One of the reasons this cake works is because of the shape of the pan. It could very well work, but a loaf pan may make the cake too dense which would cause the outside to be overdone while the inside was uncooked. I’ve tried this method so I’m really not sure how it will turn out.
Candace
Do you include the liquid the apples make when sitting?
Chef Dennis Littley
No, just the apples.
Sari B.
I made this cake for our family dinner and it was a huge hit. The only thing I will do next time us increase the cinnamon. Other than that lovely cake!
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the cake, its a family favorite!
Judith Guthrie
Can I make this cake gluten free?
Chef Dennis Littley
I have never made it with GF flour but if you use a cup for cup blend, it should work.
Sidra Sack
Hi. Love this recipe. It gets rave reviews. Can it be baked, cooled, frozen and thawed until it’s ready to serve?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes it does freeze well. Just double wrap it and let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving. Then on the counter to warm to room temperature.
Emily TILSON
I was given this recipe years ago, using apple or cherry pie filling and an olong cake pan
Joy Miller
Using six apples, followed the directions and used ingredients exactly as directed. Cake came out amazing! Used a tube pan. I normally try out a new recipe exactly as directed and will def make again without any substitution. Thank you for the recipe and tips.
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re very welcome and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my apple cake!
Gwyn Morasko
I didn’t have a funnel cake pan so I used two giant donut cake pans. They turned out great. And the amount was perfect to split evenly between the two donut pans. Tasty and easy.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear my apple cake turned out well using those pans.
MARK ROESSNER
I followed the directions to the letter and the cake turned out excellent. If there’s anything I recommend it’s to make one and a half amount of the batter because as is there’s just not enough to make it all the way.
Carla
Ok I had BIG hopes for this cake. I tried it for the first time this past week at a breakfast restaurant and it was amazing. I Googled the recipe and this sounded perfect. The results were just ok. It was a bit dry, maybe I did something wrong, but I followed the recipe to a T. I still want to thank you so much for posting the recipe. It was good, but it didn’t impress me like the one I had at the restaurant. Suggestions for a more moist cake?
Chef Dennis Littley
If it was dry, I would guess it was baked a little too long or your oven runs a little hotter than most. The only other reason would be not accurately measuring the ingredients, those are generally the reason the cake is dry.
maria in nj
Why can’t I just add the apples to the batter and then pour in the prepared cake pan? Would it come out the sme?
Chef Dennis Littley
YOu can do it however you like. In my experience it doesn’t work as well that way.
Kim
A little variation to my mother’s recipe, but it is in the oven as we speak. I am making the cake for my niece for her birthday. She always raved about how much she enjoyed her Grams apple cake. I wanted to give her a memory for her birthday. It’s been at least 24 years since my mom’s has passed.
Stacy
Has anyone tried replacing the 1c of vegetable oil with applesauce ?