Jewish Apple Cake
This Jewish Apple Cake is a wonderfully dense and moist cake batter studded with tons of cinnamon-sugar coated apples. It's the perfect fall dessert for any occasion, especially if you are celebrating the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
This Jewish apple cake recipe was sent to me years ago by a reader, Linda, who said she had been making it for years and that it's a big family favorite.
Linda said that this particular recipe is from Chef Robert Bennett of Classic Bakery in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; when I Googled "Jewish apple cake" I found tons of recipes nearly identical to this one, so it may be one of those recipes that have been floating around in grandmas' kitchens for decades!
Why We Love It…
The crumb of this cake is compact but OH SO velvety smooth and super moist.
Linda talked about how much her family loved the crust on this cake and I agree - I think it was my favorite part!
The texture of the cake really reminded me of the Russian pound cake that my aunt and grandma used to make around the holidays.
When It’s Served
Jewish apple cake is a popular dessert during Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year); since the cake is made without any dairy products (see the ingredient notes below), it can be eaten as a dessert with meals made with meat, keeping with Jewish dietary laws of not mixing meat and dairy in the same meal.
If you need something a little extra special in the dessert department this fall, give this Jewish apple cake a try - it's dessert comfort food at its best.
Key Ingredients
This cake does not require any fancy ingredients, but let’s talk through some of the key ones you’ll use and potential substitutions:
- Apples – The star of the show! This recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, but Gala apples and Honeycrisp apples are also wonderful alternatives. Instead of sliced apples, this recipe calls for chopping them, which I love! I feel that they are better dispersed through the cake and it’s easier to eat.
- Vegetable Oil – This cake uses vegetable oil instead of butter, which keeps the cake dairy-free and kosher, as well as produces a wonderfully moist crumb.
- Orange Juice – This takes the place of milk (keeping the cake free of dairy products), and adds a punch of flavor to the cake batter. A store-bought orange juice with no pulp is a great option! If you need to substitute, pineapple juice is a wonderful choice; otherwise, water will work.
How to Make Jewish Apple Cake
Below is a quick overview of how this recipe comes together:
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- Toss the chopped apples with cinnamon and sugar, then set them aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine with a rubber spatula.
- Add the eggs one at time, mixing well after each.
- Layer the cake batter and chopped apples in a 10-inch tube pan.
- Bake until a skewer comes out clean (takes around 90 minutes).
When Linda emailed me the recipe, she said that she intentionally "ribbons" her batter in layers over the apples without covering them completely so that the cake has apples all throughout and not distinct layers of cake and apple. I just loved having chunks of apples in every single bite!
Recipe Notes
A few quick tips on making a wonderfully delicious Jewish apple cake:
- I used a slotted spoon to transfer the apples from the bowl to the prepared pan so that not too much accumulated juice was transferred, but there still was some and it didn’t appear to negatively affect the cake at all.
- The Pan – A 10-inch tube pan is perfect for this recipe, but you can also substitute a standard 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan. I would recommend a standard-style pan and not one that is overly intricate; the chunks of apple throughout the cake could cause some sticking in those fancy pans.
- To Serve – This cake is absolutely delicious standing on its own, but you could certainly serve a slice of it with a dollop of whipped cream, a dusting of powdered sugar, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
- Storage – Once completely cool, leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – This cake freezes wonderfully! Once the cake has cooled completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Enjoy More Apple Recipes:
- Classic French Apple Cake
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings
- Easy Apple Crisp
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie
If you make this Jewish apple cake recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Jewish Apple Cake
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 6 medium granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about ½-inch pieces)
- 5 tablespoons (62 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the Cake
- 2¾ cups (358 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (198 g) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube 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, 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. Ribbon one-quarter of the remaining cake batter over top of the apples; the batter should not completely cover all of the apples (it will spread when baking). Repeat three more times with the remaining apples and cake batter, ending with a layer of cake batter, but again it will not totally cover the apples, that’s okay!
- Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and for 20 minutes, then invert the pan and remove the cake. Cool to room temperature before serving. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Apples – This recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, but Gala apples and Honeycrisp apples are also wonderful alternatives.
- Orange Juice – This takes the place of milk, and adds a punch of flavor to the cake batter. A store-bought orange juice with no pulp is a great option! If you need to substitute, pineapple juice is a wonderful choice; otherwise, water will work.
- I used a slotted spoon to transfer the apples from the bowl to the prepared pan so that not too much accumulated juice was transferred, but there still was some and it didn’t appear to negatively affect the cake at all.
- The Pan – A 10-inch tube pan is perfect for this recipe, but you can also substitute a standard 12-cup Bundt pan. I would recommend a standard-style pan and not one that is overly intricate; the chunks of apple throughout the cake could cause some sticking in those fancy pans.
- To Serve – This cake is absolutely delicious standing on its own, but you could certainly serve a slice of it with a dollop of whipped cream, a dusting of powdered sugar, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce.
- Storage – Once completely cool, leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – This cake freezes wonderfully! Once the cake has cooled completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Superb recipe! I may combine the apples with peaches next time for an additional flavor.
I made this last night for our Rosh Hashanah celebration and it was fantastic. I used just picked gala apples and followed the recipe exactly and our guests love it. Between this cake and our homemade rugelach, everyone found room for dessert.
We’ve been making this since I was a kid. It’s a great snacking cake loved by all.
Thanks Michelle! You saved me. I lost my Jewish Apple Cake recipe which was written on a scrap piece of paper from circa 1975! Your recipe was closest to what I remembered. I needed to cook up several Gala apples that were getting old. It was perfectly done in my convection oven (325 degrees) at 90 minutes. I used pineapple juice and coconut oil as substitutions. It is absolutely delicious and very close to my old recipe in taste, moistness and appearance! Hooray!
This recipe is OK. The cake comes out more like a bread, then the Jewish apple cake that my grandmother used to make which was dense and moist. Followed the instructions to the tea. Still good, but just not the consistency that I was looking for.
The cake was delicious but it stuck to the tube pan and then broke trying to get onto a serving plate. I think I might try the recipe in a 9×13″ pan next time. Or maybe parchment paper (I used pam spray and flour). I only cooked it for 70′ after reading reviews and it seemed well-enough done, definitely not dry–moist and yummy. So other than falling apart a bit, this was absolutely delicious.
Been making this cake for decades. But recently it has been collapsing. I followed your directions exactly. Cake was perfect. Nothing leftover. Bummer. Used what apples I had. Some were Delicious. Used a tube pan. Used parchment. Thank you.
Love this cake. I use brown sugar. 9 x 13 pan. I add the eggs to the wet, then add the dry to the wet and then fold in the apples. Works perfectly every time!!!
I made this cake for Rosh Hashana for a friend and she thought (as did I) that it was fabulous. I’m making it again this weekend for my Jewish friends. The recipe is perfect.
I’ve been following you for years and I love your blog and recipes. Thank you!
Giving it ten stars I made it to bring to family for breaking the fast on Yom Kippur. Needless, to say it was a huge hit! I have made several traditional Jewish apple cake’s for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is my new favorite and I will not only make it on the Jewish holidays but throughout the year. It’s moist, the flavor is wonderful and there’s apple in every single bite Thursday will be three years since my mother passed and she always requested appliqué cake so I also made it in honor of my mom, I highly recommend this recipe you will not be disappointed!
Made this for the holiday. It’s fantastic! Used a combination of the apples you suggested for a good depth of flavor. Also subbed a some honey for part of the sugar. Just a question- can butter be subbed in for all or part of the oil?
Hi Eileen, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! You can sub butter, just know that it produces a different texture than oil, so the cake may not be as high, fluffy and moist. Using butter will create a little bit of a denser cake.
This recipe looks delicious. Has anyone made it using gluten free flour?
Was delicious. Made it Thursday. Served it Friday and all gone by Saturday night.
This is delicious. I have been making this for years. The 90 minutes, however is much too long for my oven which has an exact temperature. Check cake at 60 and 70 minutes.
Excellent recipe how many eggs
Go into this recipe
Can you give me a cup measurement on the 6 apples, sizes vary. Not sure if everyone’s medium is the same. Thank you
Hi Vita, It is approximately 8 cups of chopped apple. I hope that helps, enjoy the cake!
Can this be made as a traybake, or does it HAVE to be in a tube-type pan because of the density?
Hi Judy, a 9×13-inch pan should work! Baking time will be less, so keep an eye on it early and often.
My family has been making this for 4 generations now. Always moist and delusions and pleases all. It can also be baked in a 9×13 pan easily. Yum!
I made this cake using a tube pan. It baked beautifully golden and the texture was moist and uniform with a a piece of apple in almost every bite. The size of this cake was perfect for 12 people to enjoy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Fabulous comfort cake!
Used apple cider instead of orange juice. Delicious!
Why did my apples rise to the top of the cake when it baked?
Delicious otherwise, but apples weren’t throughout the cake.
Yummy cake and tasty I love this kind of cakes
I’ve used this recipe soooo many times. Thank you! It’s always perfect. Side
Note – I was out of orange juice and used pineapple juice a few times, cake was still so delicious!
This is a fantastic recipe. My dad used to make Jewish Apple cake when I was a kid and it was my favorite. In honor of his passing I decided to try it as we unfortunately couldn’t find his original recipe. This one is very close. Wonderful moist dense cake. My son went crazy for it! Thank you!
Can you use cake flour instead of the first three ingredients?
Is there a reason the eggs are added after the dry ingredients? I typically would add them before, and that seems like it would be easier than mixing into the stiffer batter after the dry.
Should the batter be elastic ?
I make the same one with 3 cups of flour being the only difference. Oh…I add walnuts!!!!!
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I am the Jewish apple cake it turnt out delicious my family loved it and I will make it again yum
I did the Jewish Apple cake, following the recipe. It is really delicious. Will do again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
A M A Z I N G
I used English cake pans bc I didnt have a bundt or tube pan. It came out incredible. Intensely flavorful and moist. My family said its the best cake they have ever had in their lives- and we have some heavy competition here. Thank you!