Every fall I look forward to making this apple cake. While it’s a Jewish High Holy Day tradition (especially for Rosh Hashanah), the cake has universal appeal. I have no idea when I first began making it, except that it has been a staple at my Rosh Hashanah dinners for decades.
Moist and sweet without being overbearing, you could serve this apple cake with whipped cream or ice cream on the side. But honestly, it’s so good on its own, I don’t know why you would bother. No fancy icing either – I simply sprinkle confectioner’s (powdered) sugar on top, as I do for my poppy seed cake.
Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) is a holiday that even Jews who don’t consider themselves religious often celebrate. Unlike the secular new year, the Jewish holiday is not about raucuous partying. It begins a period of 10-day period of contemplation that leads up to a day of fasting on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
While the Rosh Hashanah has a spiritual side, it is Jewish, so there is food too – and plenty of it. (Even the Yom Kippur fast is followed by a delicious meal.) Traditionally, Rosh Hashanah foods include apples (of which this cake has plenty), honey, and other sweets to make for a sweet new year.
The ingredients for this apple cake are simple and inexpensive.
Plus, if you have “fear-of baking”, then this is the dessert for you. The conventional wisdom is that baking is an exacting process, requiring sifting and exacting measurements. Not so with this cake. It does not require sifting and you can breathe easy about the measurements. You won’t ruin the result if your measurements are a bit off.
Finally, if you are kosher this cake is for you. (The rules of kashrut do not allow butter or other dairy in a meal that includes meat.) This cake is dairy-free. That makes it pareve, and perfect for your meat meal.
If you do not celebrate Jewish holidays, you’ll still love this apple cake. It is, quite simply, a wonderful way to enjoy apples in the fall – for dessert, brunch, or an afternoon coffee/tea break.
To see how easy it is to make this Jewish Apple Cake, check out the video:
Apple Cake
An easy, non-dairy apple cake that is sure to please.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola or other neutral oil + bit additional for coating the pan
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup raisins A combination of dark and golden yields a nice color and taste contrast.
- 1/3 cup orange or apple juice
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups apples, peeled and chopped About 2-4 medium-sized apples.
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons confectioners (powdered) sugar
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and oil a bundt pan well, making sure to coat all the crevices.
- Heat the juice, add the raisins and soak them (to plump them up) while you prepare the other ingredients. I heat the juice by microwaving it on high for about 1 minute.
- Mix the oil and sugar in the bowl.
- Then add the eggs and mix again.
Add the flour in 2-3 batches, mixing after each one. As you add it, the mixture gets stiff.
Mix in the raisins and juice in which they are soaking.
Add in the salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and vanilla and stir the mixture thoroughly.
Dump the apple chunks into the batter and mix it again.
Finally, add in the chopped walnuts, again mixing until they are combined into the batter.
- By fork or spoonfuls, move the batter into the greased bundt pan and smooth the top out with the spatula. The batter is stiff - way too thick to pour.
- Bake the cake for 1 hour – 1 hour 20 minutes, until a knife inserted in it comes out clean (no wet batter sticking to the knife.)
Let the cake cool in the pan sitting on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. After the cake has cooled, gently run a knife edge around the outside and inside of the tube, place a plate or the wire cooking rack on the top of the cake and turn it over. The cake should release when you flip it over. If it doesn't, turn it back up and gently work the knife in a bit farther bent from the outside rim toward the center. Let it cool further.
- Once the cake is completely cool, you can dust it lightly with confectioner’s sugar.
Recipe Notes
A bundt pan is best for this cake. If you use another pan (such as a 10-inch round), adjust the baking time accordingly.
Neutral oils include canola, safflower, and grapeseed. Olive, sesame, and similar oils do not work well in this recipe because their taste is too strong.
Many apple varieties work well in this cake, including Golden and Red Delicious, and Granny Smith. Macintosh and Rome are too soft. I prefer a mixture of 2-3 varieties. I slice them into quarters, then halve each quarter and chop the slices into pieces about 1-inch long. If you're not immediately going to add them to the batter, sprinkle a bit of lemon juice on the apple chunks to keep them from browning.
Microwaving the juice before adding the raisins, causes the raisins to absorb the liquid and plump up.
Betty Ann @Mango_Queen says
Oh my goodness, what a rich and delicious apple cake this is! Thanks for sharing, Laura. Bookmarked this and I will definitely try it. Hope mine comes out as terrific as yours is here.
Katerina Delidimou (Culinary Flavors) says
This is one juicy and delicious apple cake! Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. All posts get pinned on our pinterest board! Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on culinaryflavors.gr! I hope to see you there!
motherwouldknow says
Katerina,
Thanks for stopping by. I saved some of my Jewish New Year apple cake this year and we’re eating it now, even thought it is almost Halloween. Hope you try it sometime soon.
Laura
Christine says
Can you omit the nuts without it causing a change to the cake?
Laura says
Yes Christine, you can leave out the nuts. The cake will have a slightly different consistency, but if you want a nut-free cake, that’s definitely an option. Do check for doneness a bit earlier than 80 minutes (the time for the cake with nuts.)
Christine says
I actually made this yesterday but kept recipe as is. I love how it isn’t super sweet and it’s perfect moisture!
Could you use a mixer with the paddle? Or will this over mix?
Thanks again!
Laura says
Christine, So glad you liked it. I wouldn’t use a mixer and paddle because the batter is so thick it would probably get stuck Also, it doesn’t take many turns with a fork to get the ingredients all mixed in. In any event, I’ve never done it, so if you decide to try it, let me know how it works out.
Ann says
Can I use gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour… My husband has celiac and can’t eat gluten… But he enjoys this cake very much
Laura says
Ann, I’ve never tried this recipe with gluten free flour. If you do try it, let me know how it comes out. I hope it works. You might have to make adjustments unless your flour is geared to act like wheat flour in similar amounts.
Jenn roark says
This is the best damn cake ever. Don’t worry about it getting crunchy on top that makes it better. Use good quality ingredients (flour, egg, orange juice, fresh nutmeg) and it is phenomenal. While you are eating it you will say, this is the best damn cake I’ve ever had and then you will look and it will be all gone because the family descended like vultures. Seriously, it is that good.
Laura says
Aren’t you sweet!!!! PS – I do love it too. And I can’t make it too often, because when I do, it’s gone in a flash, mostly into my tummy:)
Jodi says
Can I leave out the raisins and nuts?
Laura says
Jodi, Sure but it will be kind of bland without them. Can you substitute anything else with a bit of crunch for the nuts and a bit of sweetness for the raisins?
Saundra Bromberg says
Making this for the first time. Easy to make. It’s still in the oven and smells heavenly. This is our first holiday without our beloved Mom, Shirley. She passed away this July at the age of 94, just 3 months shy of her 95th. She was an incredible baker right up to the end of her life. I hope this tastes just like hers… the only recipes I kept out of hundreds are her bake goods. I am missing her but hearing her voice as I await this cake to come out of the oven. Happy to have found your site.
Laura says
Saundra, My heart goes out to you on this difficult first holiday without your mom. Hope the apple cake brings back good memories and helps. I wish I could have met your mom – she sounds like just my kind of woman.
Kathy S says
Thanks, Saundra, for sharing this recipe with me. I know you’re missing your mom this year but making this cake is therapeutic. My mom was an excellent cook, and I get a warm feeling whenever I maker one of her recipes (of which there were many).
Laura says
Kathy (and Saundra), It’s so heartening to see how you share the recipe to keep your friendship and memory of loved ones alive. I’m bringing a chunk of my cake to my 94 year old mom this afternoon. Although she doesn’t have much of a sense of taste left, just the idea of it and knowing that I brought it will make her smile I am sure and will be comforting to me. Shanah tova to both of you.