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”, a terrible condition that afflicts too many, then this is the dessert for you. You may have heard that baking is an exacting process, requiring sifting and exacting measurements. Not so with this cake. No sifting required and you won’t ruin the result if your measurements are a bit off.
Finally, if you are kosher and do not use dairy (including butter) in a meal that includes meat, this cake does not include any dairy. 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
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Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and oil a bundt pan well, making sure to coat all the crevices.
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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.
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Mix the oil and sugar in the bowl.
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Then add the eggs and mix again.
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Add the flour in 2-3 batches, mixing after each one. As you add it, the mixture gets stiff.
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Mix in the raisins and juice in which they are soaking.
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Add in the salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and vanilla and stir the mixture thoroughly.
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Dump the apple chunks into the batter and mix it again.
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Finally, add in the chopped walnuts, again mixing until they are combined into the batter.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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
October 11, 2012 at 2:52 pmOh 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
September 29, 2014 at 10:24 amThis 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
October 27, 2014 at 2:49 pmKaterina,
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
September 15, 2017 at 3:31 pmCan you omit the nuts without it causing a change to the cake?
Laura says
September 18, 2017 at 12:23 pmYes 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
September 21, 2017 at 3:08 pmI 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
September 26, 2017 at 6:12 pmChristine, 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
September 11, 2018 at 8:08 pmCan 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
September 13, 2018 at 10:54 pmAnn, 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
December 5, 2018 at 11:23 amThis 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
December 5, 2018 at 11:25 amAren’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:)