Jewish Apple Cake is a family favorite in this household. Dense cake with layers of sweet apples sprinkled in cinnamon-sugar goodness…absolute heaven!
In order to make this cake, you will need a tube pan. When deciding what type of apples to use, I typically favor Honeycrisp, if available. However, any of the following make excellent baking apples:
- Honeycrisp – My favorite apple, hands down! Crisp texture that holds up extremely well while baking with a sweet albeit slightly tart flavor profile.
- Jonagold – A large apple with a tangy sweetness resembling honey. These are great for baking however, they do not store well so use them up quickly during the peak of the season in early fall.
- Braeburn – Very crisp and juicy texture with a mix of sweet and tart flavors. It is believed that this apple resulted from an accidental cross between a Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apple.
- Pink Lady – This apple retains its shape while baking and has a wonderful balance of sweetness to tartness. It does tend to favor the tart side than sweet.
- Granny Smith – A great baking apple that is tart, crisp, and sour.
Jewish Apple Cake Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients that make up this delicious cake.
Flour
I use King Arthur flour for all of my baking needs. (Not an affiliate – just really like their flour!) This specific all-purpose flour has a higher protein percentage (11.7%) than most other brands. A higher protein percentage equates to a stronger flour. All-purpose flour serves a wide variety of baking needs from cakes to pies to some breads.
Granulated Sugar
We use granulated sugar in this cake to not only add sweetness but to tenderize as well. When sugar is added, it results in the flour and eggs forming weaker bonds which produces a more tender cake crumb.
Baking Powder
Baking powder serves as a leavening agent.
Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil adds moisture to the cake evenly. A cake made with this oil will also stay moister longer than one made with butter.
Eggs
Eggs are important because they give your cake structure.
Orange Juice
Orange juice adds moisture and brightens the cake.
Apples
Apples are one of the main ingredients. It is important to use apples that are best for baking such as Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith.
Cinnamon and Sugar
Cinnamon and sugar help to enhance the natural flavor of apples.
How to Make Jewish Apple Cake
We have detailed instructions in the recipe that follows but this is a brief overview of how to make this yummy cake.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add oil and orange juice. Stir until just combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. In a separate small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
Spread one third of batter in greased tube pan. Add one third of sliced apples on top of batter. Sprinkle one third the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of apples. Spread another one third of batter, then apples, and another one third of cinnamon/sugar mix. Add last third of batter, apples, and cinnamon/sugar. (Please note: When adding batter over apples, the batter will not fully cover the apples and that is ok. Do your best to evenly distribute the batter between layers. It will fill in as it is baking.)
Bake for 60-90 minutes. (Mine takes about 75 minutes.) Let cake cool 20 minutes before removing from the outer pan. This cake stores well (covered) at room temperature for 3 days or for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Removing a Cake from a Tube Pan
It can be a little tricky removing a cake from a tube pan. This is the method I find works for me.
- Let the cake cool for either 20 minutes or completely (if I’m in a rush, I only wait 20 minutes to speed the cooling process up). Carefully, run a knife along the outside edge of the pan (the sides of the cake). Gently, lift the cake out using the tube portion of the pan. Let the cake now cool completely (several hours).
- After cake has cooled, carefully run a knife down around the tube portion of the cake and the bottom of the pan. Using your hands, gently lift the cake off the tube pan and place onto a serving plate. You may need someone else to help you with this. Alternatively, you can place a piece of parchment paper (with a hole cut out in the center to fit on the tube) over the top of the cake. Say a prayer (ha) and invert the cake onto your hands (carefully), remove the tube pan, and then place back down right side up onto serving plate.
Tips
- Measure correctly – I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking. Because baking measurements need to be exact, using a scale helps to measure as precisely as possible. It quite honestly was a complete game changer for me when I first started using one! I would be lost without it now.
- Room temperature is important! When certain ingredients (eggs, cream cheese, butter, etc.) are listed as room temperature, there are scientific reasons behind this. At room temperature, these ingredients blend together better and result in a smoother batter. Ultimately, you will end up with a better final product!
My Preferred Tools
You may already have many of these items in your kitchen. I recommend the following for this recipe:
- Kitchen Scale – precisely measure ingredients
- Stand Mixer – to mix batter
- Tube Pan – to bake cake
- Peeler – to peel apples
- Cooling Racks – to cool cake and dishwasher friendly!!
Jewish Apple Cake
Jewish Apple Cake is a dense cake with layers of sweet apples sprinkled in cinnamon-sugar goodness!
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 3 cups (430 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- 4 eggs, room temp
- 6 medium apples, peeled and sliced
- Cinnamon/Sugar:
- 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tsp cinnamon
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a tube pan with Crisco or Pam’s Baking Spray (with flour). Set aside.
- Step 2 In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add oil and orange juice. Stir until just combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. In a separate small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
- Step 3 Spread one third of batter in greased tube pan. Add one third of sliced apples on top of batter. Sprinkle one third the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top of apples. Spread another one third of batter, then apples, and another one third of cinnamon/sugar mix. Add last third of batter, apples, and cinnamon/sugar. Bake for 60-90 minutes. (Mine takes about 75 minutes.) Let cake cool 20 minutes before removing the outer pan. After removing the cake from the outer pan, let cool completely before removing from the tube part. This cake stores well (covered) at room temperature for 3 days or for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Thank You for sharing your time with us
Thank you for visiting. I truly hope you love this recipe as much as I do. If you tried it, please share a comment below and let us know what you think or share a picture on Instagram. Tag @the_kelly_kitchen and hashtag it #the_kelly_kitchen
If you would like to know when we post new recipes, please subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. For video updates, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Have a wonderful day!
