Jewish Apple Cake is a traditional cake enjoyed during the Jewish holidays or by anyone who enjoys a fall treat like apple cake!
Why is it called Jewish Apple Cake?
It is forbidden for those who follow Jewish dietary laws to combine meat and dairy. So it is called Jewish Apple Cake since it is pareve. We use oil for this cake, whereas many other cakes use dairy.
What are the best apples for baking?
The best apple for baking would be Granny Smith apples if you ask us, but many other apple varieties are excellent for baking. You can use a combination of sweet and tart apples, but we prefer tart for this apple cake recipe.
Jewish Apple Cake Ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour – This is our go-to flour for this cake.
- Salt – We use salt to balance the flavors.
- Baking Powder – Using baking powder helps the cake rise.
- Granulated Sugar – We use this to sweeten the cake and the cinnamon sugar on the apples and cake.
- Vegetable Oil – You can use any neutral oil suited for baking.
- Eggs – Always ensure your eggs are at room temperature for about 30 minutes prior.
- Orange Juice – You can use fresh squeezed orange juice or store-bought orange juice.
- Vanilla Extract – Use a good quality vanilla extract.
- Granny Smith Apples – Our favorite baking apple is the Granny Smith Apple! They have good flavor and hold up well.
- Ground Cinnamon – Using cinnamon mixed in the batter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar gives the cake a delicious flavor and tastes like fall.
How to make Jewish Apple Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Prepare the apples by peeling, coring, and slicing them.
In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and some of the sugar.
Toss the apples with the cinnamon sugar mixture and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, remaining sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, orange juice, vanilla, and the remaining cinnamon. Mix well.
Pour half of the batter into the bundt pan, followed by half of the apples with cinnamon sugar.
Repeat with the batter and apples. You can also dust with extra cinnamon sugar on top if you’d like.
Bake for 70-90 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with minimal crumbs.
Allow to cool before serving.
Recipe Tips and Alterations:
- If you prefer a sweeter apple for baking, try a Fuji or Honeycrisp when making this apple cake.
- Want even more orange flavor? Use a bit of orange zest.
- You can make this cake in a bundt pan or a tube pan. We also make it into loaves or muffins! When we make this using a loaf pan, we get three apple bread loaves.
- The batter will be thick. This is almost like a pound cake crumb texture.
Storage and reheating tips:
- How to store leftover apple cake: Store leftover apple cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze leftover Jewish Apple Cake: You can freeze apple cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze apple cake, you’ll want to protect it from freezer burn by wrapping the pieces in plastic wrap and then placing the slices into a freezer-safe container.
How to serve:
We love serving Jewish Apple cake with apple cider for the kids and coffee or tea for the adults.
Frequently Asked Questions
This cake also works well with pears.
Yes! We suggest filling 1/2 way and baking for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Jewish Apple Cake
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Print Pin SaveIngredients
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 2 1/3 cups Granulated Sugar divided
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 4 Eggs
- 1/3 cup Orange Juice
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 5 Granny Smith Apples peeled cored, and sliced
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a bundt pan and sprinkle with a little flour to coat.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar. Toss the apples with the cinnamon sugar mixture and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, 2 cups of sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, orange juice, vanilla, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix well.
- Pour half of the batter into the tube pan or a bundt pan, and then half of the apple cinnamon mixture. Repeat with the batter and apples. You can also add an extra sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to the top if you desire.
- Bake in the oven for 70-90 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with minimal crumbs.
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Nutrition
The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.
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