I love apple desserts, especially when I can use freshly picked apples that my kids helped harvest.
One of my favorite apple recipes is Jewish Apple Cake. My mom made it when I was a kid, and it has always been one of my favorite desserts.
So why is it called a Jewish apple cake? It's a recipe believed to have originated in Poland and is made with oil, unlike most American cakes made with butter.
Since the Jewish apple cake is non-dairy, it can be eaten following the Jewish dietary laws prohibiting mixing meat and milk. This is a popular recipe at Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah celebrations.
At Macaroni KID, we skip the fluff and get straight to the good stuff. No need to scroll through pages of unnecessary content — our recipes are easy to find. Now, let's get cooking!
Jewish Apple Cake
For the apple mixture:
- 6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the cake:
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 eggs
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour an angel food cake or tube or bundt pan.
Toss the chopped apples with the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. I prefer to use a mix like Cortland, Northern Spy, and Macs, but you can use any apples. Set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in another large bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together the sugar, oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and combine.
Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition (the batter will start very thick but will get easier to mix as you continue to add eggs). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. If your batter is too thick after all the eggs are added, add an extra splash of OJ.
Place a bit of the cake batter on the bottom of the pan and then layer apple slices over the top of the batter.
Repeat three times. A thin layer of batter is all you need; you don't need to completely cover the apples with the batter.
End with batter on top.
Bake for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool to room temperature before serving.
 oleksandranaumenko | Canva |
