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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Cakes / italian apple cake

    italian apple cake

    Apr 22, 2016 · 35 Comments

    italian apple cake | The Baking Fairy

    Guess whose back, back, back; from the dead, dead, dead… just kiddin, but with all the 12 hour shifts I’ve been working lately it sure feels like that sometimes πŸ˜‰ I’m here today to share a long-standing and absolutely delicious tradition in my family:Β Apple Cake! This dessert has been made by my momma for as long as I can remember, and my grandma too for that matter. It’s ridiculously simple to make, one-bowl, but SO good and absolutely packed to the brim with fresh apples. Swoon. Let me show ya how Italians do it!

    italian apple cake | The Baking Fairy

    I’ve recently become obsessed with easy cakes, and this is definitely another to add to the repertoire! Fast to make, basically no dirty dishes, and just as delicious {if not more} than a long-involved, layered and frosted monster. Not that I have anything against layer cakes as I do make them quite often, but sometimes you want cake and you want it NOW. And no, you don’t want a mug cake impostor, you want a real, comforting, fresh from the oven one. This is it!

    italian apple cake | The Baking Fairy

    italian apple cake | The Baking Fairy

    This apple cake is so delicious, soft and moist with a light citrusy kick and almost too many apples for the amount of batter. It’s basically like eating fruit salad, you know? I will address this here since I got comments on my Italian Lentil Soup when someone {who obviously didn’t read my blurbs} was like “How is this Italian? This is just a normal recipe.” WELL, seeing as I was born in Italy and can fluently speak Italian, and this is a recipe that my Italian grandmother passed on to my Italian mom… that’s why it’s Italian. Duh πŸ˜‰ Besides what’s even the criteria for a random person to decide if a recipe is Italian “enough” or not? A food can be lacking tomato sauce and/or mascarpone and still be Italian, I promise. Hehehe. Anyways. Stepping off the soapbox. But this apple cake is incredible and you should definitely make it!

    italian apple cake | The Baking Fairy

    5.0 from 5 reviews
    italian apple cake
     
    Save Print
    Prep time
    10 mins
    Cook time
    50 mins
    Total time
    1 hour
     
    Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy
    Serves: 8
    Ingredients
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup salted butter, melted
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • ½ tbsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • zest of 1 lemon
    • juice of 1 lemon
    • 2-3 apples (about 1 lb), peeled and sliced {I like using Granny Smith}
    Instructions
    1. Preheat the oven to 375F, and line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
    2. Peel and slice the apples, and toss them with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
    3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until creamy and light. Mix in the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla, and beat until well-incorporated.
    4. Finally, stir in the baking powder and flour. Stir in the apple slices, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. There will be almost too many apples for the cake batter, this is normal!
    5. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    6. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar!
    3.5.3208

    Β 

    italian apple cake | The Baking Fairy

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Leah says

      April 25, 2016 at 8:22 pm

      I am obsessed with easy cakes too! This cake reminds me so much of the one I learned how to make when I lived in Italy! I feel like I can taste it right now!! Can’t wait to try your recipe xoxo

      Reply
    2. Meryl says

      April 26, 2016 at 10:31 am

      So glad to have another apple cake recipe–they really are the best! So light, and almost healthy. Or, at least, that’s what I pretend! πŸ˜‰

      Reply
    3. grace says

      April 26, 2016 at 12:16 pm

      so few ingredients, but what what a stunning creation! the texture looks amazing, and i’m a big-time fan of apple desserts. πŸ™‚

      Reply
    4. Claira says

      April 26, 2016 at 12:41 pm

      This sounds amazing! I love old family baking recipes they seem to be the best kind of recipes.

      Reply
    5. Liz @ The Clean Eating Couple says

      April 26, 2016 at 1:14 pm

      Apple in baked goods is SO good! This cake looks fantastic πŸ™‚

      Reply
    6. Kari says

      April 26, 2016 at 2:32 pm

      This looks delicious! I have my grandmother’s apple cake recipe but she won’t let me share it. It’s a family secret!
      Kari
      http://www.sweetteasweetie.com

      Reply
    7. Linda @ 2 Cookin' Mamas says

      April 26, 2016 at 3:09 pm

      Wow! This cake looks so good! I love apples in cakes and have an apple spice one that I make but I like that this one is so simple and that the flavors of the apples would really stand out. Yum!

      Reply
    8. Sharon says

      November 02, 2016 at 9:18 am

      Can this cake be frozen?

      Reply
      • valentina says

        November 02, 2016 at 9:47 am

        Hi Sharon! I have personally never tried freezing it but I don’t see why not! I would recommend wrapping it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and then covering the whole thing in foil. Let me know how it works out!

        Reply
    9. Margo says

      November 05, 2017 at 11:23 am

      I just made this cake and absolutely love it. Very simple to make and if you like intense lemon flavor this cake is for you. I used 2 very large Granny Smith apples and one very large lemon. Thanks for sharing this receipt, it’s a keeper.

      Reply
      • valentina says

        November 05, 2017 at 11:35 am

        Thank you so much for your comment, Margo! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    10. Marlene says

      January 17, 2018 at 1:44 pm

      Made this cake so delicous. I am italian and eat Italian all the time. Thank you so much. This is a keeper.

      Reply
    11. Deb Walter says

      June 14, 2018 at 3:59 am

      This cake is a winner. So easy to make, uncomplicated ingredients. Love the combination of lemon with the apple. It reminded me of my trip to Tuscany. Lost count of how many of these I have made for my family. We indulge with a dollop of marscapone. Thank you so much for sharing……

      Reply
    12. Kitty says

      July 19, 2018 at 7:37 am

      Can this be made with red apples instead of Granny Smiths?

      Reply
      • valentina says

        July 19, 2018 at 10:53 am

        Absolutely! You can use whatever apple you like best, we just usually use granny smith πŸ™‚

        Reply
    13. cc says

      July 24, 2018 at 12:16 pm

      hello do you think it’s possible to make a vegan version of this cake?

      thank you!

      Reply
      • valentina says

        July 24, 2018 at 8:10 pm

        I haven’t tried but I bet you could! πŸ™‚ I would use EarthBalance in place of the butter and probably egg replacer would be your best bet for for the eggs. If you don’t have that then maybe you could try a flax egg or baking soda egg. The eggs are what give this cake most of its leavening so you wanna make sure you’re using something that will help it be nice and fluffy!

        Reply
    14. Natalia says

      September 09, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      It is awesome! Also tried it with sour cherries . The combination is mmmm mmmm delicious!!

      Reply
    15. Lindsay says

      October 21, 2018 at 11:36 pm

      The cake didn’t last long!
      Easy and delicious, my husband loved it.
      I added cinnamon.
      Will be trying it with pears instead as well.

      Reply
    16. Judie says

      November 03, 2018 at 2:32 pm

      The picture looks like the apples were “lined up” like a layer in the middle, but the recipe says mix them in. Can you explain? And, how thick/thin are the slices?

      Reply
      • valentina says

        November 03, 2018 at 4:36 pm

        Hi Judie! The apples are sliced very thin and mixed up in the batter! I didn’t make a separate layer, but the apple to cake batter ratio is just so high that it may look that way πŸ™‚

        Reply
    17. Marie says

      November 21, 2018 at 5:06 pm

      The apple cake looks delicious. Do you think I can bake it in a loaf pan? Can this be frozen?

      Reply
      • valentina says

        November 21, 2018 at 9:05 pm

        Hi Marie! I’m not sure if I would advise to cook it in a loaf pan but you are welcome to try. The cake crumb is very tender and not sturdy like a banana bread or quick bread. I do have a recipe for an apple loaf which could work better! I also have never frozen it so I am not sure! https://www.thebakingfairy.net/2016/11/apple-cinnamon-loaf-cake/

        Reply
        • Kelli says

          January 29, 2019 at 11:47 am

          I have a 9” springform pan would it work in that or a 9 x 9 glass dish?

          Reply
          • valentina says

            January 29, 2019 at 1:12 pm

            Hi Kelli! Yes you can definitely make it in a 9″ springform pan. You will just have to cook it for a few extra minutes since it will be thicker πŸ™‚

            Reply
    18. Sharon says

      April 24, 2019 at 11:26 am

      This cake looks absolute delicious! Could a gluten-free flour or gluten-free flour blend be substituted for the all-purpose flour and would any other adjustments be needed to the recipe? Thanks.

      Reply
    19. Angelina says

      May 05, 2019 at 12:36 pm

      Ciao, Valentina!

      Ho provato la tua buonissima torta! Come quella che faceva mia mamma quando ero bambina. Purtroppo mia mamma Γ¨ venuta a mancare e non ho mai imparato a farla. Nel Veneto non mettiamo cannella come hai fatto tu in questa ricetta e la tua Γ¨ originalissima! Tanti bei ricordi della mia bella Italia…

      Grazie mille!

      Angelina

      Reply
    20. Sonia says

      July 20, 2019 at 3:33 am

      I just made this for tomorrow.I didn’t have the right tin so used a extra long loaf tin.It turned out perfect. I snuck a piece from the end ,it was delish.thankyou for sharing.

      Reply
    21. Luciano Miliucci says

      May 20, 2020 at 6:30 pm

      could one use berries instead of apples?

      Reply
      • valentina says

        May 21, 2020 at 9:35 am

        Hi Luciano! I have never done it but I don’t see why not! I would definitely use less than 1 lb of fruit though because berries produce a lot more liquid when cooking. You may also have to increase the baking time.

        Reply
    22. Diana says

      August 28, 2020 at 6:00 am

      People look no further. This apple cake is delicious. I love everything about it and it’s now my absolute favourite cake. So glad I came across this recipe

      Reply
      • valentina says

        August 28, 2020 at 10:44 pm

        Thank you so much for your kind comment, Diana! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    23. Maria says

      November 11, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      I made this cake last night. So easy to make and it is delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.

      Reply
    24. Sara says

      December 14, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      HHi, my cake just won’t cook, and I’m wondering if my measurements are wrong. We don’t have cups in the UK so I used Google to convert! 1 cup flour-65g, 1/2 cup butter-113g, 1/2 cup sugar-100g. I needed up leaving in oven for nearly 2 hours and still not cooked! Smells lovely, though. Any idea what measurements should have been? Thanks

      Reply
      • valentina says

        December 15, 2020 at 11:22 pm

        Hi Sara! Cups to grams is a tricky conversion because each ingredient has a different weight! Here is what it should have been –
        1 cup flour -> 120 grams
        1/2 cup butter -> 113 grams
        1/2 cup sugar -> 99 grams

        Looks like you needed about double the flour that you used so that would explain why it didn’t cook right!! Here is a really helpful chart I found from King Arthur with conversions for different ingredients – https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart

        Reply

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    Welcome!


    Hi! My name is Valentina and I'm The Baking Fairy! Pediatric physician assistant by day and food blogger extraordinaire by night. Full-blooded Italian, but I've lived in Texas for most of my life. I love margaritas, brownies, avocados, and my mamma's homemade pizza. Married to my high school sweetheart (who is ALSO a pediatrician). My mission is to make plant-based cooking fun and delicious, one recipe at a time. I want to show people that vegan food is not just for vegans!

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, aka The Baking Fairy! Baking, cooking, food photography, cake decorating, party planning... I do it all. Oh, and I'm a pediatric Physician Assistant in my spare time. You can follow my crazy adventures here. Welcome to my blog!

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