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 😉 I’m here today to share a long-standing and absolutely delicious tradition in my family: 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!
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!
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 😉 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!
- 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}
- Preheat the oven to 375F, and line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Peel and slice the apples, and toss them with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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!
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar!
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
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! 😉
so few ingredients, but what what a stunning creation! the texture looks amazing, and i’m a big-time fan of apple desserts. 🙂
This sounds amazing! I love old family baking recipes they seem to be the best kind of recipes.
Apple in baked goods is SO good! This cake looks fantastic 🙂
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
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!
Can this cake be frozen?
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!
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.
Thank you so much for your comment, Margo! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! 🙂
Made this cake so delicous. I am italian and eat Italian all the time. Thank you so much. This is a keeper.
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……
Can this be made with red apples instead of Granny Smiths?
Absolutely! You can use whatever apple you like best, we just usually use granny smith 🙂
hello do you think it’s possible to make a vegan version of this cake?
thank you!
I haven’t tried but I bet you could! 🙂 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!
It is awesome! Also tried it with sour cherries . The combination is mmmm mmmm delicious!!
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.
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?
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 🙂
The apple cake looks delicious. Do you think I can bake it in a loaf pan? Can this be frozen?
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/
I have a 9” springform pan would it work in that or a 9 x 9 glass dish?
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 🙂
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.
Ciao, Valentina!
Ho provato la tua buonissima torta! Come quella che faceva mia mamma quando ero bambina. Purtroppo mia mamma è 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 è originalissima! Tanti bei ricordi della mia bella Italia…
Grazie mille!
Angelina
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.
could one use berries instead of apples?
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.