This Italian Apple Cake is super simple and one-bowl dessert! It has a delicious lemony batter and is absolutely packed with fresh apple slices.
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!
FAQ's
- Can I make this cake without a springform pan?
- Absolutely! Just use a standard 10" cake pan in its place. You can also use a square 8x8 baking dish, or a smaller baking pan like an 8" round pan. Be aware that you will have to increase the baking time when using a smaller pan as the cake will be thicker.
- How can I make this cake vegan?
- Yes, and it is so simple! Just substitute the butter for your favorite vegan butter substitute or coconut oil, and the eggs with your favorite egg replacer. I used flax eggs (2 tablespoon flaxseed + 6 tablespoon water) and it worked perfectly.
- Can this cake be made gluten-free?
- I am not sure, as I am not a GF baker so I have not tested it myself. I would think that a cup-for-cup GF blend would work, but again, I haven't tried it!
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon 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!
Leah says
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
Meryl says
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! 😉
grace says
so few ingredients, but what what a stunning creation! the texture looks amazing, and i'm a big-time fan of apple desserts. 🙂
Claira says
This sounds amazing! I love old family baking recipes they seem to be the best kind of recipes.
Liz @ The Clean Eating Couple says
Apple in baked goods is SO good! This cake looks fantastic 🙂
Kari says
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
Linda @ 2 Cookin' Mamas says
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!
Sharon says
Can this cake be frozen?
valentina says
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!
Cathy says
I have frozen and it is perfect.
valentina says
That is great to know! Thank you for the feedback Cathy 🙂
Margo says
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.
valentina says
Thank you so much for your comment, Margo! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake! 🙂
Marlene says
Made this cake so delicous. I am italian and eat Italian all the time. Thank you so much. This is a keeper.
Deb Walter says
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......
Kitty says
Can this be made with red apples instead of Granny Smiths?
valentina says
Absolutely! You can use whatever apple you like best, we just usually use granny smith 🙂
cc says
hello do you think it's possible to make a vegan version of this cake?
thank you!
valentina says
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!
Amy says
This cake looks so awesome! Thanks for sharing. Can I use self-raising flour instead?
valentina says
Hi Amy! Thank you for your kind comment. I have not tried it with self-raising flour myself but it should work.
Natalia says
It is awesome! Also tried it with sour cherries . The combination is mmmm mmmm delicious!!
Lindsay says
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.
Judie says
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?
valentina says
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 🙂
Marie says
The apple cake looks delicious. Do you think I can bake it in a loaf pan? Can this be frozen?
valentina says
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/
Kelli says
I have a 9” springform pan would it work in that or a 9 x 9 glass dish?
valentina says
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 🙂
Sharon says
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.
Angelina says
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
Agat says
I made this cake and used pears instead of apples, and it turned out amazing!
I love how simple the recipe is, but the cake is so pretty and taste so good.
Thank you!
Sonia says
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.
Luciano Miliucci says
could one use berries instead of apples?
valentina says
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.
Diana says
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
valentina says
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Diana! 🙂
Sarah says
Do you think I could use a neutral oil instead of butter?
valentina says
Hi Sarah, I have never tried this recipe using oil so I am not sure if it would work correctly! I would opt for a solid fat like vegan butter or coconut oil if you wanted to make the recipe dairy free.
Maria says
I made this cake last night. So easy to make and it is delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
Sara says
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
valentina says
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
Barbara says
i would like to made this for fathers day, can i make it a day before and heat it in the over the next day then sprinkle with the powered sugar
Allison Biegel says
I made this cake yesterday and it is absolutely 100% delicious. I am in New Zealand so had to convert measurements, oven temp and allow for fan forced setting so only took 1/2 hr instead of 45 to 50 minutes as suggested. My husband loves it!
Loretta says
Made this cake to take to a friend’s house for dinner. We are both watching our weight so it was a perfect accompaniment! It looked beautiful and tasted delicious. Just a hint of sweetness. Perfect for a light dessert!
Sue says
I don’t have a spring form pan. What might I substitute?
valentina says
Hi Sue! You can use a regular 10” cake pan instead. You can also use a smaller cake pan (such as a standard 8”) but you will have to increase the bake time by a few minutes. You will have to be careful when turning the cake out of the pan but I don’t think you will have any issues. Hope that helps 🙂
Diane says
I made this cake for two different potlucks and it was raved about by everybody at both! It's an amazing cake and the lemon and apples go so well together. I diced half the apples and put them in the batter and then sliced the other half and layered those slices on top, just for fun. I do find that I have to bake two to feed a crowd. Do you think I can double the recipe and bake it in a bigger pan, like a jellyroll pan, or does baking it in a springform lend to it's texture? Thanks for a new favorite recipe!
Jyoti says
This by far is the best lemon cake recipe there is on the internet . It is no different from the cake we were served for breakfast at our hotel in Rome . Thankyou , Valentina . Each bite takes you back to Rome . Absolutely love it !
valentina says
Hi Jyoti! I am glad you enjoyed the cake. Thank you for your kind comment 🙂
Noel says
I'm making this now. Hopefully, it'll turn out good.
Wanda Rodgers says
I came across this recipe the other day while looking for something yummy for game night. I made the cake today and it looks nothing like yours. The batter was very thick even more than a sweet bread. Not sure if that is what it was suppose to be. Batter to me is pourable. Also the top at 40 minutes was very well done. Yikes! What did I do wrong
Ruth says
Hi Have not made this yet Has anyone used a Bundt pan to back this cake?
Results?
millie says
The picture of this cake appears to have a top crust...that's now how it turns out after baked...what am I missing?
valentina says
Hi Millie, I am not sure what happened when you made the cake! What do you mean there was not a crust on top? Did the top remain too soft? I’ve made this cake many times over the years and it always naturally forms a “crust” on top as it bakes and solidifies. If you are able to give me more info, I should be able to help!
Patricia says
We are just back from Piemonte and I was looking for an apple cake recipe that would mimic what our B&B served at breakfast. This is it - as good as our Italian hostess made with the soft apples and golden crust. I think the lemon actually made it better!
Two questions; 1-as lemons vary so much in size and juiciness, how much lemon juice and lemon zest does the recipe actually require? And 2-when mixing in the apples, do you drain them or include the lemon juice they were tossed with?
The lemon I had was a monster so I actually only used half it (say 3/4t zest and 1.5T juice) and didn't add all the juice of the half lemon to the cake. It seemed to work with that amount of lemon but I suppose it could be lemonier. Delish.
valentina says
Thank you for your kind comment, Patricia! This being a family recipe, there is no specific amount of lemon juice/zest required - it's really to taste. The recipe is quite forgiving! And yes, I apologize if the recipe was not clear but you will want to add all the juice into the batter as well.
Linda says
Hi there, should we put the lemon juice into the batter along with the apples?
valentina says
Hi Linda! Great question, yes you will add the juice into the batter along with the apples. No need to drain!
Thomas Valerio says
This is a great and versatile recipe. I didn’t have a lemon so I used some orange zest. Since the batter was thick without the lemon juice, I added some milk. When it started browning quickly in my toaster oven, I lowered the heat a bit. At every stage, the recipe was cooperative. Thank you, Valentina.
valentina says
Thank you for your kind comment Thomas! The orange zest sounds like a great addition!
Andrea Z says
I have made this every fall for the last few years with my Dad's apples. This is a favorite. Bakes up quick. Is especially good on the first day and warm.
valentina says
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Andrea! Yes, a warm slice of cake is just heavenly! 🙂