Jewish Apple Cake Recipe

This Jewish apple cake recipe is a from-scratch classic that's become a Pennsylvania staple, and it's easy to see why. Made in a Bundt pan, this dense, moist cake is a mash-up of coffee cake and pound cake, swirled with layers of cinnamon and apples. It's an easy and delicious cake recipe for a fall brunch or dessert, and it only gets better the longer it sits!

🍎The History Behind Jewish Apple Cake

Jewish apple cake is believed to have originated in Poland, carried over through generations of Ashkenazi Jewish baking traditions. It became popular largely because it's naturally dairy-free, meaning it could be enjoyed alongside a meat-based meal without breaking Jewish dietary laws. Over time, it made its way into kitchens across Pennsylvania (like mine😉), where it's still baked and loved today.

😍What Makes This Jewish Apple Cake Recipe So Special

This dense, moist cake (much like our favorite Blueberry Buckle) is often described as coffee cake meets pound cake, thanks to its rich texture and buttery flavor. A hint of orange juice adds brightness, balancing the warm cinnamon sugar swirled throughout every bite. Baked in a tube pan, it's a simple, from-scratch recipe made with basic pantry ingredients you likely already have on hand.

🍏Ways to Enjoy Jewish Apple Cake

Just like our Carrot Cake and Banana Bread, this cake shines at gatherings where guests linger over coffee, making it ideal for holiday mornings, potlucks, coffee hours, or get-togethers with family. Its dense texture also means it travels well, so it's a great choice for bake sales, bringing to a friend's house, or packing into lunchboxes. Serve it slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or simply as-is with a hot cup of coffee for a cozy, no-fuss treat!

🥘Just Basic Pantry Ingredients Needed

• Fresh apples: The star of the cake, adding natural sweetness and moisture throughout every bite.
• Flour, granulated sugar, baking powder: These pantry staples form the base of the batter, giving the cake its structure and light sweetness.
• Vegetable oil & orange juice: Oil keeps the cake incredibly moist and dairy-free, while orange juice adds a subtle brightness that balances the sweetness.
• Eggs: Bind the batter together and give the cake its rich, dense texture; use at room temperature for easier mixing.
• Vanilla and almond extract: Add warm, aromatic depth that enhances the cake's overall flavor.
• Cinnamon & sugar: Coats the apples and swirls throughout the batter, creating pockets of warm spice in every slice.

See recipe card for quantities.

🔪How To Make Jewish Apple Cake

Step 1: Combine the dry cake ingredients, then add the oil and orange juice; stir. Use a hand mixer on its lowest setting when adding the eggs, one at a time, until just combined.

Step 2: Give the cake batter a quick stir, then add ½ of the batter to the bottom of a two-part Bundt/tube pan.

Step 3: Top the cake batter with apple slices; sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Step 4: Spoon the remaining batter on top of the apples; bake.

For step-by-step instructions, see the printable recipe card below.

Hint: It's helpful to use a 2-part Bundt pan/tube pan (affiliate link) for this Jewish apple cake recipe, since it's such a dense cake. Once it slightly cools, remove the outer pan. Then, allow the cake to cool completely before lifting it off the inner pan.

🌿Healthy Ingredient Substitutions

• Unsweetened Applesauce for Vegetable Oil: Replacing some or all of the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce cuts back on fat while keeping the cake super moist.
• Whole Wheat Flour for All-Purpose Flour: Swapping in whole wheat flour (or a half-and-half blend) adds extra fiber and nutrients without drastically changing the texture.
• Coconut Sugar for Granulated Sugar: Using coconut sugar in place of granulated sugar offers a lower glycemic option with a subtle caramel-like flavor.

📖Easy Jewish Apple Cake Recipe Variations

• Pear and Cinnamon Swap: Replace the apples with fresh pears for a slightly softer texture and a delicate, honeyed sweetness.
• Streusel-Topped Version: Add a buttery cinnamon streusel topping (like the one found on top of our Cranberry Coffee Cake Muffins) before baking for extra crunch and a bakery-style finish.
• Glazed Jewish Apple Cake: Drizzle a simple powdered sugar and orange juice glaze over the cooled cake for an extra touch of sweetness and shine.

See Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake for another from-scratch apple cake delight!

🍽Essential Equipment Needed

• 2-part Bundt/tube pan
• cutting board, pairing knife, vegetable peeler
• mixing bowl
• hand mixer
• long cake tester

🍶Storing Your Cake

To Store: Keep your Jewish apple cake tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days, as it continues to get more moist and flavorful with time.

To Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, letting it come to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.

To Freeze: Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months, thawing overnight at room temperature before serving.

❓Jewish Apple Cake Recipe FAQ

🍎More Apple Baking Recipes

Looking for other baking recipes with fresh apples like this? Try these, or head over to our From Scratch Desserts and Fall Baking Favorites pages for even more ideas:

🍴What Goes Well With Jewish Apple Cake?

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this Jewish Apple Cake recipe:

📋Recipe With Step-By-Step Instructions

Jewish Apple Cake Recipe

Kitchen Ready Betty

This traditional Jewish Apple Cake is a dense, moist, and dairy-free dessert that perfectly blends the best parts of a coffee cake and a pound cake. Packed with fresh apples and swirled with warm cinnamon sugar, it's an irresistible from-scratch treat that only gets better the longer it sits!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Rest Time Minimum (For cake to set properly) 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Holidays

Cuisine American, Jewish, Polish

Servings 12

Calories 469 kcal

Equipment

• 2 part Bundt pan (well greased)
• cutting board
• paring knife
• vegetable peeler
• plastic wrap
• large mixing bowl
• hand mixer
• long cake tester

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Ingredients

  

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• 3 medium apples peeled, cored, and sliced into ⅛ - ¼ inch thick slices; Granny Smith or Honey Crisp preferred
• 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup orange juice
• 2 & ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 & ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar

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Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350℉. Adjust oven rack to lower third.
• Peel and core apples. Slice into ⅛ - ¼ inch thickness. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 c. sugar, and baking powder.
• Pour in vegetable oil, orange juice, and extracts. Stir until just combined (mixture will be thick and lumpy).
• Add room temperature eggs, one at a time, using hand mixer on its lowest setting to incorporate. Continue to beat on low until mixture is smooth.
• Give the cake batter a quick stir with a spatula. Then add half of the batter to the bottom of a well-greased 2-part Bundt/tube pan.
• Arrange apple slices over cake batter, but do not press in. Apples will overlap a few times and that's okay.
• Sprinkle cinnamon and 3 T. sugar over apples. Then spoon remaining cake batter on top, taking time to make sure all apples are covered.
• Bake for 70 - 85 minutes, or until cake tester inserted all the way down to the bottom comes out clean. (Ovens vary; check every 5 minutes for doneness.)
• Allow cake to cool for 30 minutes. Run a non-scratch knife along cake's outer edges, then lift cake up and out of outer pan by grasping the inner pan/tube. Cool cake completely (at least 2 hours) while still sitting on the inner tube pan. Then run a knife along bottom of the cake, as well as the inner ring. Use clean hands to lift the cake off of the inner pan. Slice and serve, or tightly wrap whole cake in plastic wrap for later.

Notes

Choose firm apples like Granny Smith (tart) or Honeycrisp (sweet) for this recipe, since they hold their shape and add the perfect balance to the cake's sweetness. Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin and even slices (⅛ - ¼ inch thickness) so they bake through without leaving large, undercooked chunks.

Because this is such a dense, fruit-heavy cake, it takes a famously long time to bake--usually between 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. You'll know it's done when the top is a deep, crusty golden brown and a long wooden skewer or cake tester inserted all the way into the cake comes out completely clean.

Keep the cake tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days, as it continues to get more moist and flavorful with time. Can also be frozen; see above post for details.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 469kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 131mgPotassium: 123mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 130IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 2mg

Keyword apple cake recipe, cinnamon apple cake, coffee cake, dairy-free dessert, fall baking, fresh apple bundt cake, Jewish apple cake, Jewish apple cake from scratch, Jewish apple cake recipe, made from scratch, pareve cake, Rosh Hashanah dessert

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_{Please note that nutritional information is provided by a third party service and is intended for guidance purposes only. KitchenReadyBetty.com makes no claims to its accuracy.}