Mom’s Best Homemade Jewish Apple Cake

Pretty sure everyone thinks they or their mother have the best recipe for Jewish Apple Cake. But trust me, I definitely do. And I won’t even be shy about the secret. It’s the orange juice.

I don’t know why or how, and you can’t even taste it in the cake, but its the secret ingredient that adds just enough moisture to an otherwise very dense cake that can dry out if you let it bake for even a second too long. Like any Jewish mother, this cake is a fickle beast.

Why is it called “Jewish” Apple Cake?

Jewish apple cake is often served at holiday meals like Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year. Eating this sweet fruit symbolizes the hope for a sweet new year.

And unlike other apple cake recipes that call for butter, Jewish apple cake uses vegetable oil instead. Because it contains no dairy, it is considered kosher and an acceptable dessert for the holiday.

What is the best apple for Mom’s Best Homemade Jewish Apple Cake?

I like the same kinds of apples for this cake as I like for pies. Honeycrisp are the best, but Winesap, Gala, Fuji are all good choices. Steer clear of Granny Smith (too tart), McIntosh (too soft) or Red Delicious (too sweet).

But the apples aren’t really the star of the show when it comes to Jewish Apple Cake. Most other desserts that feature apples have their flavor at the forefront – pies, crisps, strudels are all very fruit-forward and glorious.

Here, it’s more about the cake. The apples are a solid supporting actress, but the cake is where it’s at. And that’s why it has to be moist and sweet but still dense. You should have to flex in order to lift a good Jewish Apple Cake.

What’s in this Jewish Apple Cake?

Speaking of muscle, you’re going to need it for mixing the cake batter – by hand, always. I tried using my KitchenAid once to mix this batter. It’s buried in the backyard. I did love that thing. Sigh.

Here’s what you need to make this super thick but simple cake batter:

• all purpose flour
• sugar
• eggs
• vanilla
• vegetable oil
• orange juice

Do you have to use a tube pan for this recipe?

Short answer: not really. A tube pan is useful when you’re baking cakes with a delicate crumb, like angel food cake. This is because most tube pans have detachable bottoms or sides, so you don’t have to stress about the cake falling apart when you invert it onto a serving dish.

My Mom’s Best Homemade Apple Cake is dense and I have never had an issue with it falling apart. So while I’d recommend a tube pan because of the more defined shape and simple design, don’t go out and buy one just for this recipe. A bundt pan works fine.

How to store Jewish Apple Cake

My mom is the literal queen of make-ahead meals. She starts cooking for Rosh Hashanah a week in advance. This cake will keep for days on your counter, and it also refrigerates and freezes well.

If you are going to freeze is, I recommend freezing individual slices, first wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and then bagging them in freezer bags for extra protection.

I won’t bore you with stories of watching my parents take turns stirring the batter with a huge wooden spoon, one relieving the other whose arm got too tired. I won’t drone on about memories of enjoying this cake with my Bubby at her tiny kitchen table in West Philadelphia on weekend visits home from college.

But trust me, all that juju is in this cake. Bake it and feel the love. And have it with coffee – that’s a must! Enjoy!

For more Jewish holiday recipes, try these:

• Classic Cherry Kugel
• Homemade Challah Bread
• Classic Potato Latkes

For more apple recipes, try these:

• Apple Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
• Cinnamon Apple Ice Cream Pie
• Slow Cooked Apple Butter

Mom’s Best Homemade Jewish Apple Cake

Classic recipe for homemade Jewish Apple Cake using orange juice for a moist, dense cake with cinnamony layers of juicy apples

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins

Total Time 1 hr 40 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

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• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 big/3 small apples peeled & thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 Tbsp sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon mixture

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Add vanilla, eggs, oil and orange juice. Mix by hand for 5-10 minutes until very thick.
• Grease and flour a tube or bundt pan. Layer apple slices in an overlapping pattern on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Put 1/2 batter on top of the apples. Layer remaining apple slices and sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar, followed by the rest of the batter.
• Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Allow cake to cool before turning it out of the pan.

Keyword cake, dessert, holiday

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