Traditional Jewish Apple Cake

This moist and delicious apple cake is the perfect way to welcome fall and its bounty of apples. Try the easy recipe!

Jewish Apple Cake is a sweet, fruit-studded dense cake that originated in Poland and is popular in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Because this cake doesn’t use butter or milk, it’s classified as pareve (a food that has neither meat nor dairy). That means it conforms to Jewish dietary regulations.

Enjoy it for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, dessert, or any time!

Jewish Apple Cake Recipe

Slice of delicious fresh baked homemade Apple cake.

Jewish Apple Cake Recipe

3 from 2 votes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 3-4 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2" slices
  • 5 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon for apples
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ cup orange or pineapple juice
  • 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 10" tube or 12 cup Bundt pan.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar and add apple slices. Toss to coat. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add sugar, oil, eggs, juice, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Batter will be very stiff.
  • Spoon a third of the batter into the bottom of the pan. The batter will be thick so once you spoon it in, give it a slight “shimmy” to create an even layer. Arrange half the sliced apples on top, then add another third of the batter, the remaining apples, and top with the last third of the batter. Use your best rubber spatula to get all the good batter from the bowl so none goes to waste! Apples won’t be completely covered.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Then let it cool completely.
  • You can top the cake with a simple powdered sugar-and-orange juice glaze, a dusting of powdered sugar, or serve it as-is! Slice and enjoy!
Keyword best jewish cake recipes, jewish apple cake recipe with orange juice

These apple slices were made using a peeler/corer/slicer tool, which works fine. If you prefer, you can slice by hand and make them a little thicker. Whatever you prefer.

I Use your best rubber spatula to get all the good batter from the bowl so none goes to waste! Apples won’t be completely covered.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Then let it cool completely.

Baked up perfectly!
What a beauty!

You can top the cake with a simple powdered sugar-and-orange juice glaze, a dusting of powdered sugar, or serve it as-is! Slice and enjoy!

Muffin - Baking
Each piece is studded with cinnamon-ey apples and so moist!

What Are The Best Apples To Use For This Cake?

Tile - Tile Flooring

Granny Smith apples provide the perfect tartness to this cake, but really any sturdy apple will work. The above recipe was made with freshly-picked Cortlands from a local orchard here in Maine. Check out these apple varieties to try!

Submitted by Marion Sampaio

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Stacy Banks

2 stars
I want to make this for my dad for his birthday but he doesn’t remember it being in a bundt pan. His mom used to make it for him and grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Pimlico and she’s never made it in a bundt pan either. An authentic Jewish apple cake is NOT made in a bundt pan. I suggest making it in a 9 inch springform pan if you want it authentic. Also, after speaking with my grandmother, an authentic recipe does NOT have any orange juice in it either. It should be ALL apple. This coming from a woman who got her recipe from actual Jewish families back in the 40s in Pimlico….Baltimore, MD. In Pimlico, it used to be an ALL Jewish neighborhood.

Kimcoppin

4 stars
stacy yopu simply have the wrong cake….this does NOT go in a springform pan in would never cook through the middle and it has always had orange juice in it

Nancy Marrison

I’d love to be able to print the recipes. Can you make them to where we can print them like in your weekly newsletters?

Susan Higgins

Hi Nancy, we’re working on our recipe section. In the meantime, you can print from your browser. Go to the top menu and select File > Print. Then you can use your print settings to remove headers, footers and background graphics.

Donna L Farrar

Need one for apple pie!!

Susan Higgins

Hi Donna, we have quite a few! You can see them here and here.

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