Serves a Crowd

Rosh Hashanah Apple Cake

by:
September 27, 2009
4.8
12 Ratings
Rosh Hashanah Apple Cake
Photo by zahavah
  • Prep time 45 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour
  • Serves 8-10
Author Notes

2018 update: TL;DR - YOU CAN'T MESS THIS UP!

1) Based on questions and comments, you can skip the step of sautéing apples and instead macerate just 3 very thinly sliced apples (16-20 slices per apple) for a half-hour in 1-2 T sugar and a splash of lemon juice to soften them - the apples will bake up just fine, but the top doesn't look as nice in my opinion. I've added a new photo baked this way (on the copper background.) A non-baker friend wrote:
"No precooking of the apples, only own olive oil, don’t even own a baking pan of the right size and it STILL came out great. Also already 1/2 gone gotta go make another one."

2) In addition, I made it with Cup4Cup GF flour and it worked like a dream.

3) This cake freezes well. First wrap tightly in plastic, then in heavy duty aluminum foil. If you want to reheat - make sure to remove the plastic from underneath the foil. Yes, you could just wrap in foil, but it doesn't stay as fresh.

4) See comments for lots of flavor variations.

***
While preparing four holiday meals for friends and family over the span of the two days of Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) last week, I was reminded that there is a beauty in keeping things simple, both in the kitchen and out. So I was overjoyed to discover a cake that nearly bakes itself. I adapted a recipe touted as "The Easiest Cake Ever" -- meant for ripe pears or stone fruits dripping with juice -- to a slightly more traditional apple cake. Given that apples are not particularly juicy, I decided to first saute them in some margarine and sugar, giving them a slight caramelization as I would for a tarte tatin. I had leftover apples and the cake smelled so good in the oven that I whipped up a second batch of batter in about 5 minutes and popped the second cake in the oven while the first was cooling. [NOTE: the batter is adapted from www.notderbypie.com, which is related to the Marion Burros cult plum cake.] —zahavah

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the apples
  • 4 apples - I used a variety (1 each of Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Crispin)
  • lemon juice to prevent apples from browning as you cut (~1T)
  • 2 tablespoons margarine (or butter if making dairy)
  • 1-2 tablespoons sugar
  • For cake batter
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons demerara sugar (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform, or an 8X8-inch square pan. (If you want to plate this, use a springform; otherwise, just serve it out of the pan.)
  2. Peel and core the apples, then cut each apple into ~12 slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice (you don't need much - maybe a tablespoon or so for 4 apples) while the others are being sliced to prevent browning.
  3. Heat margarine in pan over low heat and add apples and 1-2 T white sugar. Stir for ~10-15 minutes until apples soften. Some of the liquid will soak into the apples, but if too much of it starts to evaporate, then turn the heat down.
  4. While the apples are on the stove top, mix together the remaining ingredients (except for the demerara sugar) -- flour, sugar (the 3/4 C), eggs, oil, baking powder, and vanilla. No mixer is required - you can just mix everything by hand even though the batter is quite thick.
  5. Add half the warm apples (juices and all) to the batter and mix. Then pour into the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly with a spatula . Arrange the remaining apple slices on the top of the batter as decoratively as possible (though even a mishmash will look nice).
  6. Sprinkle the cake with demerara sugar if you'd like and bake for 1 hour. As it bakes, the high egg content causes the cake to rise up as the heavier fruit sinks slightly and the demerara sugar helps creates a crackly crunchy crust that caramelizes slightly at the edges and where the fruit juices pool.
  7. Cool in pan and serve. I doubt you'll have leftovers.
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Stan
    Stan
  • Debora Ajenblit
    Debora Ajenblit
  • JulieS
    JulieS
  • zahavah
    zahavah
  • Carly Levy
    Carly Levy
zahavah
Food writer, recipe developer, photographer. Some people call me Zahavah, most call me Gayle.

Popular on Food52

81 Reviews

emaanfatima121
emaanfatima121 January 14, 2023
Watch All Seasons Episodes Of Colors Hindi TV Serial Pyar Ke Saat Vachan Dharam Patnii Online. DharamPatni Watch Online Desi Serial Hindi Drama By Voot, Dharam Patni All Latest Episodes Online in HD, Dharam Patni Drama Today Full Episode free download, Watch Colors Tv Serial 2022
https://dharampatniserial.com/
 
emaanfatima121
emaanfatima121 January 14, 2023
Watch All Seasons Episodes Of Colors Hindi TV Serial Pyar Ke Saat Vachan Dharam Patni Online. DharamPatni Watch Online Desi Serial Hindi Drama By Voot,
 
barb
barb October 25, 2021
Made my cake in a 10 inch springform and cooked the apples first. They came out glossy and slightly caramelized. I also stuck on a few raw cranberries before baking and sprinkled with granulated sugar since I didn't have the fancy stuff. Very pretty out of the oven and tasted divine. A new favorite recipe!
 
sue_ann_canvasser
sue_ann_canvasser August 11, 2022
Did you use 3 or 4 apples? You followed the original recipe?
 
barb
barb October 29, 2022
Hi Sue, I probably used at least 4 apples since i used a 10 inch springform. And yes i used the original recipe where you saute the apples in butter (didn't have margarine). First I tried the beloved Marian Burros plum torte recipe subbing apples and it came out very dry. This was way better. Good luck!
 
Fay W.
Fay W. September 7, 2021
Excellent I made this yesterday and it was delicious. Will make it again I am sure. PS very easy to make too.
 
DaniM
DaniM September 7, 2021
Excellent cake and super easy for someone that doesn’t really cook .
 
Stan
Stan August 28, 2021
Very easy to make and a huge payback for effort put in. It's fun to see how the designed fruit arrangement on top will look when it's finally cooked.
 
addaloria
addaloria December 13, 2020
I make this cake incessantly. I cover the top with apples lined in a circle. It’s just so great to have around.
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. December 13, 2020
Thanks for your comment!
 
Ellenedit
Ellenedit September 20, 2020
I made this for Rosh Hashanah and it was big hit! I made it exactly as you had it (without sautéing the apples first) and it came out great. Not a piece leftover. I did apples and plums.
 
Debora A.
Debora A. April 18, 2020
This was a quick, easy cake with great results! The cake was moist and not too sweet. I wonder if the recipe will translate well with other fruits. I was thinking pears, plums or peaches.
 
zahavah
zahavah September 15, 2020
So glad you liked it! Yes, this cake works particularly well with stone fruits, no need to sauté - I’ve made plum, plum/strawberry, peach, apricot with amaretti cookie crumbs on top instead of fancy sugar. Pears would be great also; if they’re not very ripe, you might want to sauté them as well.
 
Jessica
Jessica October 5, 2019
Sooo Good! This cake is so perfect and beyond easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly but doubled to make 2. I froze 1 and served the other immediately. The fresh out of the over looked nicer but the frozen one tasted just as amazing once warmed up. Microwaved leftovers were amazing too. I can't get over how easy and delicious this cake is. Thank you for the recipe.
 
JulieS
JulieS September 9, 2018
I was thinking of substituting honey for the sugar with the apples (and sauté them as in your original directions) to incorporate the “apples & honey” combo for Rosh Hashanah. Have you ever tried it this way?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 9, 2018
I haven’t personally tried this, but as long as you’re not replacing the sugar in the cake batter with honey, you should be good - just be careful not to have the heat up too high because honey can burn more easily. Another way to up the honey flavor is to drizzle some honey over the cake after you’ve arranged the apples instead of using Demerara sugar.
 
Hope
Hope September 19, 2020
Thank you for the great recipe, agreed that it’s super versatile! I didn’t have enough apples so I subbed one super ripe peach and put it in the batter. I used cassava flour to make it gluten free and coconut oil instead of margarine or canola. Then I drizzled honey on top and baked for 30 minutes in silicone muffin pans. Beautiful, delicious, portion controlled and super easy to freeze and save for later! The peach made the batter decadent!
 
zahavah
zahavah September 9, 2018
HI ALL! PLEASE SEE THIS YEAR'S UPDATE RE: NOT SAUTEING APPLES. ALSO, USING GF FLOUR. SHORT ANSWER - YOU CAN'T MESS THIS UP.
 
L
L September 9, 2018
Did anyone try making this yet without sautéing the apples? If yes, how did it turn out?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 9, 2018
I made 3 this way - turn out great, a little less pretty in my opinion. See update in headnote for greater detail.
 
Carolyn
Carolyn September 6, 2018
Can this be frozen ?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 6, 2018
Oh absolutely, Carlyn! Wrap it well in plastic, then wrap it again in heavy duty aluminum. Defrost 4-5 hours before. If you want to heat it up before eating, make sure to take off the plastic!
 
Carly L.
Carly L. September 5, 2018
This may seem like a weird question but I'm making this parve. Is margarine dairy-free? If so, what brand do you recommend?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 5, 2018
Hi Carly - not a weird question at all! Margarine is dairy free, and many of them are marked parve - e.g., if there is an O-U or an O-K without a "D" (for dairy) next to it, then you're all set. The brand I like is Earth Balance - get it unsalted - and it's what I use for this recipe. Also, this year, I'm going to try to skip the sautéing step, and instead just let the apple slices sit in the sugar for about a half hour to macerate and soften a bit. Let me know if you have other questions and Shana Tova!
 
Carly L.
Carly L. September 5, 2018
So you're saying instead of sauteing the apples in margarine, they can be softened just by letting them sit in sugar for half and hour and the cake will still come out good?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 6, 2018
That is what I plan to do this year. I haven't done it with this specific cake but have with others. I have friends who have not bothered to saute (or macerate) at all and the cake comes out great. I wish I had already done the maceration experiment so I could provide better direction here.
 
Carly L.
Carly L. September 6, 2018
Well, I guess I'll do it this year and let you know how it goes 😀.
 
zahavah
zahavah September 6, 2018
Carly - my guess (which I know isn't particularly reassuring) is that it'll work out just fine!
 
Carly L.
Carly L. September 7, 2018
Ok. So just lay the apple slices in two tablespoons of sugar for half an hour? Also, would I be able to use an 8x8 inch square pan? I know your recipe says nine inches but 8x8 is the only ones I can find.
 
zahavah
zahavah September 7, 2018
Yes - gently toss the apple slices with the lemon juice and 2 T sugar for 1/2 hour. Every once in a while, stir them around. They should release some liquid as they soften. Yes - an 8X8 square pan is perfect - it has the same area as a 9-inch round pan. I've gone ahead and corrected the recipe - thank you for your comment as it made me double check my numbers. If you want to be able to take the cake out of the square pan, line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper (for parchment, just cut two 8-inch wide strips and lay them perpendicular in the pan). Good luck!
 
zahavah
zahavah September 9, 2018
Carly - see above for update. Skipping sautéing works just fine.
 
Carly L.
Carly L. September 9, 2018
Okay thank you. And when you say 12 slices, do you mean 12 slices an apple or in total for four apples?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 9, 2018
12 slices per apple (otherwise you’d have huge apple thirds!) - I believe this was addressed in earlier comments
 
Carly L.
Carly L. September 9, 2018
Ok. It's in the oven now. The only thing that worries me is that the batter looked really small.
 
zahavah
zahavah September 9, 2018
Once you mix most of the apples in with their juices, the batter bulks up and the whole thing rises quite a bit in the oven.
 
Carly L.
Carly L. September 9, 2018
https://instagram.com/p/BnhK94onPuCLxPNybQHWrRBpypgd92XRPMJM_Q0/ We shall see tomorrow how it tastes.
 
joan
joan August 4, 2018
Hello, I want to make this cake and freeze it, for Rosh Hashana. Will this cake freeze well?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 3, 2018
Hi Joan. So sorry for the late response. Yes - it freezes extraordinarily well. Wrap it well in plastic wrap, and then in heavy duty aluminum foil. Take it out a few hours before you plan to eat it. You had heat it in the oven if you'd like (just don't forget to remove the plastic wrap!). It's great for breakfast the next day. Shana tova!
 
Robyn W.
Robyn W. September 15, 2017
What can be subbed for demerara sugar?
 
Amanda H.
Amanda H. September 15, 2017
You could use raw sugar, light brown sugar or even just regular white sugar.
 
barb48
barb48 September 27, 2016
Can vegetable oil sub for Canola?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 27, 2016
Hi there. Yes, you can absolutely use vegetable oil instead of canola. Shana tova!
 
Jennifer F.
Jennifer F. September 16, 2016
Would olive oil work instead of canola?
 
zahavah
zahavah September 16, 2016
Hi Jennifer. I've never made this cake with olive oil (and I've made it many many times, and fruits other than apple), but I think it would work. Just bear in mind that canola has a more neutral flavor than olive oil and is less expensive. If you try it with olive oil, please let us know how it turns out.
 
Jennifer F.
Jennifer F. September 16, 2016
I'm going to give it a shot for Rosh Hashanah since I always have olive oil on hand and will let you guys know how it turns out. Thanks so much!
 
Jennifer F.
Jennifer F. October 3, 2016
Oli update - I made the cake yesterday for Rosh Hashanah and used olive oil - there were no leftovers so it worked well. I also add a handful or two of dark chocolate chips.
 
Samantha
Samantha December 19, 2015
I've made this cake for Rosh Hashana a few times, it's amazingly easy and delicious, specially with a little Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream on top, people go wild. Last time I made it in a loaf pan and I liked the texture even more. The host at the RH dinner I brought it to last time even asked me to make him another one, he was gonna pay for it cause he liked it so much. Now I'm making it again for my Mother in Law to bring to her Christmas Eve dinner. Kinda ironic, but delicious recipes don't know religion.
 
zahavah
zahavah September 3, 2018
So lovely to hear!