Apple Cake

by Stephanie

This recipe is for a Rosh Hashana apple cake, but I made it a little too late for the holiday. Still, it’s fall, so we’re going to be eating a lot of apples. I have been using Food52 a lot for finding recipes, and I liked how this one was already parevified for me! I mean, it would be delicious with melted butter in place of the vegetable oil, don’t get me wrong, but I served it after a meat Shabbat dinner.

So, this cake is so much easier than pie, and I imagine you can make it with all sorts of fruit! We just missed summer fruit season, but peaches or plums or even berries, would be delicious here. You might even be able to skip the first step, since they’re a little juicier than apples.

Did I mention how easy this cake is? I used my stand mixer, but you really don’t have to. It makes a great dessert, but leftovers (if there are any) would also make a great breakfast, with a cup of hot coffee and the morning paper.

Happy fall, let’s go apple picking!

Rosh Hashana Apple Cake from food52

Ingredients:

For the apples:

  • 4 apples (I used two granny smiths and two macintosh)
  • lemon juice, to prevent browning
  • 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
For the cake:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 -3 tablespoons demerara sugar (optional, for dusting the cake)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a cake pan, I used a casserole dish, because I don’t have a springform pan, and I wanted it to look pretty in the one I served it in. The original recipe calls for a 9-inch cake pan.
  2. Peel and core the apples, then cut into 12 slices each. Sprinkle with lemon juice while cutting to avoid browning. You don’t need much, maybe a tablespoon.
  3. Heat the Earth Balance over low heat, add the apples and the sugar and stir. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apples have softened.
  4. While the apples are cooking, mix all of the cake ingredients together: flour, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, baking powder and vanilla. Add half of the apples to the batter.
  5. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the rest of the apples nicely on top, sprinkle with the demerara sugar and bake for one hour.