This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My grandmother’s recipe for moist, tender Jewish apple cake! It is a vanilla orange flavored cake with layers of cinnamon sugared apples throughout! An easy recipe mixed in one bowl with a whisk!

This delightfully easy apple cake recipe will be your new go to when you’re craving cake and you don’t have any butter. A dairy-free cake that is moist, dense and filled with cinnamon sugar apples. Mixed by hand, this jewish apple cake has a crisp outside and a tender moist inside that is flavored with orange and a hint of lemon.
For more fun orange flavor combinations try my cherry orange molasses cookies, orange financiers or my cranberry orange shortbread cookies. And for delicious and equally easy cakes, check out my olive oil cake or one bowl chocolate cake.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Jewish Apple Cake
- An amazing flavor. Mixing cinnamon sugar, apples, orange and vanilla is a delightful combination that will please all. All the flavors complement each other and come together for a perfect cake.
- Super easy and made by hand. This cake is made in one bowl by hand! You will have a cake in the oven in under 20 minutes.
- Dairy-Free apple cake recipe! This cake is completely dairy-free but it is still perfectly moist and delicious.
Professional Tips for Making Jewish Apple Cake
- Use fresh orange juice. Fresh juice is always best. The fresh orange juice will give this cake beautiful floral notes that will complement the apples and vanilla.
- Use three different types of apples. For the most well-rounded cake use three different types of baking apples. All apples have their own flavor profile so let’s optimize that in this cake.
- Chop the apples to roughly the same size. For evenly baked apples you want them to be roughly the same size.Too small and the apples can turn to mush in the cake, and too big, they won’t bake fully.
- Finish the cake with a rubber or silicone spatula. For the most tender apple cake with no tunneling, fold in the dry ingredients. Folding them in will reduce the amount of gluten developed and keep this cake from getting too chewy.
What is Jewish Apple Cake?
A Jewish apple cake is a dairy-free cake because it is made without butter, milk, or any other dairy products. This easy cake can be eaten in accordance with the Jewish dietary laws that prohibit mixing meat and dairy. It is a popular dessert for the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). It’s a tradition to start the new year by eating apples and honey to bring sweetness into the new year.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Apples: Use a mix of crisp baking apples so they hold their shape when baked. For example: try Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Gala, fuji, Jonagold, Cortland, or pink lady apples.
- Granulated Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon: Coating the apples in granulated sugar and ground cinnamon will flavor the apples and assist in the cooking process to keep them tender.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Whole Eggs: Whole eggs allow you to emulsify all that oil into the batter, resulting in moist, not greasy, Jewish apple cake.
- Vanilla Extract
- Vegetable oil: Oil makes this cake exceptionally moist. It will emulsify the sugar and eggs to make the batter extra moist. You can use other neutral oils, such as canola or sunflower. Using coconut or olive oil will work; they will just impart a flavor to the cake.
- Orange Juice: The orange juice adds flavor. If you are going to use fresh, add the zest to the sugar too! You can also use apple cider (not vinegar!) for another flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Add different spices. Mix the apples with apple pie spice mix instead of the cinnamon. Or add cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg to the cake batter. A little goes a long way with a lot of spices. Start small and add as desired. Check out my applesauce cake for some inspiration!
- Change the fruit. Make the cake with pears and cardamom, or try peaches and allspice for a delicious late-summer dessert.
- Add a glaze or frosting. Make an orange glaze to keep the dessert dairy-free or a spiced glaze with a milk substitute of your choice. It would also be delightful with a cream cheese frosting or caramel buttercream, but it will not be dairy-free. You could also try soaking it in warm honey hot from the oven in keeping with the Rosh Hashanah tradition.
How to Make this Jewish Apple Cake Recipe
Use these instructions to make the perfect Jewish apple cake every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional (no fan).
Step 2: Grease and flour a large tube pan. Make sure to tap out the extra flour.
Step 3: Peel, core, and slice the apples to 1/8th-1/4 inch thick.
Step 4: In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with ¼ cup granulated sugar and ground cinnamon to coat, and set aside.
Step 5: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 6: In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, oil, sugar, and orange juice until smooth.
For the best emulsion, whisk the eggs first, followed by the olive oil, and then add the sugar, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
Step 7: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine. Use a rubber or silicone spatula; do not over-mix.
To prevent overmixing, add the dry ingredients in two stages, adding the last right before the first is fully incorporated.
Step 8: Pour about half of the cake batter into the prepared tube pan.
This can be eyeballed, or you can weigh half the batter on a kitchen scale if you are like me.
Step 9: Stir the apples one more time to coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and then layer about half the apples on top of the batter.
Step 10: Add the remaining batter to the cinnamon-sugared apples. Spread it out with the back of a spoon or small offset spatula.
Step 11: Add the remaining apples and any accumulated liquid on top of the cake.
Step 12: Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 1-1 ½ hours or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean or with just a few clinging crumbs.
If the cake starts to get too dark, you can cover the top with a piece of aluminum foil.
Step 13: Cool completely on a wire rack before turning out the cake onto a cake stand or plate.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
When the cake comes out of the oven, run a butter knife or small offset spatula around the pan before the cake cools. This will keep any apples from cooling and sticking to the edges. Aiding in a clean break from the cake pan, and a beautiful cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store cooled cake well-wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, up to a week in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.
Use crisp baking apples so they hold their shape when baked. When choosing apples, stick with Granny Smith apples, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Macoun, Cortland, or pink lady apples.
Don’t skimp on the greasing and flouring of the pan. Make sure to cover every inch including the center of the tube pan.
A light dusting of confectioner’s sugar will allow the cake to fully shine. It would also be delicious with a slightly sweetened whipped cream, salted caramel sauce, pumpkin butter, apple butter or crème anglaise.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Jewish Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 3 large apples or 4-5 medium apples
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegetable oil or another neutral oil such as canola or safflower
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional (no fan).
- Grease and flour a large tube pan. Make sure to tap out the extra flour.
- Peel, core, and slice the apples to 1/8th-1/4 inch thick.
- In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with ¼ cup granulated sugar and ground cinnamon to coat, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract, oil, sugar, and orange juice until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine. Use a rubber or silicone spatula; do not over-mix.
- Pour about half of the cake batter into the prepared tube pan.
- Stir the apples one more time to coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and then layer about half the apples on top of the batter.
- Add the remaining batter to the cinnamon-sugared apples. Spread it out with the back of a spoon or small offset spatula.
- Add the remaining apples and any accumulated liquid on top of the cake.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 1-1 ½ hours or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean or with just a few clinging crumbs.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before turning out the cake onto a cake stand or plate.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this heirloom recipe. Find your next favorite Fall dish in this collection of apple recipes or try one of Chef’s professional cake recipes next! If you want to keep it in the family, try my great-grandmother’s pecan tassies, old fashioned peanut butter cookies, or apricot brandy pound cake; my grandmother, Nana’s, cranberry chutney; or my Dad’s mom’s chewy molasses cookies or her fabulous tuna melt!
This is an easy but very sumptuous cake with plenty taste and sweetness without needing any icing. It is a great gift cake as it is easy to make and wrap, homemade (a rarity!) and everyone I have given one to absolutely loves it!
Hi Jane! Thank you so much for taking the time to rate and comment, it made my day!