Jewish Apple Cake Quick Bread
Jewish Apple Cake is one of my favorite celebrations of the fall season. It has a moist texture and rich flavor, both of which are enhanced by an added burst of delicious, gooey cinnamon-sugar apples. Traditionally made in a tube or bundt pan, I find making it as a quick bread is a nice alternative that yields two loaves, one to keep and one to share or freeze for future use.
History of Jewish Apple Cake
Jewish Apple Cake is widely believed to have roots in Eastern Europe and is often featured in Jewish cooking. Apples, a symbol of sweetness and hope for the new year in Jewish tradition, make the cake particularly popular during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is also dairy-free as it uses oil and orange juice as opposed to butter and milk to achieve moisture and richness.
Many of the recipes on Family Tree Foodie are inspired by a family matriarch. This particular recipe comes from a very special family friend and surrogate grandmother, Helen. Her warm and loving personality, her zest for life and her openness to celebrating all cultures and traditions made her an honorary family member at many tables in her elder years. We were blessed to have her share many holidays and special occasions with us. She often brought her famous Noodle Kugel Pudding or Jewish Apple Cake to share. I'm honored to share her recipe and relish any opportunity to keep this beautiful woman's memory alive.
Ingredients for Jewish Apple Cake Quick Bread
- APPLES: The star ingredient! I am bananas for Honeycrisp apples due to their crisp texture and sweet, bright flavor. You can experiment with or even combine different types, but firmer apples are recommended as they will soften significantly as they bake.
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- GRANULATED SUGAR: You will need to measure out two bowls of sugar - one to mix into the batter, and the other to combine with cinnamon to sweeten the apples.
- EGGS: Large eggs
- KOSHER SALT
- BAKING POWDER
- ORANGE JUICE: You can certainly use fresh squeezed OJ but can absolutely use store-bought. I do!
- ORANGE ZEST: This addition really adds to the brightness of the flavor profile in this cake.
- VANILLA: I use vanilla powder for its deep, warm flavor notes. Vanilla paste or extract is A-OK too! Just see the notes in the recipe for adjusted quantities as vanilla powder is more concentrated.
- GRAPESEED OIL: Typically this is my baking neutral oil default, but you can use vegetable oil if you prefer.
- CINNAMON: Combined with sugar to coat the apples and layer into the bread.
How to Make Jewish Apple Cake Quick Bread
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two bread pans. Measure ingredients and set aside.
(1) Peel, core and dice apples and place in a bowl.
(2) Sprinkle about 2-3 TBSP of the cinnamon apple mixture over the apples and stir to combine. Cover and set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
(3) Add sugar, eggs, grapeseed oil and orange juice to the bowl of standing mixture fitted with the paddle attachment and stir on low to combine.
(4) In a small bowl, measure and whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla powder and orange zest. Gradually add to the wet ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Batter will be thick. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl and ensure it is completely mixed.
(5) Gather prepared bread pans, cake batter, diced coated apples and extra cinnamon sugar.
(6) Add about 1 cup of batter to the bottom of the pan and smooth to evenly coat. Add about one cup of apples to cover batter completely (they will shrink in size as they soften). Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar over the apples. Add another layer of batter and finish with an apple layer sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Fill the pan about three quarters full to leave room for it to rise. Repeat for the second pan.
Place bread pans on a baking tray and place in preheated oven for one hour. Pierce it with a tester to see if the bread is cooked through. If needed, put it back in the oven and check it after 10 minutes. Bake longer as needed. My oven bakes this bread at 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Cool bread in pan for about 10 minutes before releasing it from the pans. Cut and enjoy it warm or at room temperature.
Jewish Apple Cake Quick Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
Description
Jewish Apple Cake Quick Bread has a moist texture and rich flavor, both of which are enhanced by an added burst of delicious, gooey cinnamon-sugar apples. Traditionally made in a tube or bundt pan, I find making it as a quick bread is a nice alternative that yields two loaves, one to keep and one to share or freeze for future use.
Ingredients
- 5–6 medium size firm apples (Honeycrisp is my fave! But Gala or Rome work great too!)
- 3 cups (360g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (400g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons (14g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (200g) grapeseed oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoons of vanilla powder (or 2 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract or paste)
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup (60g) orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Generously butter and flour two bread pans. Set aside.
- Mix 6 tablespoons of sugar and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
- Peel, core and dice apples into ½ inch sized pieces. Sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture into the apples and combine. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Add sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and orange juice to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir on low to combine.
- In a small bowl, measure and whisk together flour, salt and baking powder and orange zest. Gradually add to the wet ingredients on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure it is completely blended. The batter will be thick.
- Gather the prepared bread pans, cake batter, coated apples and extra cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Layer the bottom of the pan with about one cup of batter and spread to the corners of the pan. Add about a cup of apples to cover the batter to cover completely. The apples will shrink down as they cook and soften. Sprinkle extra cinnamon sugar on top of the apples. Add another layer of batter, apples, and cinnamon sugar. The second layer of apples will be the last layer. The pan should be about three-quarters full to leave room for it to rise. Repeat for the second pan.
- Place bread pans on a baking tray and place in a preheated oven for one hour. Pierce it with a tester to see if the bread is baked through. If needed, put it back in the oven and check it after 10 minutes. Bake longer as needed. This will vary based on your oven and pan size.(My oven bakes this recipe at 1 hour and 20 minutes).
- Cool bread in pan for about 10 minutes before releasing it. You can use a butter knife to carefully cut around the edges of the pan before inverting it. Cut and enjoy warm or serve at room temperature.
Notes
- This cake is delicious as it but also is lovely served warm with a drizzle of salted caramel and/or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream dusted with cinnamon.
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about three days. (I promise it won’t last that long! 😉
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To freeze, vacuum seal or wrap tightly with foil and place in a sealed plastic bag and store for up to a month. Let thaw overnight and warm in a 200° oven for about 15 minutes before serving.
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This recipe uses 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla powder, which is very concentrated. If using vanilla extract or vanilla paste, use 2 ½ teaspoons.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
