Apple sharlotka
Photo credit Sonya Sanford

19 Rosh Hashanah Desserts to Whip Up In Under 1 Hour

Time-saving treats to keep everyone happy during the High Holidays.

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Time is precious, particularly around the High Holidays, when you’re balancing cooking up a storm, spending time with loved ones and going to synagogue. Having a dessert recipe (or two! Or three!) up your sleeve that’s quick to whip up will save your sanity and your time. Here are 19 to choose from, from one-bowl cakes to apple pies on a stick, and beyond:

Cakes

  1. One-Bowl Apple Sharlotka
Apple sharlotka
Photo credit Sonya Sanford

Our readers are, quite frankly, obsessed with this recipe — and for good reason. It’s easy, requires only a handful of ingredients and feeds a crowd. 

  1. Poppy Seed and Apple Cake
Photo credit Vered Guttman

While poppy seeds are typically enjoyed on Purim, when mixed with applesauce and fresh apples, they make for a delicious Rosh Hashanah cake (best enjoyed with a cup of tea).

  1. One-Bowl Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese and Honey Frosting
applesauce cake with cream cheese frosting
Photo credit David Loftus

Dense in a good way, sweet in a good way — simply, a very good cake.

  1. Israeli Honey and Sesame Cake
honey sesame cake
Photo credit Sonya Sanford

Sesame seeds are eaten on Rosh Hashanah for increased abundance, as their size makes them too numerous to count. Symbolism aside, this classic flavor combination shines in this delicious cake.

  1. Andrew Zimmern’s Favorite Apple Cake
Photo credit Madeleine Hill

If this fruit-forward apple crumb cake is good enough for a four times James Beard award-winning chef, it’s good enough for us. 

  1. Salted Honey and Apple Upside-Down Cake
Upside down apple cake
Photo credit Rebecca Firsker

A tender, rich and, dare we say it, quite sexy cake to kick off the new year.

  1. Classic Honey Cake (with a couple of twists)
almond honey cake
Photo credit Dikla Frances

Amp up this traditional Rosh Hashanah dessert with a sprinkle of symbolic scarlet pomegranate seeds or an extra drizzle of warm honey and scattering of toasty almonds.

  1. Sunken Plum Cake
easy plum cake recipe
Photo credit Sonya Sanford

Cure your apple fatigue with this seasonal, understated, subtly spiced cake.

  1. Apple Kugel Crumble Cake
Photo credit Shannon Sarna

Sweet noodle kugel meets apple crumb cake in this magical sweet treat.

  1. Vegan Honey Cake
Mayim Bialik vegan honey cake recipe
Photo credit Sonya Sanford

This will fool even the most devout honey cake lover.

Cookies, Pies and Everything Else

  1. Apple Pie Cookies
apple pie cookies easy Rosh Hashanah dessert
Photo credit Sheri Silver

Adorable bite-sized cookies with a flaky base and streusel topping. Accompanying teeny-tiny scoops of vanilla ice cream optional, but encouraged.

  1. Apple and Honey Ruffle Milk Pie
Photo credit Sonya Sanford

Store-bought phyllo pastry is the backbone of this easy-yet-impressive Greek-inspired crinkle cake flavored with tart apples and floral honey. 

  1. Tayglach
Tayglach Rosh Hashanah jewish cookie high holidays
Photo credit Micah Siva

These nostalgic Ashkenazi dough balls soaked in honey syrup are too delicious to be consigned to history. 

  1. Apple and Tahini Crumble
apple tahini crumble
Photo credit Doug Schneider

An easy, crowd-pleasing dessert that’s quick to throw together to take the pressure off this High Holiday season.

  1. Sticky Toffee Pudding
Photo credit Bradley Bebdon/Getty Images

Make Rosh Hashanah even sweeter with this beloved British pud. Not only is STP infinitely more delicious than honey cake, one of its main ingredients, dates, is traditionally eaten on the holiday. 

  1. Mini Almond and Grape Crostatas
Photo credit Jennifer Stempel

“Apples and honey are certainly not the only ways to ensure a sweet new year,” writes Jennifer Stempel. “Cuban families, like mine, have long practiced the tradition of eating grapes for good luck. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, we enjoy 12 grapes.”

  1. Easy Vegan Apple Turnovers
Photo credit Laura Williams

Flaky (store-bought) pastry, spiced apple filling and a sweet glaze are all we really want in any dessert, at the end of the day. 

  1. Meringue-Topped Apple Pie Bars
Photo credit Dikla Frances

Tasty, toasty and totally stunning!

  1. Apple and Honey Pie Pops
Photo credit Sheri Silver

Everything tastes better on a stick, and these cute-as-pie treats are a cinch to whip up.

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