Growing up, I never liked the honey cakes that invariably turned up on Rosh Hashanah tables. Whether store bought or homemade, they always struck me as dry and a bit musty — like the cake equivalent of grandma’s floral curtains.
Luckily, my family’s dessert of choice for the Jewish New Year was almost always apple cake. The recipe my mother made favors a high ratio of fruit to batter, which results in an incredibly moist, crumby cake that is evenly studded with sweet bites of apple. And like many Jewish apple cakes, it relies on canola oil instead of butter, making it a suitable pareve (neither meat nor dairy) dessert for both meat and dairy meals. As an adult, I’ve thought more about the significance of eating apple cake on Rosh Hashanah. Both apples and honey represent sweetness for the New Year. But only apples, which reach their perfect ripeness in the early fall, capture that moment of seasonal flux — the tension between fertility and fragility that gives the holiday its emotional resonance.
How Do You Like Them Apples?
On Rosh Hashanah, every apple is special. Still, when it comes to baking, some work better than others. The two golden rules for baking with apples are: Stick to in-season varieties and use an apple that is hearty enough to hold up against oven heat.
“There’s nothing so disappointing as serving up a good-looking apple cake or tart, only to find that the apples are not juicy inside, or rock hard [or complete mush] after prolonged baking,” warns Marcy Goldman, author of “A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking.” Goldman wisely suggests consulting an apple chart (like this one), or visiting a nearby farmers’ market and experimenting until you find your perfect match.
Notes:
- This moist, hearty cake also works really well poured into muffin cups.
- If you prefer to serve it as a healthy breakfast or brunch cake instead of dessert, replace one cup of flour with whole wheat flour and fold 1/4 cup finely ground flax seeds into the batter along with the apples and walnuts.
Mom’s Apple-Walnut Cake Recipe
A simple, classic apple cake recipe for Rosh Hashanah.
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a second bowl, mix together sugar, oil and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and stir to combine. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in apples and walnuts (the batter will be thick).
- Grease two loaf pans and spread half of the batter into each pan. Sprinkle the tops of each loaf with a little sugar and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Notes
- This moist, hearty cake also works really well poured into muffin cups.
- If you prefer to serve it as a healthy breakfast or brunch cake instead of dessert, replace one cup of flour with whole wheat flour and fold 1/4 cup finely ground flax seeds into the batter along with the apples and walnuts.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Holiday
Leah
Recipe calls for 2 loaf pans but picture shows a tart pan? What size is pan in photo and did you change cooking time for using round tart type pan.
This recipe can be made in muffin cups or a round 9-inch cake pan though, with both, we recommend checking the cake/muffins around the halfway point and paying closer attention to them as they bake.
I want to make this recipe next week but I have a question. Why, in the photo, is the cake shown in a flat tart pan while the recipe calls for using two loaf pans? Can the recipe be made in a cake pan?
This recipe can be made in muffin cups or a round 9-inch cake pan though, with both, we recommend checking the cake/muffins around the halfway point and paying closer attention to them as they bake.
the photo look like a regular cake pan – the instructions say 2 loaf pans…can it be done in one pan?
This recipe can be made in muffin cups or a round 9-inch cake pan though, with both, we recommend checking the cake/muffins around the halfway point and paying closer attention to them as they bake.
Please follow up on the muffin cook time. If making muffins, as you said for breakfast, how much time do they need to bake?
It is a delicious recipe.
Can I substitute gluten free flour in apple cake?
We have not tested this with gluten-free flour, but using a 1:1 substitute should work fine.
If storing overnight, should I refrigerate or can I leave covered on the counter?
On the counter is fine!
It looks like this cake is meant to be mixed by hand and not an electric mixer, is that correct?
`yep!
Good recepies
Is this recipe large enough to bake in a Bundt pan? I’m having fantasies of greasing a Bundt and sprinkling it with turbinado sugar before adding the batter…🤔
I made this cake yesterday with cosmic crisp apples and toasted black walnuts. Amazing. I will absolutely be making it again. I added a cinnamon glaze which put it over the top. I made it in a 10″ sprinform pan and the middle was under done. I used a wide mouth mason to remove the middle and baked it separately. I’d definitely use a larger pan next time. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’m still not clear what size loaf tin is this recipe suitable for? I use a 2 lbs loaf tin would this work?