I realize how confusing this must sound. Is it a pie? Is it a cake? Make up your mind, RecipeGirl! It was tough for me to decide, really. In this recipe, a cake batter is poured in and around the apples to hold it all together in the consistency of a cake, but there are so many apples involved that it can officially pass for a pie too. So here you go: Cinnamon Apple Pie Cake
The recipe is one that I spotted while reading through one of the newest cookbooks I have on my shelf: Monday Morning Cooking Club.
Here’s a description from Amazon:
In 2006, a group of Jewish women began meeting every Monday morning. They cooked, ate, drank endless cups of tea and – often heatedly – discussed the merits of different recipes. After just a few weekly meetings, the Monday Morning Cooking Club was born. Five years and hundreds of dishes later, six members of the sisterhood handpicked their favourite recipes to go into their book – the result is a generous, rich and inspiring cookbook featuring the best, most treasured recipes from a culturally diverse community. Each recipe begins with a short story of the cook and their history of the dish, and these stories, interwoven with amazing recipes, take the reader on a heartwarming and delicious journey through a community who finds a deep connection through food and the memory of generations that have gone before.
It’s a rather interesting cookbook indeed. The authors are from Australia, so it’s fascinating to read the stories that go along with the recipes. Some of the recipes have some out-of-the-ordinary ingredients, so it’s not one that I’d cook from every day… but it’s a great one to buy if you’re a cookbook collector. Other recipes I’m eager to try: (there are actually a LOT): Plumb Cake, Souffle Pancakes, Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding, Custard Chiffon Cake, Israeli Couscous Soup, South African Cheesecake, Morroccan Fish, Chicken and Barley Soup, Chicken Paprikash, and Challah From Heaven. There are a lot of neat things included in the book that you don’t typically see here in America. It’s a great way to get exposed to some new food.
How to make an Apple Pie Cake:
You need a springform pan (like the kind you make cheesecake with). Apple slices are scattered around the bottom…
… and they’re piled and piled until you almost reach the top.
The apples get a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar.
A cake batter is poured on top of the cinnamon apples.
Let the cake batter drizzle down and around the apples, and give the pan a few taps on the counter to settle it all in there.
The batter gets a generous sprinkling of cinnamon- sugar too.
A quick peek into the inside of the pie- cake and you can see my dilemma. It sure looks like a cake, but it’s so full of apples that it can pass for a pie too! I loved this recipe. It’s really different than any apple pies or cakes I have made before, and it was a major hit with my taste testers. Interestingly enough, the author of this recipe refers to this as her husband’s “favorite cake” in the introduction to the recipe, but she named the recipe “Cinnamon and Apple Pie.” Clearly, everyone is confused!
Here are a few more apple cake recipes you might enjoy:
- Chopped Apple Cake with Sticky Toffee Topping
- Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
- Cinnamon Apple Cake
- Apple Topped Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Upside Down Cake
Cinnamon Apple Pie Cake
Recipe Details
Ingredients
PIE- CAKE:
- 6 to 8 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 1/4 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups superfine white sugar (see NOTES below)
- 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
TOPPING:
- 1 1/4 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 1/2 to 10-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and then spray again.
- Layer the apple slices in the pan until they come about 2/3 of the way up the side. (I went a little higher than that and it worked out fine). Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the apples.
- Prepare the batter by beating the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil, applesauce and vanilla and beat well, then stir in the flour. Pour the batter on top of the apples, and sprinkle with additional cinnamon-sugar on top. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to allow the batter to sink down and around the apples.
- Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool *completely* in the pan. If you try to remove the cake from the pan while it is still warm, it will tend to break apart. I refrigerated my cake before slicing, and that worked out well. Serve slices with ice cream (warm individual slices in the microwave, if desired).
Notes
- You want "caster sugar" for this recipe: It is a finer grind than table sugar, but not as fine as powdered. Look for "Baker's Sugar" at the store, or simply put regular white sugar in your food processor and give it a few whirls to create superfine sugar.
I love this dessert! I put a streusel topping on it, sometimes. The texture of the cake may not work for freezing after baking but do you think we could freeze it before baking?
I would not do that either… the oil might make it kind of icky.
Has anyone tried to freeze this cake? How did it turn out when defrosted?
I’m not thinking the texture of this cake would work with with freezing.
Can you use I bleached flour for the apple cake?
sure.
Hi,,I made the apple cake and I think it might be to oily tasting I use coconut and canola oil and palm sugar and white sugar,,will that change the taste?
Thanks
hard to say, but I would imagine it would.
I followed this recipe to the letter and my batter came out horrifically thick, lumpy and oily. No amount of typing will get this batter distributed through this thing. I’ve never experienced anything like this epic fail in the twenty years that I have been baking. So disappointed!
That is a bummer. The recipe comes directly from the cookbook mentioned in the post. It turned out great for us, and looks like it has been a success for others too. I wonder what happened?
can I use a cake mix??
I’ve not done that, so I don’t know.
Hopped over from Maureen’s (Orgasmic Chef) post. Amazing apple cake/pie. Saving the recipe for when I have company.
After a two mile hike, I made this recipe in a square spring form pan. Not only did my finished cake look like it was proffered by a Top Chef contestant, it tasted divine. Warm with ice cream or cold for breakfast, I am a fan.
For anyone wanting to know about substitutions: I baked this the first two times following your recipe exactly and both times it turned out perfectly. Tonight I made it again substituting 3/4 c avocado oil and 3/4 c homemade cinnamon applesauce in lieu of the oil. I then substituted 1.5 c coconut sugar for the white sugar, after refining it in the food processor. I also used the coconut sugar with the cinnamon for sprinkling it on the apples and on top. I used white all purpose flour in this. It took 1 hr 30 minutes to bake and turned out really well. A whole lot darker than the original version but really good 🙂
Can you use a box cake mixe for this
A few people have asked this, but I have never tried it that way.
How long does this cake last (the leftovers) in the fridge? Refrigerated right away after serving first time?
I’d say it should be consumed within a couple of days, and yes… store in the refrigerator.
Thank you very very much, I was looking long time ago for this recipe
I just love it.
Made this for church homecoming. Used Granny Smith plus 2 Honey Crisp apples. This was very tart!! Needs more sugar mixed within apples.
could I use vanilla cake mix store bought instead?
I don’t think so
This is a variation of the most popular russian dessest named “Sharlotka”. Every child in Russia knows how to make one, never mind the adults! Despite it’s simpleness, everybody loves it!
We russians make it as a sponge, i.e. without oil. Those of you who didn’t like the oily taste or just watching the calories can make it the russian way 🙂 The formula is proven with thousands of cooks for years: 3 eggs, 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar. Beat the eggs with sugar until light and fluffy, add the flour carefully.
Otherwise looks just the same! Same principle of pouring batter over apples.
Sour apples work better than sweet ones for this pie. As well as for any pie, for that matter, if you ask me…
Baking this right now!
I have made this recipe twice in the last week and the reason is I submitted this into a baking contest with the featured ingredient as “Apples”. This was a huge hit with everyone I had taste test for me. However, when the judge made her opinion I was completely shocked. Please keep in mind I am not a rookie Baker my apple pie cake looks identical to the picture. This was her comment:( Slightly overbaked and slightly fallen. Very tough recipe to do for a competition!) Something had to be wrong . Any comments?
Thanks
not sure!
Looks great!!
I’ll add some raisins, dried cranberries, and ground nutmeg. Can’t wait!
I made this last night because I had a surplus of macouns from a recent apple picking trip. This cake came out wonderfully! I made it last evening, let it cool and out it in the fridge overnight. I sliced it up for breakfast this morning and it was perfect with a cup of coffee.
The cake is only lightly sweet and reminds me of desserts my grandmother used to make. I think I even under baked it just slightly (the toothpick was coming out clean, so I didn’t let it go the whole 1:20. Either way, when it’s cold, it comes out custardy and lovely.
Great cake – thanks for sharing the recipe!!!
Gotta try this! It reminds me of the Apple Cake they serve at Ikea!
Just came home from Apple picking with 25 lbs of apples! Found this recipe and it is in the oven now. Reminds me of something my German Oma would make. Can’t wait to try it!
I’m trying to make your recipe for cinnamon apple pie cake. My batter looks nothing like what’s in picture. Look really really oily. Can you help
It turns out to be a very oily batter, but it should look something like what is pictured.
I just found this recipe and am I glad I did!
I had an abundance of apples from my sisterinlaw and wanted to find something new to make with apples, so I decided to give this recipe a go.
It turned out perfect and it was delicious, thank you so much.
I have one in the oven right now! Looks so yummy. (and it is easy)
Way to much oil…. disgusting on the first try. Going to attempt again but only with 1/2 cup. Felt like I had just took a swig from the bottle of canola oil
Hmmm, I did not get that result. But let us know if you try it with less oil and how it works out!