Top-down view of a round apple cake topped with sliced apples and dusted with powdered sugar, placed on parchment paper next to two apples and a sifter with powdered sugar on a marble surface.

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Top-down view of a round apple cake topped with sliced apples and dusted with powdered sugar, placed on parchment paper next to two apples and a sifter with powdered sugar on a marble surface.

Easy to Make Apple Cake – Torta di Mele

Soft, moist, and easy to make You are going to love this simply delicious apple cake!

Print Recipe

Let’s start the weekend with something sweet!

And what’s better than a deliciously soft and moist, made-from-scratch apple cake?!?
Now that apples are in season, you will not be able to resist and bake this right away. Especially when you see the list of ingredients. Nothing weird there. Just plain flour, eggs, sugar, and apples of course.
Well … a couple of other things too! But I’m sure you have everything in the list in your kitchen right now.
So you can whip this up in no time.

Easy-to-Make Apple Cake - Torta di Mele

This recipe is very simple, fast and easy to follow.

Trust me: you can’t go wrong with this cake. Stick it in the oven, and wait to enjoy the comforting aroma of baked apples that will fill your whole house.
And when ready, you will enjoy a super soft slice of heaven! Every bite is filled with the sweet and tart flavor of apple. So easy, yet so delicious!

Apple Cake - Torta di Mele

This cake looks really pretty and elegant. And you don’t need to be an expert baker to pull this off. Just line up the apple slices on top, starting from the outer edge moving in. So easy that even your kids can do it too!

And don’t forget… a touch of powdered sugar at the end, when the cake cools off, will make this dessert look even more impressive!
Check out my quick video recipe here:

This recipe first appeared on Cooking with Manuela in October 2015

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: 9-inch cake
  • 4 oz (1 stick, 110 gr) unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (200 gr) sugar
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a pinch  salt
  • 8 oz (235 ml) milk
  • 1 3/4 cups* (225 gr) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 medium (or 3 large) apples (golden delicious), mine were about 1.4 lb (640 gr)
  • powder sugar for decorating
*measured correctly (spooned and level)

PREPARATION:

TIME: 15 minutes plus 60 minutes for baking

Melt the butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds or on the stove,  by placing it in a heat resistant cup and placing it in a pot of simmering hot water. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
In a large bowl, mix together the two eggs with the cup of sugar.

Stir in the lemon zest, cinnamon (if using), vanilla extract, salt, milk and the melted butter (cooled down).

 Add the flour and the baking powder. Mix until just combined.
 Peel, and thinly slice the apples. Drizzle with  some lemon juice.

Add about half of the apple slices  to the cake batter, saving the nicer slices in a separate bowl for later (to put on top of the cake for decoration).

Grease a the pan with butter and flour. You can cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and only grease the sides.  Pour in the mixture and flatten it out.
Decorate with the remaining apple slices, starting from the outer edge Note, it doesn’t have to be perfect! When the cake cooks, the apple will only partly show.
Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes until golden on top. Check with a toothpick to see if the cake is fully cooked: insert the toothpick in the middle of the cake, and check: the cake is ready if the toothpick comes out clean, with no streaks of batter.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Top-down view of a round apple cake topped with sliced apples and dusted with powdered sugar, placed on parchment paper next to two apples and a sifter with powdered sugar on a marble surface.

Easy to Make Apple Cake – Torta di Mele

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Soft, moist, and easy to make You are going to love this simply delicious apple cake!

Servings:

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hr,

Resting Time

Total Time

1 hr, 15 min

Ingredients

  • 4 oz (1 stick, 110 gr) unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (200 gr) sugar
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a pinch salt
  • 8 oz (235 ml) milk
  • 1 3/4 cups* (225 gr) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 medium (or 3 large) apples (golden delicious), mine were about 1.4 lb (640 gr)
  • powder sugar for decorating
  • *measured correctly (spooned and level)

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds or on the stove, by placing it in a heat resistant cup and placing it in a pot of simmering hot water. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the two eggs with the cup of sugar.
  3. Stir in the lemon zest, cinnamon (if using), vanilla extract, salt, milk and the melted butter (cooled down).
  4. Add the flour and the baking powder. Mix until just combined.
  5. Peel, and thinly slice the apples. Sprinkle with some lemon juice.
  6. Add about half of the apple slices to the cake batter, saving the nicer slices in a separate bowl for later (to put on top of the cake for decoration).
  7. Grease a the pan with butter and flour. You can cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and only grease the sides. Pour in the mixture and flatten it out.
  8. Decorate with the remaining apple slices, starting from the outer edge Note, it doesn’t have to be perfect! When the cake cooks, the apple will only partly show.
  9. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes until golden on top. Check with a toothpick to see if the cake is fully cooked: insert the toothpick in the middle of the cake, and check: the cake is ready if the toothpick comes out clean, with no streaks of batter.

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