Lemon and apple tea cake

Apple Tea Cake

This apple tea cake is made with layers of apples and cinnamon encased in sweet cake and topped with a tart lemon drizzle. We’re happily indulging at any time of the day.

Adapted from Amy Traverso | The Apple Lover’s Cookbook | W.W. Norton & Company, 2020

My favorite school roommate used to get regular care packages from home containing a rich lemon pound cake that was drizzled with tart glaze. It was incredible (she was good at sharing). Twenty years later, that cake inspired this variation, in which a buttermilk pound cake is layered with very thin slices of apple and topped with tangy lemon glaze. When you slice the cake, you see the pretty layers—a lovely presentation.–Amy Traverso

What’s the best type of apple to use for this apple tea cake?

Firm and sweet apples with pronounced lemon flavors are particularly good here in this subtly flavored, not-quite-as-heavy-as-a-pound-cake tea cake. Try a Ginger Gold or Gravenstein if you can find one. Otherwise, a nice Pink Lady or Jazz would be great, too. [Editor’s Note: Gala also works quite well!]

Apple Tea Cake

• Quick Glance
• Quick Glance
• 40 M
• 3 H
• Serves 8 to 10

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Ingredients US Metric

• For the spiced apple cake
• 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 4 to 6 ounces (1 small or 1/2 large) sweet apple, such as Honeycrisp, unpeeled, cored, halved lengthwise, and very thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch | 3 mm), preferably on a mandoline
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• For the glaze
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177°C). Adjust a rack to the middle position. Line a 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch (22-by-11-cm) loaf pan with parchment paper so there is some overhanging all sides.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the butter and sugar on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until pale, very fluffy, and, in the final moments, mousse-like, 8 to 12 minutes. (Alternatively, you can use a hand-held mixer and a large bowl.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Gradually add the eggs and egg yolk to the batter, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Switch to your stand mixer’s paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add half the buttermilk and briefly mix until combined. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk, then the last of the flour mixture. Mix just until smooth—do not overmix.

Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared bread pan and smooth with an offset spatula or knife. Top the batter with half the apples, overlapping the slices if necessary. Sprinkle the apples with half the cinnamon. Repeat with an additional third of the batter and the remaining apples. Top with the remaining batter and smooth with a spatula.

Bake until the cake is golden brown, starting to pull away from the edges of the pan, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 65 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir the lemon juice into the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. If the glaze seems exceptionally thick, add more lemon juice, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a pourable consistency.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes in the pan. While the cake is still warm, poke the top all over with a toothpick inserted all the way. Slowly pour half the glaze on the cake and spread evenly with a spatula.

Let sit for 10 minutes to soak up the glaze, then use the parchment overhang to remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack, 45 to 60 minutes more.

When the cake is completely cool, drizzle generously with the remaining glaze, letting it run down the sides. Let the glaze dry before serving, about 30 minutes.

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Recipe Testers’ Reviews

Rosemary Wynn

What a nice fall cake. The lemon icing combines really well with the cake batter as well as the apple. The cake batter itself was good but the addition of the lemon and apple took it to the next level.

At first I was wondering how much apple you would taste with such a small ratio of apple to cake but it carried through just enough to have a nice crisp apple flavor. The tang of the icing is the perfect finish—even though the cake on it’s own would be nice as well.

The only issues I had were the outer part of the cake (the ends) was a little dry and the icing didn’t really absorb into the cake but mine might not have been liquidy enough.

I worried there wouldn’t be enough apple but it worked out just fine. I think instead of 1/3 on the bottom maybe 1/4 would be better? I felt like I ran out of batter at the top. It covered it ok but I was worried.

Olivia Bleitz

This is a great apple cake. Perfect as a simple fall dessert or with a cup of tea in the afternoon. It has a great apple flavor despite pretty minimal apple and the texture was on point (sometimes fruit heavy cakes can be pretty stodgy).

I was a little skeptical of the butter and sugar reaching a «mousse-like» texture, even with the whisk attachment (but was excited to find out what the final baked good would be like IF that happened!). Incredibly, at 9 1/2 minutes, poof, mousselike.

I used a Koru apple.

When I checked the cake at 45 minutes, the top was getting very dark but the inside was still underdone. I tented it with foil and baked another 13 minutes before it was cooked through.

Took close to an hour on the counter for the cake to cool completely but the final product was worth the wait! The bake was great all the way around and had that nice dark crust with a bright, white interior. I love that. It’s moist, has a soft crumb, and good apple and cinnamon flavor. The lemon glaze gave it a nice crunch on the exterior and was a great sharp contrast with the sweet and delicate flavor of the cake.

This will definitely be going into my rotation for the fall! I think there is a lot of room to play with the amount and size of apples going in or even adding another layer of slices in the cake or on top. This is a fun twist on classic flavors.

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Apple Cake

This easy apple cake recipe is the perfect autumn treat! Moist, tender, and deliciously spiced, it’s a wonderful dessert, breakfast, or afternoon snack.

I first tried this apple cake recipe on a gray, rainy Monday. I had a mountain of work to plow through, but I managed to carve out enough time to chop the apples, whisk together the batter, and pop the cake in the oven. Like magic, it transformed my day! There’s something about a really simple, really good baking recipe that can brighten my mood in an instant, and this apple cake recipe did just that. It’s a breeze to make, and it yields a moist, tender cake that’s perfect for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon treat. It’s jam-packed with apples, and brown sugar and cinnamon fill it with rich, spiced flavor. If you ever need a way to lift your spirits on a fall day, make this apple cake.

The recipe comes from Yossy Arefi’s new book Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings, which comes out on Tuesday, but you can pre-order it now! It’s a gorgeous collection of 50 snacking cake recipes that are easy to make and acceptable to eat at any time of day. When you get your hands on it, you won’t be able to choose what to make first. Each of Yossy’s cakes looks more fun and delicious than the next. In addition to this apple cake recipe, I have my eye on her Almond Butter Banana Cake, Citrusy Almond Cornmeal Cake, Simple Sesame Cake…I could list the whole book! More than anything, this book will make you want to bake.

In the introduction, Yossy writes, “It’s a simple luxury to bake a snacking cake for yourself or your friends and family. I hope this book inspires you to do it often, and with abandon.” Let’s make apple cake!

Apple Cake Recipe Ingredients

According to Yossy, a snacking cake should be “low stress,” and it shouldn’t “require much besides a reasonably stocked pantry, a bowl, and a whisk.” Living up to the snacking cake standard, this easy apple cake recipe calls for basic pantry ingredients:

• Apples, of course! They fill this cake with autumn flavor, and they make it nice and moist.
• Dark brown sugar – I’m usually not particular about using light or dark brown sugar in baking recipes, but I highly recommend using dark brown sugar here. It gives the cake an extra-rich, molasses-y flavor.
• Eggs – They make the apple cake wonderfully light and puffy.
• Oil – For moisture and richness. I used olive oil here, and it worked perfectly, but a neutral-flavored oil like avocado, canola, sunflower, or grapeseed oil would be great too.
• Vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg – They add warm, spiced flavor to this fresh apple cake.
• Salt – Don’t skip it! It really makes the sweet, spiced flavors pop.
• All-purpose flour – This cake is all about the apples, so you don’t need much flour – just 1 cup.
• Baking powder and baking soda – For lift.
• Walnuts – For crunch! You’ll stir some into the cake batter and sprinkle more on top.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Apple Cake

Because Yossy’s cakes are intended to be simple, everyday treats, almost all of them are made in a single bowl. That includes this easy apple cake recipe! Here’s how it goes:

First, peel and dice the apples. The pieces can vary in size a little based on the natural shape of the apples; aim for 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks.

Second, whisk the brown sugar with the eggs until they’re pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Then, whisk in the oil, spices, vanilla, and salt.

Next, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and whisk until well-combined and smooth.

Use the edge of the whisk to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure your batter is evenly mixed.

Then, add the apples and HALF the walnuts. (I accidentally dumped them all in at first – oops!) Use a rubber spatula to fold them into the batter.

Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan, and use an offset spatula to gently smooth the top. Finally, sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the cake, and bake!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Apple Cake Recipe Tips

• Use good baking apples. You want tart, firm baking apples that will hold their shape in this cake. I used Gala apples, and they were excellent here. Pink Ladies, Mutsu, Jonathan, McIntosh, or Granny Smith apples would be good choices too.
• Spread the apples evenly in the pan. To make sure that you get plenty of apples in every slice of this cake, use a spatula to evenly spread the apples in the pan after you pour in the batter. Yossy writes that they should be “well dispersed and go all the way to the edges of the pan.”
• Tap the pan on the counter before you put it in the oven. This will help the apples settle in the pan, releasing any air bubbles that are trapped in the batter.
• Let the cake cool before slicing and serving. As with all baking recipes, it’s tempting to devour this delicious cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. However, if you allow it to cool, it’ll have a moister, more cohesive texture and stronger spiced apple flavor. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serving Suggestions

I’m always happy eating a slice of this cinnamon apple cake plain, with or without a cup of coffee or tea to go with it. However, if you’re craving something a little more decadent, don’t hesitate to dress it up! Yossy recommends serving it with the Crème Fraîche Whip on page 180 or the Maple Coffee Glaze on page 91 of her book. It’d also be fantastic with a dollop of coconut whipped cream or traditional whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.

Apple Cake Recipe Variations

Trust me, you’re going to love this fresh apple cake recipe as written, but if you don’t have the right size pan, or if you’re craving another fruit, don’t worry! Here are a few ways you can change it up:

• Give it a flavor boost. In this apple cake recipe, Yossy lists two ingredients as optional: whiskey and instant espresso powder. I omitted both, and the cake came out great, but if you want to intensify the flavor of this cake, go ahead and add them in. You’ll find Yossy’s recommended measurements in the recipe below.
• Use pears. Another great fall treat! Replace the apples with chopped peeled pears, and use hazelnuts or pecans instead of walnuts.
• Use peaches. This variation is at the top of my list to try next summer! Swap the apples for chopped peeled peaches or nectarines, and make sure to skip the espresso powder. This cake softens quickly, so eat it within a day.
• Make a square cake. Yossy offers instructions for baking every cake in the book in different pans! How handy is that? The original recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan, but as you can see, I used a 9-inch round pan instead. The baking time is the same for both pan shapes – 30-40 minutes.
• Make a loaf cake. Another pan option for ya! If you choose to make a loaf cake, the baking time will be longer, 45 to 55 minutes.

Let me know what variations you try!

More Favorite Fall Treats

If you love this cinnamon apple cake recipe, check out Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings! I’m obsessed with this book, and I think you will be too. 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy one of these cozy fall treats next:

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