Get ready for the easiest apple cake recipe that uses ingredients you probably already have in the house! This dairy-free Apple Slab Olive Oil Cake recipe is extra special by the addition of olive oil, adding a slight nuttiness that you will absolutely love.
The recipe is my friend Molly's Nana's recipe, and I'm so grateful they shared the recipe with me and let me share it with all of you.
It's a perfect weeknight dessert and the leftovers are great for breakfast the next day. Or, you can just make it as a weekend breakfast cake! You'll be happy you did!
Why This Recipe Works
Having made this many times alone, with friends, and even live on afternoon TV (which can be chaotic) I can attest that this is the easiest dessert I make! It produces a great result every time and doesn't have to be super tidy or perfect to be an attractive and successful dessert.
Slab cake is also really great to split up and serve in slices to a larger group and doesn't require any fancy bakeware. It's earned me many compliments over the years from friends who loved it.
Baked apples have the best sweet flavor, and pair well with traditional fall flavors and spices. The apples in this recipe still have structure and a bite to them, instead of getting mushy.
The olive oil in the cake may seem unusual, but the subtle nutty flavor it lends the cake is amazing. It's also great for those who can't have dairy products like butter.
Ingredients and Substitutions
olive oil - you can use vegetable oil in a 1:1 ratio if you prefer to eliminate the olive oil flavor or don't have olive oil. I have made it this way and it works great.
brown sugar - you can use turbinado sugar, a white sugar and molasses mixture, muscavado sugar, or light brown/dark brown sugar varieties as you have on hand.
lemon juice - the brightness of the lemon juice balances the sweetness of the recipe and keeps the apple pieces from browning.
baking powder - the leavener in this recipe. If you don't have baking powder, you can replace with half a teaspoon cream of tartar and a quarter teaspoon baking soda in place of every 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
What makes this Apple Slab Cake a Jewish Dessert?
On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, we dip apples in honey to symbolize the start of a sweet and fruitful new year. The apples symbolize fruitfulness, while the honey symbolizes sweetness.
Many Jewish families take this tradition a step further by baking apple cakes or honey apple cakes during the new year. This apple slab cake is adapted by my friend Molly’s family recipe for the new year.
How to Make This Recipe
First you have to prep your apples by peeling and coring the apples. Cut all but one apple into 8 wedges each, and cut each wedge into thirds. Toss to coat in the lemon juice and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 9”x13” baking dish. Mix the flour, baking powder, orange juice, ½ cup brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. If the consistency s too dry, add more orange juice 1 tablespoon at a time.
Roll out half of the dough between two sheets of parchment, wax paper, or silicone baking sheets.
Transfer the rolled out dough to the prepared baking dish. Press so it covers the entire bottom of the dish (photo 1). It's okay if it goes up the edges of the dish. Then, top the dough with the apples (photo 2).
Sprinkle the apples with ¼ cup of brown sugar (photo 3 below) and 1.5 tablespoon of flour (photo 4 below).
Roll out the other half of your dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper, as you did before. Take that dough sheet and cover the apples with the rest of the dough. You can trim the dough to make it neat all the way around.
Thinly slice the remaining apple and cover the top of the cake with the thin slices. You can arrange them in any design you choose (photo 1 below). Poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork (photo 2 below), brush with egg wash (photo 3 below) and sprinkle with ¼ cup of brown sugar (photo 4 below).
Bake 1 hour. Let cool completely before serving.
Note: If you decorated the top with sliced apples, check under the apples to make sure the dough has baked completely before removing it from the oven.
Apple Cake Tips, Tricks, and FAQs
My Top Apple Slab Cake Tips
- Use cooking spray to evenly and lightly coat the glass baking dish with oil first. This makes the cake easier to remove.
- Remember to coat the apples in the lemon juice, otherwise the apples will oxidize and brown.
- If you do not have parchment or wax paper to roll out the dough, use a silicone baking sheet or cling wrap. If you don’t use one, the dough will stick to whatever surface you are using and will not transfer well to the baking sheet.
- Let the cake cool completely before serving so you can cleanly cut through the cake. Even though it's tempting to eat right away!
Apple Slab Cake FAQs
For this recipe, I used McIntosh and Granny Smith apples. Granny smith is a go-tp for baking because it's tart, sweet, and bakes really well. Braeburn and Honeycrisp are also great options.
You would use a 1:1 substitution.
Personally, I like to pair it with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream. A light sweet whipped cream or pouring cream would also be a great addition.
More Apple Recipes
Looking for more delicious Jewish-inspired recipes? You've come to the right place. And if it's apple season, you might want to make some of these favorites... yes, those latkes have apple in them!
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Apple Slab Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Apples mixed - I used McIntosh & Granny Smith
- 1 lemon juiced
- 4 cups all-purpose flour + 1.5 tbsp
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Peel and core the apples. Cut all but one apple into 8 wedges each, and cut each wedge into thirds. Toss to coat in the lemon juice and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Lightly oil a glass 9”x13” baking dish.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, orange juice, ½ cup brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. If the consistency s too dry, add more orange juice 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Roll our half of the dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper.
- Transfer the rolled out dough to the prepared baking dish. Press so it covers the entire bottom of the dish. It is OK if it goes up the edges of the dish.
- Top the dough with the apples, then sprinkle with ¼ cup of brown sugar and 1.5 tablespoon of flour.
- Roll out the other half of the dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper.
- Cover the apples with the rest of the dough.
- Poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with ¼ cup of brown sugar.
- Thinly slice the remaining apple and cover the top of the cake with the thin slices. You can arrange them in any design you choose.
- Bake 1 hour. Let cool completely before serving.
Video
Notes
- Use cooking spray to evenly and lightly coat the glass baking dish with oil.
- Remember to coat the apples in the lemon juice. The apples will oxidize and brown.
- If you do not have parchment or wax paper to roll out the dough, use a silicone baking sheet or cling wrap. If you don’t, the dough will stick to whatever surface you are using and will not transfer well to the baking sheet.
- Let the cake cool completely before serving so you can cleanly cut through the cake.
- Which olive oil do you use for baking? I use organic extra virgin olive oil which is ideal for milder foods and everyday use. It pairs great with desserts because of this mild flavor. You still get the nuttiness of the oil, without it overpowering the cake. Reserve using unfiltered olive oil for cooking savory dishes.
- If you decorated the top with sliced apples, check under the apples to make sure the dough has baked completely before removing it from the oven.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November of 2019 but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, FAQs, and tips in November of 2021.
Love how fully loaded with apples this cake is! Had to make it immediately and actually had almost everything at home already. It's awesome, and the olive oil is better than I expected... will be making again!
So glad to hear, Demeter! That olive oil brings such a special taste... happy to hear you liked it!
This cake has all the yummy flavors bursting. Looks delicious and definitely awesome to relish. I love Apple, orange and lemon flavors too. Will be making on the regular!
Thanks for sharing, Veena... glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This is such a beautiful cake! I've never baked with olive oil so all your tips are so helpful, and it came out perfectly! Can't wait to make it again.
So glad to hear! If you have leftovers, it's the best breakfast, too!
Oh my this cake is delicious! Everyone loved it, and leftovers really are great for breakfast. Pinned so I can remember to make it again later, thank you!
That makes me so happy to hear, Genevieve... glad to hear you loved it so much you'll be making it again!
I had all these recipe ingredients in my pantry and I definitely needed to try this. Came out great and will be making it again. Thanks so much for posting!
Yay! I love it when a recipe calls for ingredients I already have. Glad to hear you enjoyed!