Italian Apple Cake Recipe (Torta di Mele)
Lemon, vanilla, and apples inside and on top: this Italian apple cake lets the fruit do the decorating. Serve it forbreakfast, an afternoon treat, or dessert.
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
- 2 lb firm apples (about 5 medium apples, see note)
- 1 lemon, zest finely grated (about 2 tsp/10 ml), juice reserved separately
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp coarse cane sugar, for sprinkling over the cake, or additional granulated sugar
To Serve
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the middle. Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
- Peel and core the apples. Cut about two-thirds of the prepared apples into small pieces and transfer to a bowl. Cut the remaining apples into thin slices for the top of the cake, and transfer to a second bowl or a plate. Toss the diced apples with half of the lemon juice and toss the sliced apples with the remaining juice.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest for 2–3 minutes, until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl between additions. Beat in the vanilla.
- On low speed, mix in one-third of the dry ingredients, then half the milk. Repeat, ending with the remaining dry ingredients. Stop as soon as the batter is combined. Fold the diced apples into the batter.
- Spread the batter in the pan and level with a spatula. Arrange the sliced apples over the top in slightly overlapping circles. Sprinkle the coarse cane sugar (or extra granulated sugar) on top.
- Bake for approximately 60 minutes, checking from 45 minutes. If the top of the cake colors too quickly, cover loosely with foil. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the crumb between the apples comes out without wet batter attached.
- Cool the apple cake on a rack for 20 minutes, then loosen the sides and release the ring. Let cool completely to room temperature. Dust lightly with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired.
- STORAGE: You can keep the cake at room temperature under a dome for up to a day. Beyond that, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days, bringing slices back to room temperature to serve. You can also freeze the whole cake or well-wrapped slices for up to 2 months.
- NOTE: You can use any variety of firm apples such as Cortland, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, or a combination.
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