Rosh Hashanah Homemade Apple Cake Recipe

Start your new year off right with a delicious recipe from Rabbi Dena Klein of The Jewish Education Project! We hope you enjoy baking this apple cake at home, and sharing it with your family and loved ones. While you’re baking, be sure to check out our Rosh Hashanah Collection on the Jewish Educator Portal. Shanah Tova!

Apple Cake

“My father was a congregational rabbi with a strong commitment to interfaith dialogue. Many years ago, he worked with a group of community leaders to found a Muslim-Jewish dialogue, in which participants were hosted in each other’s homes. One aspect of the dialogue was the sharing of traditional foods from each group. At one session, a Jewish group member shared her apple cake, which my mom found so fabulous that she asked for the recipe and it immediately became a family favorite for Rosh Hashanah.

Now that I host holiday meals, my mom comes to my house a few days ahead of time to help with preparations. She is always in charge of the apple cake. And every new guest at the table asks for the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does every year.”

Apple Cake recipe

From the kitchen of Rabbi Dena Klein, handed down from her mother, Ellen Klein, with special thanks to the unnamed interfaith group member who generously shared her delicious recipe.

Apples with Cinnamon

Ingredients 

4-5 Medium apples, peeled and sliced (Honeycrisp and/or Granny Smith preferred)

2 ½ cups sugar, divided

4 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups flour

4 eggs

3 tsp. baking powder

1 cup oil

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup orange juice

2 ½ tsp. vanilla

Directions 

Apples in a cake pan
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. Oil and flour a large tube pan.
  3. Mix cinnamon and ½ cup sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle over peeled and sliced apples. Set aside.
  4. Put all other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix a few minutes.
  5. Pour half the batter into the tube pan, then arrange half the apples on top of the batter. Spread the remaining batter on top of the apples. Then neatly arrange the remaining apples on top to make a nice presentation for the cake. 
  6. Bake for 1 ½ hours. Let cool completely before removing cake from pan.
Rabbi Dena Klein

Rabbi Dena Klein is the Managing Director of New Models at The Jewish Education Project, assisting educators in creating ground-breaking approaches to offer relevant, meaningful Jewish learning. Dena has worked at The Jewish Education Project since 2010. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Dena is married to fellow Philly native Dr. Jonathan Harris, and together they have two children, both of whom are Philadelphia sports fans.