This simple Italian Apple cake is a perfect way to use those crisp, fall apples you picked last weekend (or any apples that happen to be in season right now). It’s sweet, super tender, buttery, and full of apple flavor in every bite. As always, I’ve included step-by-step recipe photos at the end of the post.
Why We Love This Italian Apple Cake Recipe (Torta di Mele)
- It’s ready in just about 1 hour
- Super easy recipe for kiddos to help make
- Light and fluffy with lots of apple flavor
- A great way to use up excess apples
- Can easily be made vegan by using all oil & favorite milk alternative
What is Torta di Mele (Italian Apple Cake)?
Torta di Mele is a classic Italian cake filled with golden apples (see photos below of the torta di mele loaf). It’s soft, perfectly sweet, and is often flecked with a little lemon zest and vanillin or vanilla extract. It’s usually enjoyed as an after-dinner dessert, or with espresso for breakfast. And while it may look totally unassuming, this is one of the best-tasting apple cakes there is.
And the most delicious one I’ve eaten to date comes from a little pastry shop in Treviso, Italy (the city where Prosecco comes from). It was buttery, filled with delicious golden apples, with a sugary top — everything you want in an apple cake.
Torta di Mele (Italian Apple Cake) Ingredients
This is a fairly customizable recipe — you can use all oil instead of butter, heavy cream instead of milk, or even slightly cut down the amount of sugar. I’ve topped this apple cake with a handful of pecans because we love the added texture and flavor it lends to this cake.
Cake Ingredients
- golden apples
- all-purpose or 00 flour
- baking powder
- unsalted butter
- vegetable oil
- sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- kosher salt
Pecan Sugar Topping Ingredients
- raw turbinado sugar (sub powdered sugar)
- pumpkin pie spice (sub cinnamon)
- pecans (optional)
How to Make Torta di Mele (Italian Apple Cake)
I experimented by adding a cluster of julienned apples to the center of the cake. Do NOT do this because it creates an unevenly humid spot right in the center of the cake. In fact, I knew better, but sometimes you just do stupid things when you’re baking♡. Instead, tuck in more slices of apples until the cake is covered.
- Preheat oven 350°F/175°C. & prepare the cake pan. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line it with parchment paper on the bottom and sides.
- Make the cinnamon-sugar topping. In a small bowl, mix the coarse raw sugar, pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon) and a pinch of salt; mix until well combined.
- Prepare the apples. Peel and slice the apples and place them into a bowl with a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Measure the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Cream the eggs & sugar. Using a handheld electric or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and the sugar on high speed for 3 minutes.
- Combine the remaining liquid ingredients. Combine the milk, oil, vanilla extract, and slightly cooled melted butter in a small bowl (or directly in your glass measuring cup).
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer turned off, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the sugar-egg mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently combine everything just until a few flour streaks remain. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture and stir gently to combine. Repeat this two more times until all the ingredients are added and gently stir the mixture until no flour streaks remain. *Don’t stir too vigorously, or for too long which will activate the gluten too much and create a tough cake.
- Assemble the cake & bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and add apple slices around the outside perimeter of the cake allowing the tops to remain slightly above the batter. Then work your way around the middle until the entire surface is covered with apples. Sprinkle the cake with the sugar-cinnamon mixture, and top with pecans (if using). Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake to a wire rack and allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the springform pan and the parchment paper and allow the cake to cool to room temperature and serve. Enjoy!
Looking for More Apple or Fall-Inspired Desserts?
Here are a few more tasty dessert recipes for the holidays, or just to enjoy what’s in season right now.
- White Chocolate Creme Brûlée Cheesecake w/Biscoff Cookie Crust
- White Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake w/Oreo CookieCrust
- Super Fudge Biscoff Brownies w/Cornflake Crunch
- Simple and Delicious Mascarpone Apple Torte
- Easy + Delicious Double Biscoff Cheesecake
- Easy Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie | (No-Oven Needed)
- Biscoff Peanut Butter Cups (Even Better than Reese’s)
- Easy Classic Cheesecake w/Biscoff Cookie Crust (+Mini’s)
- Mom’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls (The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever)
- Easy Deluxe Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (with homemade ghost marshmallows)
- Bakery Style Pumpkin Spice Blueberry Muffins (No-Mixer Needed)
- Super Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes for Two (or a Crowd)
- Bakery Style Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Bread (w/Toasted Walnuts)
- Granny’s Perfect Pumpkin Bread w/Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (a Vintage Recipe)
- Easy Apple Rum Cake with Pecan Crunch
Let’s get started!
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Easy & Delicious Italian Apple Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: One 9-inch Cake 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This simple Italian Apple cake is a perfect way to use those crisp, fall apples you picked last weekend (or any apples that happen to be in season right now). It’s sweet, super tender, buttery, and full of apple flavor in every bite. Plus, this is a fairly customizable recipe — you can use all oil instead of butter, heavy cream instead of milk, or even slightly cut down the amount of sugar. As always, I’ve included step-by-step recipe photos at the end of the post.
Ingredients
Apple Cake Ingredients
- 3 golden apples, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose or 00 flour (200g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (2g) (sub 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
- 1 cup sugar (200g)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (45g)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (15g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature (100g)
- 3/4 cup whole milk (175g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
Pecan Sugar Topping Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar (30g) (sub powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (2.5g) (sub cinnamon)
- 15 to 20 raw pecan halves (optional)
Instructions
I experimented by adding a cluster of julienned apples to the center of the cake. Do NOT do this because it creates an unevenly humid spot right in the center of the cake. I knew better, but sometimes you just do stupid things when you’re baking♡. Instead, tuck in more slices of apples until the cake is covered.
- Preheat oven 350°F/175°C. & prepare the cake pan. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line it with parchment paper on the bottom and sides.
- Make the cinnamon-sugar topping. In a small bowl, mix the coarse raw sugar, pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon) and a pinch of salt; mix until well combined.
- Prepare the apples. Peel and slice the apples and place them into a bowl with a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Measure the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Cream the eggs & sugar. Using a handheld electric or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and the sugar on high speed for 3 minutes.
- Combine the remaining liquid ingredients. Combine the milk, oil, vanilla extract, and slightly cooled melted butter in a small bowl (or directly in your glass measuring cup).
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer turned off, add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the sugar-egg mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently combine everything just until a few flour streaks remain. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture and stir gently to combine. Repeat this two more times until all the ingredients are added and gently stir the mixture until no flour streaks remain. *Don’t stir too vigorously, or for too long which will activate the gluten too much and create a tough cake.
- Assemble the cake & bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and add apple slices around the outside perimeter of the cake allowing the tops to remain slightly above the batter. Then work your way around the middle until the entire surface is covered with apples. Sprinkle the cake with the sugar-cinnamon mixture, and top with pecans (if using). Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake to a wire rack and allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the springform pan and the parchment paper and allow the cake to cool to room temperature and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Torta di Mele allows the natural deliciousness of the apples to shine through so they’re generally not coated in sugar or spices before being added to the cake batter and baked. In general, Italian sweets typically have less sugar than our American baked goods, but feel free to give your apples a quick toss in 1/8 cup (30g) of regular sugar (and even a little cinnamon if you want) before inserting them into the cake.
- Make ahead and freeze. Once cooled, this cake can be frozen for up to 3 months wrapped in 100% recyclable plastic wrap, or in wax paper wrapped tightly inside aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge or place it on the countertop to thaw at least 1 hour before serving.
- Store the cake at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week sealed in an airtight container.
- Substitute all vegetable oil for the butter, if you want to, but it will lose some of its nice flavor without the butter. However, the cake still tastes good.
- Substitute heavy cream for the milk , if you’d like.
- Use 1/2 cup (50g) less sugar, if desired for a slightly less sweet apple cake with fewer calories.
- Make it a vegan apple cake, by replacing all the butter with oil and substitute the milk with your favorite plant-based alternative.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Cakes + Tortes
- Method: Oven Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
Torta di Mele Italian Apple Cake recipe step-by-step photos
