Last updated on October 13th, 2024
Are you on the hunt for an everyday cake recipe that you can tweak to your craving or to what you have on hand? Italian cooking and baking is all about going with the flow and using what is either seasonal or in your pantry and this Italian apple cake checks all the boxes.
This Italian apple cake recipe is my go-to cake that I like to keep on hand at our home in Tuscany (well, as long as it lasts with four kids running around!). It’s barely sweet, perfect for breakfast and snacking. You can even dress it up with whipped cream, a dollop of pastry cream or mascarpone cream for a special dessert.
Whether you are looking to make an afternoon snack, get your kids in the kitchen or have tea this afternoon with your family, this is the cake for you! And trust me, once you make it, it will become a family favorite and a staple in your kitchen, just like it is in mine!
Keep In Mind: This Italian apple cake is similar to a lightly sweetened tea cake. You can tailor it to what you have on hand, adding spices and other fruit.
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How To Say Italian Apple Cake in Italian
Italian apple cake is torta di mele in Italian, pronounced tohr-tah dee meh-leh.
Listen to the pronunciation of torta di mele here:
What Is Italian Apple Cake?
Italian apple cake is a simple and easy cake made with firm apples and flavored with lemon zest. In Italy, where I live, we eat a simple cake like this for breakfast with a cup of coffee or for merenda or afternoon snack with tea or coffee.
Italian apple cake is not sweet. Rather, it’s quite mild, which is exactly what an everyday Italian snacking cake should be.
Italian Apple Cake Ingredients
Flour
You will need a total of 2 ¼ cups of flour. I like to use 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour and ¼ cup (30 grams) whole wheat flour.
Apples
I always prefer baking with granny smith apples, you need 2 large apples for this recipe. Any other good, firm baking apple will work.
Butter
Use 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature. If it’s not room temperature, you can put it on a small plate on low power in the microwave and check on it every 8 seconds or so until soft.
Other Ingredients For Italian Apple Cake
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (170 ml) whole milk
- Juice of 1 lemon and the zest of two lemons
How To Make Italian Apple Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 inch round springform cake pan and line with a round of parchment paper.
Zest the lemons and set aside. Peel the apples, cut into quarters and slice each quarter into thin slices, about ⅛ -¼ inch thick. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl with the apples, mix and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and set aside. In a stand mixer attached with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. You can also do this with a handheld mixer.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between each one. With the mixer running at low speed, add the lemon zest and milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another minute on medium power.
Add half the flour mixture and mix gently. Add the second half and mix until just combined. Fold in about half the apples and all the juices by hand and spread into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Gently arrange the remaining apples on top of the cake in a round fan with an outer and inner circle, as shown in the pictures.
Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested in the center of the cake. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before removing the sides of the springform pan. Continue to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Italian Apple Cake Substitutions
Italian apple cake is such a versatile cake that easily bends to your will. Consider the following substitutions when making this cake at home:
- Use any combination of whole wheat and white flour. If you use 100% whole wheat flour, the cake will still be very good but a little more dry and rustic. You can add a bit more milk to make up for the difference.
- If you want to substitute oil (any kind, including olive oil), that is fine too as long as you use about 10 tablespoons instead of 12. Read my guide to Substituting Olive Oil for Vegetable Oil.
- Use any good, sturdy baking apple instead of granny smith apples. As long as they are crisp and firm they will hold up in this Italian apple cake.
- If you don’t have lemon, you can leave it out completely and add a teaspoon of vanilla extra to the batter. If this is the case, wait until the last possible minute to slice the apples to prevent them from browning.
- Instead of lemon, add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to the batter along with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
How To Serve Italian Apple Cake
Italian apple cake can be enjoyed as is or accompanied with any kind of creamy sauce or topping such as gelato, whipped cream, pastry cream or mascarpone cream for extra richness.
Holiday Desserts: Try making Italian apple cake for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
How To Store Italian Apple Cake
Store Italian apple cake at room temperature covered for up to three days.
You can freeze Italian apple cake as long as it’s tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in a freezer safe plastic bag for up to three months. I recommend pre-slicing the Italian apple cake into individual pieces before freezing, making it easier to take out just as much as you need without defrosting the whole cake.
Defrost on a plate at room temperature, allowing several hours of time.
Italian Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour (240 g)
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (30 g)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g), plus 1 Tbsp
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (170 g), at room temperature
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk (170 ml)
- 2 large granny smith apples peeled
- juice of 1 lemon and zest of 2 lemons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 inch round springform cake pan and line with a round of parchment paper in the bottom.
- Zest the lemons and set aside. Peel the apples, cut into quarters and slice each quarter into thin slices, about ⅛ -¼ inch thick. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl with the apples, mix and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- In a stand mixer attached with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. You can also do this with a handheld mixer.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between each one.
- With the mixer running at low speed, add the lemon zest and milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another minute on medium power.
- Add half the flour mixture and mix gently. Add the second half and mix until just combined.
- Fold in about half the apples and all the juices by hand and spread into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Gently arrange the remaining apples on top of the cake in a round fan with an outer and inner circle, as shown in the pictures.
- Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested in the center of the cake. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before removing the sides of the springform pan. Continue to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Buono!
My kids love this one! I used apples I had on hand and it still turned out well. Grazie!