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Italian Apple Cake

Italian apple cake with a tender, dense crumb and diced apple pieces baked until the top is golden. Made by creaming eggs and sugar, mixing in oil and milk, then folding in flour and apples before baking.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Fruit
  • 3 apples Peel, core, and dice.
Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 3 eggs
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil Use vegetable or sunflower oil.
  • 0.25 cup whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
To finish
  • 1 powdered sugar For dusting before serving.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the oven and pan
  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment.
  2. Preheating cues: the oven should fully reach 350F before baking for even browning.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl until the color is evenly speckled.
Cream eggs and sugar
  1. Beat eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale, thick, and slightly foamy, about 3 minutes.
  2. Visual cue: the mixture should look lighter in color and ribbon more slowly off the beaters.
Add wet ingredients
  1. Stream in vegetable or sunflower oil slowly while mixing, then add whole milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
  2. Continue mixing until smooth and well combined, without overworking the batter.
Fold in apples and bake
  1. Fold the dry flour mixture into the batter just until no dry streaks remain.
  2. Fold in the diced apples gently so they’re distributed throughout without breaking.
  3. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
  4. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350F until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden.
  5. Visual cue: the center should feel set, not wet, when lightly tapped.
Cool and finish
  1. Cool the cake completely before removing from the pan.
  2. Dust generously with powdered sugar right before serving for a snowy, crisp finish.

Notes

Pro tip: dice the apples fairly small and similar in size so each slice gets apple in every bite without sinking. Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, use gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour in place of regular flour for a similar crumb.