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Italian Apple Cake

Italian apple cake with a dense, moist crumb studded with diced apples and a golden top. Baked until a toothpick comes out clean, then cooled and dusted heavily with powdered sugar for a rustic finish.
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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: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple cake batter
  • 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 0.25 cup whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 powdered sugar for dusting Use as needed for a generous top.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep the pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together until evenly combined. The mixture should look uniform in color with no visible lumps.
Mix eggs and sugar
  1. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. The batter should fall in ribbons briefly before smoothing back out.
Add wet ingredients
  1. Stream in the vegetable or sunflower oil slowly while mixing. Then add the whole milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and mix until smooth.
Combine and fold in apples
  1. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain. The batter will look thick and slightly shaggy.
Bake
  1. Fold in the diced apples until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden.
Finish and serve
  1. Cool the cake completely before serving. Dust generously with powdered sugar right before slicing.

Notes

For the most even apple pieces, dice the apples to a similar size (about 1/2-inch). Store airtight at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; the cake can be frozen up to 2 months (freeze slices, thaw overnight in the fridge). For a lighter option, replace the oil with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce for a slightly less rich crumb.