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Italian Apple Cake

Italian apple cake with a moist, dense crumb and apple pieces baked until golden, then finished with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. Made with a simple batter technique: pale-and-thick egg-and-sugar mixing, oil streamed in, and apples folded through for even distribution.
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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
  

Apples
  • 3 apples large, peeled, cored, and diced
All-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
Baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking powder
Cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Eggs
  • 3 eggs
Granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
Vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 0.5 cup vegetable or sunflower oil
Whole milk
  • 0.25 cup whole milk
Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
Powdered sugar
  • 0.5 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Equipment

  • 1 electric mixer
  • 1 9-inch round cake pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a 9-inch round cake pan, and line with parchment so the cake releases cleanly.
Make the batter base
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together to evenly distribute the leavening and spices.
  2. Beat eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale and thick, about 3 minutes, so the batter lightens.
  3. Stream in the vegetable or sunflower oil slowly while mixing, watching it combine smoothly into the egg mixture.
  4. Add whole milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, then mix just until incorporated and glossy.
Combine and bake
  1. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined to keep the crumb tender and avoid overmixing.
  2. Fold in the diced apples so they’re suspended throughout the batter with visible pieces.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden.
Finish
  1. Cool the cake completely on the pan to set the structure before dusting.
  2. Dust generously with powdered sugar right before serving for a bright, snowy finish over the golden top.

Notes

Pro tip: fold the flour in gently until you no longer see dry streaks—overmixing can make the crumb tough. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; let it come to room temperature before dusting with powdered sugar. Freezing is yes: freeze tightly wrapped up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a dairy-light swap, use 1/4 cup lactose-free milk in place of whole milk.