Passover Apple Cake

David Leite

Ingredients

Instructions

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Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Ellen Fuss

Ellen Fuss notes that Passover recipes often deserve their own distinct rating system, given the unique constraints compared to year-round baking. Despite this, she confidently states that this Passover apple cake stands nearly as good as any traditional apple cake she’s ever prepared. Its straightforward preparation combined with truly delicious results made it a clear “tester’s choice” for her.

For her test, Ellen used Yellow Delicious apples, praising their ability to maintain their shape beautifully throughout the baking process. She highlighted the crucial role of thoroughly beaten eggs as an effective leavening agent, a necessity during Passover when commercial leaveners are often avoided. Ellen enthusiastically recommends this cake as a lovely dessert for the Seder meal, especially since it improved dramatically overnight. This characteristic makes it an ideal make-ahead option that will continue to be a perfect dessert throughout the entire holiday week.

Regarding execution, Ellen confirmed that the baking time was accurate, yielding a consistently moist cake with perfectly tender apples. The topping, as promised, developed a wonderfully chewy, candy-like texture. While she opted solely for cinnamon due to personal preference, she acknowledged that a blend of spices would work equally well for those who enjoy them, making this cake adaptable to individual tastes.

Larry Noak

Larry Noak found this simple Passover apple cake not only delicious but also enjoyable to prepare. He experimented with a combination of mace, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for the topping, suggesting that a premixed apple pie spice or even just cinnamon would also be excellent choices. For apples, Larry used a practical blend of Granny Smith and Fuji, emphasizing that almost any flavorful apple would work well. He particularly enjoyed the addition of raisins, finding they contributed an extra layer of texture and flavor, and chose pecans over walnuts for their distinct deliciousness.

Larry offers several helpful recommendations for home bakers. First, if matzo cake meal is hard to find, he reassures that it can be easily made at home. He pulverized regular matzo crackers in his food processor until fine, then sieved them to achieve a flour-like consistency. For mixing the topping ingredients, he suggests a resealable plastic sandwich bag for an easier and cleaner process than using a bowl. Crucially, Larry advises beating the eggs and sugar for nearly 5 minutes—a more precise duration than the subjective “thick and foamy.” While a hand mixer suffices, a stand mixer is ideal for this step. After the eggs and sugar are perfectly aerated, the matzo cake meal should be folded in completely with a rubber spatula.

After cooling thoroughly, Larry refrigerated his cake, noting that this step transformed it into a superb coffee cake. His experience underscores the cake’s ability to improve and evolve, becoming even more satisfying after some time to rest.

Sarah Heend

Sarah Heend unequivocally declared this Passover apple cake a “home run.” She described a tender cake generously studded with apples and permeated by a delicious cinnamon sugar flavor. The assembly of the cake was quick and easy for Sarah; the most labor-intensive part was simply peeling and slicing the apples. On the first day, the cake’s primary allure was the vibrant cinnamon sugar. However, by the second day, a remarkable transformation occurred: the apples released their moisture into the cake, rendering the topping delightfully gooey and harmonizing the flavors of the rich, eggy cake with the sweet apples and spicy cinnamon sugar. This experience led Sarah to conclude that this is indeed a recipe best prepared the day before it’s intended to be served.

Unable to locate matzo cake meal, Sarah successfully created her own by grinding regular matzo meal into a fine powder using a coffee grinder. A friend knowledgeable in Passover baking confirmed that the primary difference between the two is merely texture. Her homemade cake meal performed beautifully, resulting in a tender cake with a finely textured crumb. Sarah opted for pecans and Pink Lady apples in her version. For future iterations, she plans to enhance the flavor with an additional 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon (or more) of vanilla, as she found the initial taste slightly bland despite the generous amount of cinnamon.

Sarah and her family enjoyed the cake both at room temperature on the first day and significantly more on the second day, after it had time to “age.” The cake proved to be an excellent keeper, remaining moist and delicious even on the fifth day after baking, testament to its improving qualities over time.

Jennifer Combs

Jennifer Combs describes this Passover apple cake recipe as a “true sleeper hit.” Having previously only encountered matzo crackers and used matzo meal for dishes like matzo balls, she was initially hesitant about baking with it. Upon tasting the cake batter, Jennifer harbored concerns that the distinct cracker flavor would overpower the cake. However, she persevered and was immensely rewarded by the outcome. The inclusion of crisp, tart apples, combined with the sweet, nutty, and spiced topping, created a cake with a delightful texture and delicious flavor profile. Notably, her husband couldn’t detect the matzo flavor at all, a testament to the recipe’s successful integration of ingredients.

Jennifer found that baking the cake in a glass pan was beneficial, ensuring the edges and top achieved a beautiful golden-brown color and excellent caramelization from the melting spiced sugar. She personally preferred the cake cooled to room temperature. For the spices, she opted for a pumpkin pie spice blend—a rich mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mace, and cloves—instead of plain cinnamon, appreciating the distinct flavor contribution of each spice. True to the cake’s “improves with age” reputation, Jennifer saved a couple of pieces for the next day, confirming they remained very moist. The granular spiced sugar mixture, which was still somewhat visible after baking, completely melted into the apples by the following day, creating a rich, spiced caramel apple-like flavor that was incredibly satisfying.

An important discovery for Jennifer was the successful substitution of matzo meal for matzo cake meal. Unable to find matzo cake meal in her local grocery stores, she processed regular matzo meal in a food processor to a finer grind. She explains that since matzo cake meal is essentially just a more finely ground version of matzo meal, this substitution worked perfectly, highlighting the versatility and accessibility of the recipe.

Greg Crawford

Greg Crawford found this Passover apple cake remarkably easy to prepare. He noted that despite the seemingly large amount of sugar, the abundant apples provide a perfect balance, preventing the cake from becoming overly sweet. He appreciated the matzo cake meal as the cake’s base, which imparted a pleasant earthiness that further helped to rein in the sweetness. Greg did encounter a minor challenge with the batter’s very thick consistency, which made spreading the second layer over the apples a bit tricky. However, he emphasizes that persistence and patience ultimately pay off, resulting in a beautifully layered cake.

Perhaps the “biggest problem” Greg experienced was the mandatory waiting period after baking. The enticing aroma of luscious apple, walnut, and cinnamon filled his entire house, making it a test of willpower to resist digging in immediately. He patiently waited a full day, as recommended, to allow the cake’s flavors to fully meld and develop. He concludes that “All’s well that ends well,” and the wait was indeed worth it for the enhanced taste and texture.

A day later, Greg observed that the cake’s top was wonderfully moist and candy-like, affirming the recipe’s promise of improvement with age. One minor trick he discovered was that the middle layer of topping tended to melt and settle towards the bottom of the pan, making it a little challenging to remove the pieces cleanly. For future attempts, he plans to line the pan with parchment paper to facilitate easier serving. On the positive side, this “drift” of sugar and spice created delightful sugary, crispy bites at the bottom, adding an unexpected and enjoyable textural element to the cake.

Johnisha L.

Johnisha L., a connoisseur of Passover sweets, found this Passover apple cake a delightful treat that masterfully extracts a significant amount of flavor from matzo meal—no small feat indeed. She suggests that this apple cake offers a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous macaroons and traditional flourless chocolate cake often served during the holiday. Its preparation involves simple ingredients and, apart from the task of peeling, coring, and slicing apples, it comes together quite quickly.

Johnisha praised the cake’s appealing texture: a custardy interior generously studded with sweet, tender apples and juicy raisins, beautifully contrasted by caramelized edges and a satisfying exterior. She preferred a blend of spices for the topping, a matter of personal preference, and specifically used 2 teaspoons (4 g) cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon (2 g) mace, and 1/4 teaspoon (1 g) ginger. To further enhance the apple flavor, she cleverly added about a teaspoon and a half of lemon zest to the batter.

She also offered several insightful adjustments for those looking to customize the recipe: increasing the nuts to at least 3/4 cup for a less sparse distribution, boosting the raisins to 1/2 cup, and reducing the sugar in the topping to 1/2 cup, as the original amount was quite sweet. For an added layer of complexity, Johnisha suggests incorporating either vanilla or some brandy into the batter. She precisely measured 3 1/2 large Golden Delicious apples, each weighing approximately 8 to 8 1/4 ounces, to achieve the required 5 packed cups.

For her baking vessel, Johnisha utilized a 9-inch springform pan, which worked perfectly and also contributed to a more attractive presentation. She noted that whipping the eggs with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed for 2 minutes yielded light and frothy eggs. Gradually adding the sugar took about 4 minutes, by which point the batter had a light cream color and a satiny appearance. After incorporating the oil, a further 1 to 2 minutes of whipping resulted in a batter reminiscent of a delicate chiffon batter.

Johnisha refrigerated the cake for about 5 hours and then enjoyed it later that night after gently reheating it. She confirmed the cake holds exceptionally well in the refrigerator, with the top and sides becoming beautifully caramelly and moist. With a gentle nudge from a knife to release any caramelized, gooey apple pieces from the sides, the cake released from the pan effortlessly, making for a truly enjoyable serving experience.

Chiyo Ueyama

Chiyo Ueyama expressed surprise and thorough impression with the very moist results of this cake, exclaiming, “Matzo cake meal—who knew?” She chose Pink Lady apples, her current favorite for baking due to their ideal balance of tartness and their ability to become tender without turning mushy when cooked. For the spices, Chiyo used 2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, alongside 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg and ginger. While she plans to use the same spice combination next time, she intends to reduce the sugar in the topping to just 1/2 cup, preferring a more pronounced apple flavor to shine through.

Chiyo highlighted a crucial step: taking ample time to fully incorporate the matzo cake meal into the egg and sugar mixture. She recounted turning her rubber spatula to discover a long streak of dry cake meal, emphasizing the importance of thorough blending. She baked her Passover apple cake in a ceramic 8-inch square baking pan, lightly greased with coconut oil, and confirmed that the cake was perfectly baked in the stated 1 hour and 15 minutes, validating the recipe’s timing.

Upon emerging from the oven, most of the sugar on top of the cake remained dry and granular. However, Chiyo observed a remarkable transformation over time. After several hours, the topping began to appear moist and shiny, and by the following day, it had developed into a dark brown, delightfully gooey layer. This experience strongly reinforced the cake’s reputation for aging gracefully, with the flavors and textures becoming increasingly cohesive and harmonious as it rested at room temperature for up to three days. Furthermore, Chiyo discovered that this cake freezes beautifully, making it an excellent option for meal prep or enjoying long after the holiday.