Torta di Mele is an Italian apple cake with a tender crumb and golden-brown crust. It’s an old-fashioned homemade sweet treat fondly associated with “nonnas,” Italian grandmothers. This handy all-purpose recipe works as a breakfast pastry, snack cake with afternoon tea or simple dessert.
Don’t look for a smattering of warm spices, crunchy nut combinations or buttery streusel in this cake. Studded with sweet, crisp apple slices and perfumed with fragrant lemon and a touch of vanilla, this humble cake is the definition of simplicity, making it a great cake for any time of day and any time of the year.
Quick and easy to assemble, this Italian apple cake is an oil-based cake. Oil-based cakes have a tender crumb, are exceptionally moist and improve in texture as they sit. As a healthful bonus, this recipe is lighter in calories and monounsaturated fats than a butter-based cake. I’ve also eliminated additional calories by reducing the sugar and using 1% milk instead of the whole milk found in traditional recipes.
This one-layer cake can be sliced to serve 16 people. But if your nonna is serving, she’ll probably offer you a second slice. You know she always wants you to eat more.
Italian Apple Cake
- 1/2 cup light olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup 1% milk
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 small apples, such as Gala, Braeburn or Granny Smith
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-by-2-inch cake pan with light olive oil. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Brush the parchment paper with additional light olive oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup light olive oil and sugar. Add the egg and whisk to combine. Add the milk, lemon zest and vanilla; whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Squeeze the lemon juice into a second medium bowl. Core, peel and slice the apples about 1/8-inch thick, placing them in the bowl and tossing them with the juice to coat.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the olive oil mixture. Stir to combine. Add two-thirds of the sliced apples and lemon juice to the batter and stir to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Place the remaining apple slices on top in a spiral pattern.
- Bake until golden brown, about 60 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Invert the cake onto a plate, then invert again to place the cake apple-side up on a serving plate.
- Let the cake cool until no longer hot, then, using a serrated knife, slice and serve. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container.
Serves 16.
Per serving: 170 calories (percent of calories from fat, 42), 2 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams total sugars, trace fiber, 8 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 90 milligrams sodium.
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