11 Apple Cake Recipes for Rosh Hashanah and Beyond

three layer apple cake on cake stand
Mike Krautter

Fall means making our way through corn mazes and apple orchards, sitting around a crackling fire, and eating lots and lots of apple desserts. One of our favorite autumnal treats is a delicious apple cake, such as the Apple Layer Cake with Cream-Cheese Frosting that's pictured here. If you love the idea of making apple-centric cakes all autumn long, then you'll be pleased to know that we have 11 all-star recipes for you to choose from for dessert on chilly nights, for Rosh Hashanah celebrations, or whenever you're in the mood for something sweet and seasonal.

Who doesn't love apple cider doughnuts? Turn this delicious fall treat into a beautiful Bundt cake for a fun twist on the classic. A combination of extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider, and unsweetened applesauce keeps the cake super moist and give it lots of true apple flavor. Once the cake comes out of the oven, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle it generously with cinnamon sugar. Another hybrid treat that combines two sweets in one is Apple-Pie Cake. Start by mixing flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together, then add cubes of unsalted butter. Layer it in the bottom of a springform pan and then top with five pounds (yes, five pounds!) of sliced apples tossed with lemon juice and cinnamon and another layer of the brown sugar crumble.

A recipe that's especially perfect for serving on Rosh Hashanah is our Spiced Apple Cake. Traditionally, apples are dipped in honey to symbolize good luck and best wishes for a sweet new year. In our recipe, we've layered them with apricot jam on top of the warm sheet cake and the results are truly spectacular.

As the weather cools off and it's peak apple season, make use of fall's greatest fruit in these sweet and spiced apple cake recipes.

01 of 10

Apple-Cider Doughnut Cake

apple cider donut cake
Jonathan Lovekin

Can't get enough of apple cider donuts? Make a crowd-friendly apple cake in a Bundt pan, complete with a coating of cinnamon sugar.

02 of 10

Spiced Apple Cake

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Anna Williams

Ground allspice and ginger add just the right amount of warmth to this apple sheet cake recipe. Sliced Granny Smith apples are scattered over the top of the cake and the finished product is brushed with apricot jam.

03 of 10

Apple-Cinnamon Bundt Cake

bundt cake

Tart Granny Smith apples are cut into thick slices and mixed into the cinnamon-spiced batter for this Bundt cake. This classic apple cake recipe is topped with a sweet, thick glaze made with confectioners' sugar.

04 of 10

Apple-Pie Cake

apple pie cake
Sonia Bozzo

Can't decide between baking an apple pie or an apple cake recipe? Try this six-ingredient dessert, which is a happy medium between everyone's two favorite autumnal desserts.

05 of 10

John's Three-Layer Apple Cake

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This apple cake recipe is moist, flavorful, and has the perfect amount of sugar and spice. But the real star is the cloud-like buttercream made with egg whites, brown sugar, and butter that's the filling and frosting for this treat.

06 of 10

Apple Pie Upside-Down Cake

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Jonathan Lovekin

For this fall-flavored take on everyone's favorite upside down dessert, whole cinnamon sticks, and sliced apple rings are layered on the bottom of a tart pan and topped with the spiced cake batter. Calvados is a French apple brandy that adds even more apple flavor to this innovative dessert.

07 of 10

Apple-Butter Layer Cake

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Marcus Nilsson

You won't be able to resist this angel food cake-like recipe; the batter is made with cake flour, which provides a smaller, finer crumb, plus eight egg whites which make it extra fluffy. The filling is made with apple butter, heavy cream, and confectioners' sugar.

08 of 10

Caramelized-Apple Spice Cake

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Maura McEvoy

Maximum autumnal flavor is guaranteed with this apple cake recipe. Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger add plenty of warmth and spice; dark brown sugar contributes rich molasses flavor; and ground toasted pecans bring lots of nuttiness.

09 of 10

Apple-Pecan Cake

apple pecan cake
Con Poulos

Looking for a simple apple cake recipe that still has plenty of seasonal flavor? This recipe is the answer. Unsweetened applesauce adds flavor and moistness and low-fat plain yogurt makes it taste extra rich.

10 of 10

Applesauce Coffee Cake

Applesauce Coffee Cake

Chock-full of old-fashioned rolled oats, chopped toasted pecans, applesauce, and plenty of ground spices (think cinnamon, grated nutmeg, and cloves), this is the apple cake recipe that you need to bake all fall long.

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