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Home » Scandinavian Baking » Easy Norwegian Apple Cake (Eplekake)

Easy Norwegian Apple Cake (Eplekake)

August 24, 2022 by Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life 2 Comments

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This delicious, one bowl cinnamon apple cake is the thing fall dreams are made of! Impossibly moist cake, deliciously spiced apples and a crisp almond crunch – This Norwegian classic is sure to be a new favorite.

up close of a slice of norwegian apple cake with a scoop of ice cream on top and a slice in the background.

We’re nearing fall in Norway’s fjords and that always meant one thing: Apples. All of the apples.

And, just to be clear, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s one of life’s best kinds of problems.

Like the year a co-worker gifted me 20lbs of apples and I made ALL the apple sauce.

But today, we’re celebrating fall in classic Norwegian style with this spiced cinnamon apple cake.

Here’s how to make this cake

First, prepare the apples.

Peel and slice the apples so they’re no more than 1/4″ thick at their thickest. The amount of apple you’ll need will depend on how closely together you plan to place them; For the pattern you see above, I used about 2 1/2 apples.

close up of cake batter on a spatula to show it's thick consistency.
cake batter being spooned into a silver, round cake pan.

Second, make the cake batter.

In a bowl, beat the room temperature butter until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat on medium to cream (about 2-3 minutes).

Why do we cream the butter and sugar, and how do we know when it’s ready? Creaming these two ingredients together allows the sugar to aerate the butter, which is important for an otherwise dense cake, like this one. Properly creamed butter is light, fluffy and doesn’t cling to the sides of the bowl. If you’re new to baking and want to learn more, check out this article on creaming butter and sugar by King Arthur.

With your mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating between each new addition until just combined. It’s important that the eggs are at room temperature for this recipe so the butter doesn’t cool and seize.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low until combined.

Note: Don’t worry, there’s no a typo in the ingredient list – This cake is, in fact, traditionally made without milk. And I promise you won’t miss it, either!

Spoon the batter into a greased and parchment paper lined round 9″ cake pan.

slices of apple arranged on top o the cake batter to create an outwardly spiraling pattern.
sliced apples topped with cinnamon, sugar and coarsely chopped almonds.

Finally, finish assembling the cake and bake it.

Arrange the apples on top of the cake in whatever pattern you’d like.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar for the topping. Sprinkle over the cake and top with the coarsely chopped almonds.

Bake at 350F for one hour to one hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing the cake from the pan.

apple cake sliced with two slices still in the pan and one on a nearby blue plate.

Expert tips

  • Softening refrigerated butter: If you didn’t have time to bring your butter to room temperature, you can cut it into 1/2 tablespoon squares, place the squares on a plate and microwave it using 5 second increments until it’s softened.
  • Creaming the butter and sugar: To make sure the butter is properly creamed but not overworked, beat the butter and sugar on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
  • Bringing cold eggs to room temperature quickly: If you need to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly for this recipe, fill a bowl with hot water from your tap and place the eggs in it for about 5 minutes.
  • Square cake alternative: If you’d prefer to make this as a square cake, you can use an 8″x8″ square pan and bake it for roughly the same amount of time.
  • Storage: This cake can be kept in an air tight container in the refrigerator and is best when eaten within 2-3 days.
triangular slices of apple cake on blue plates with green foliage around it.

Frequently asked questions

What types of apples are best for apple cakes?

The best apples for apple cakes are ones that are firm and will withstand baking. Sweetness can vary depending on the amount of other sweeteners being added to the cake; Because this cake is on the less sweet side, I used a sweeter apple (Honeycrisp). Good apple options include Pink Lady and Braeburn.

How long will apple cake keep?

While best when eaten within 2-3 days, apple cake can often keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

Print

Easy Norwegian Apple Cake (Eplekake)

apple cake sliced with two slices still in the pan and one on a nearby blue plate.
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This delicious, one bowl cinnamon apple cake is the thing fall dreams are made of! Impossibly moist cake, deliciously spiced apples and a crisp almond crunch – This Norwegian classic is sure to be a new favorite.

  • Author: Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Norwegian

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the cake:

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

For the topping:

  • 2–3 large apples
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

Instructions

  1. Peel and thinly slice apples.
  2. In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
  3. Cream the butter with the sugar.
  4. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, beating until just combined.
  5. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing on low until combined.
  6. Spoon the batter into a greased and parchment paper lined 9″ round cake pan.
  7. Arrange apples on top of the batter.
  8. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and sugar.
  9. Sprinkle over the cake and top with almonds.
  10. Bake at 350F for one hour to one hour 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  11. Allow to cool before removing the cake from the pan.

Notes

  • Softening refrigerated butter: If you didn’t have time to bring your butter to room temperature, you can cut it into 1/2 tablespoon squares, place the squares on a plate and microwave it using 5 second increments until it’s softened.
  • Creaming the butter and sugar: To make sure the butter is properly creamed but not overworked, beat the butter and sugar on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
  • Bringing cold eggs to room temperature quickly: If you need to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly for this recipe, fill a bowl with hot water from your tap and place the eggs in it for about 5 minutes.
  • Square cake alternative: If you’d prefer to make this as a square cake, you can use an 8″x8″ square pan and bake it for roughly the same amount of time.
  • Storage: This cake can be kept in an air tight container in the refrigerator and is best when eaten within 2-3 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 285
  • Sugar: 22.8g
  • Sodium: 195mg
  • Fat: 14.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 7.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 37.6g
  • Fiber: 2.3g
  • Protein: 3.8g
  • Cholesterol: 71mg

Keywords: norwegian apple cake, apple cake recipe, spiced apple cake

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thesimplesweetlifeblog on Instagram and hashtag it #thesimplesweetlife

If you liked this recipe, you might also like…

  • Suksessterte (Norwegian Success Cake)
  • Bourbon Butterscotch Apple Pie
  • Bløtkake (Norwegian Cream Cake)

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Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, Scandinavian Baking

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Comments

  1. Sue says

    August 25, 2022 at 6:56 am

    I really need to try this!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Mary says

    November 6, 2022 at 6:01 am

    I just made this and it turned out beautifully! I did make a few changes, using a square pan and dicing the apples instead of arranging the sliced ones. It turned out great and is the perfect companion to a cup of coffee after dinner.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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I'm Claire, the baker, blogger, sprinkle enthusiast, and cookie painter behind The Simple, Sweet Life. Whether you like simple sweets, comfort (baked) foods, or works of sugar art, you're sure to find something here to sweeten your day! Get to know me better here!

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