Quick, easy, delicious and pretty, this Invisible Apple Cake is perfect for everything from the brunch table, to an afternoon snack to a warm and comforting dessert.
There are a few recipes that come around in my kitchen quite a bit and this is one of them, so I thought I’d share it now as we enter the entertaining and houseguest season. It’s a great recipe to have in your back pocket! This Invisible Apple Cake is perfect for any time of day, from breakfast, to brunch, to afternoon tea, to dessert. It comes together quickly and delivers an always delicious slice of apple goodness.
Enjoy this cake cold from the fridge, at room temperature or warm for dessert with ice cream or a drizzle of Creme Anglaise. A slice of a great cheddar on top is also a nice way to enjoy this.
The secret to this cake is thinly sliced apples, so for this one, a mandolin is your best friend. If you don’t have one (or are afraid of it, as I was for years :), you can certainly use your knife skills to create the thin apple slices. It will take a little longer, but still be totally worth the effort.
This cake is mostly apple, with just a bit of batter holding it all together. It slices perfectly when cooked though. Look for a great cooking apple, so the apples don’t disintegrate while cooking. Golden Delicious and Jonagold are perfect sweet choices. Granny Smith also bakes up well, but will produce a more tart cake. I prefer the sweeter varieties for this cake.
Cook’s Notes for Invisible Apple Cake
As I mentioned above, I was afraid of my mandolin for years. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that there is potential for injury with these things. I finally dealt with it by purchasing cut-resistant gloves, that I use in combination with the mandolin guide. It just gives me the peace of mind I needed to use my mandolin with confidence :)
Looking for more apple recipes? How about my Sticky Apple Cinnamon Rose Buns, Rustic Skillet Spiral Apple Pie or my Apple Buttermilk Honey Scones.
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Invisible Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 6 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 6 1/2 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
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Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 F.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until very light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Melt the butter in saucepan or microwave bowl. Add the milk and stir well to combine. Allow to cool slightly, then add to the egg/sugar mixture. Mix to combine.
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Sift together the flour and baking powder, the sprinkle over the egg/sugar mixture. Mix just until combined.
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Quarter the peeled apples and remove the core. Use a mandolin to slice each quarter into thin slices. Add the apple sliced to the batter regularly (don't wait until you've done them all) and push them below batter, so they don't brown. Reserve the last handful of apple slices to scatter on top of batter. Gently stir the apples in the batter to ensure all apples are coated. Pour in to prepared springform pan and scatter the reserved apple slices randomly over-top. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until set. If desired, you can turn on the broiler for a minute to brown up the top of the cake.
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Leave in pan to cool, then run knife around edges and remove outer springform pan ring. Serve slightly warm, at room temperature or cold dusted with icing sugar.
Recipe Notes
Golden delicious apples are specified here, as they don't break down as they cook. Using another type of apple might have a different result.
You should have a good amount of apple to batter ratio. If it seems like there is a lot more batter than apples, add a bit more apple.
I’m not sure if this question has been answered already, but how thin do you slice the apples?
The cake looks delicious and I plan on making it soon.
Hi Marta, you should slice them as thin as you can with a knife.
Well, I have a mandolin slicer but it has 3 different thickness options, so I was wondering if you could tell me what size you use. I want to make sure I get the thickness right since that can change the cake completely. Thanks.
Hi Mart, I think you might start with the middle setting. You don’t want them paper thin. If they seem “see through”, bump it up to the thicker setting.
I just stumble upon this recipe, and have yet to make it. But after reading the comments posted, I think that some of the cakes that didn’t bake right might have something to do with the altitude you are baking in. Higher elevations require tweaking recipes to accommodate this change. You should google “High Altitude Baking” to see what changes are necessary to have a successful bake. There are also charts that also might be helpful. I hope this helps!
Good advice, Wanda. Thanks!
LOVE this recipe. I have made it often, and it always produces delicious and consistent results. I like to serve it with one year old Balderson cheddar on a matt black plate with a smattering of icing sugar…….beautiful in its simplicity.
So glad to hear, Kristine! Sounds perfect with beautiful Balderson :) Thanks!
Hi.
Is this a batter or a cake batter?
Your photo looks more like an actual batter than a cake.
Thanks.
Hi J, I guess you’d call it a batter, not unlike a pancake batter. Just enough to hold the apples all together.
This recipe is so freaking good! took me a while to make but it was so worth it !!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Ashley! Thanks :)
I made this yesterday and had the same problem as a couple of others – despite baking it for an extra 15 minutes, the cake was underdone. My oven is accurate and I followed the recipe exactly. I wonder if the problem is the size of the apples. According to Mr. Google, an average apple weighs between 70 – 100 grams. Mine were Jonagold and they each weighed an average of 350 grams. Obviously, I decided 6 were too many and ended up using three. Perhaps it would be helpful to give an approximate weight of an ingredient where there can be such variations in size.
Hi Elsie, I understand what you’re saying, but the recipe does specify “average sized Golden Delicious apples”, so if you used Jonagold apples, it wasn’t really exactly the recipe. I know there is a tendency to think an apple is an apple is an apple, but it really isn’t when it comes to baking with them. So I suspect your issue had more to do with the kind of apple you used, more than the weight of the apples. Apples vary greatly in their density and the time it takes them to cook through. If you use an apple other than the one specified in the recipe, the results will be different.
Very Delicious and easy to make. I added 1 tsp. of cinnamon to flour. I had to bake it an extra 20 minutes and broiled it for 1 minute as stated in recipe to lightly brown. Everyone loved the cake. I’ve made it three times; once with Granny Smith, another time with Honey Crisp and the third time with a mixture of apple types freshly picked. All versions were wonderful. Next time I will try cutting it with a pizza cutting wheel hoping to be able to serve smaller neat wedges. If you can get fresh, crisp apples this is the recipe! Just lovely!
So glad to hear, Anne and I love your idea of using a pizza cutter. I think that would work well :)
Just popped this beauty out of the oven. Delicious smelling. My only question is did you double the recipe for your beautiful photos? My cake looks good by very very think.
Cheers,
Lena
Hi Lena, I didn’t double it for the photos. I assume you used an 8-inch springform pan to start? And did you use Golden Delicious apples, as well?
I made this cake today. It did not cook in the time you have written in recipe…I even cooked an additional 20 minutes, watching it. It browned nicely on top and I took it out. After cooling, I cut into it…still seemed way too moist and undercooked (the batter, not the apples). The outside edge and bottom of cake were super yummy and what I imagine the rest of the cake should be like. Any hints where I went wrong before I try this again? I followed recipe to a tee, and I have a wonderful oven! And I don’t suck as a baker/cook!!! LoL!!! ?. Thank you!
Hi Jerri Lynn. Sorry to hear that. It seems so odd that you could cook it almost an hour at 400 F. and it still be not cooked! So let’s try and figure it out :) What kind of apples did you use and did you cut them with a mandolin or by hand? Did you use an 8-inch springform pan?
Hello Jennifer,
Thank you so much for this recipe.
My mother has diabetes and with the high ratio of apple, this has proven to be a yummy treat she can enjoy!
This one is a real crowd pleaser! So pretty when it comes out of the oven. Totally yum-o-rama.
I am so glad you are both enjoying this cake :) I love it for all the fruit, too!
Omg Jennifer, this cake is so delicious! Thank you!
Thank Lise and glad you enjoyed it :)
This Invisible Apple Cake is just gorgeous, Jennifer! I am swooning over those perfectly thin sliced apples! I could eat this beauty for every single meal… just don’t tell my waistline I said that. Hahaha. Cheers!!
Thanks Cheyanne :) I just tell myself it’s mostly apple and feel so much better about it!
I love apple desserts Jennifer and this one looks delicious. I’m always looking to use my mandolin. This would be perfect warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
Thanks Mary Ann and your mandolin will make short work of this cake!
I bought my daughter the protective gloves. A couple years ago, in college, she cut the end off her finger on a mandolin and ended up in the ER. This recipe looks delicious! When do I put the vanilla in?
Thanks Lori and thanks for noticing that omission. The vanilla goes in with the eggs and sugar. I’ve corrected it now.
Mmmmm I just love the looks of this! Great job :)
Thanks so much, Sarah :)
What a beautiful, scrumptious dessert, Jennifer. Apple is always my favourite ingredient in the fall/winter months for treats.
I bought some gloves a few years ago as well because I was slicing my fingers with the knives, the cheese grater, you name it, lol. They got tired of seeing me in ER for stitches so I thought this made more sense!
I’m with Tricia – great name, too!
Thanks Robyn and yep, I had visions of ER rooms every time I even looked at my mandolin :) Life is so much easier with a bit of peace of mind in that department!
Now that’s a beautiful apple cake! I love the name – so unique, and I love the thick stack of juicy sweet apples. Apple desserts are always a great idea. Sharing and pinning!
Thanks Tricia :) You can never go wrong with apple desserts!