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Homemade Fresh Apple Cake Recipes: Old-Fashioned Apple Cake
My old-fashioned apple cake recipe with fresh apples is possibly the most delicious homemade apple cake recipe you’ve ever baked!
➡️ Are you looking for old-fashioned apple cake recipes in 2023? On this page, you’ll learn how to make a traditional apple cake with fresh apples from scratch in 24 steps at home. Apples are among the most beloved autumn fruits in temperate areas and, therefore, apple cakes take pride of place in most kitchens there.
➡️ As those who know me best know, I am a follower of traditional recipes and, as such, old-fashioned apple cakes are among the most frequently used recipes with the beginning of autumn. My easy apple cake recipe helps you to make a traditional dessert with simple and tasty ingredients like fresh apples and cinnamon.
➡️ Baking an old-fashioned apple cake isn’t a tricky task and the working time is not too long, not even that required for baking. Watch the baking video below and learn how to make an old-fashioned apple cake using a traditional apple pie recipe in the Hungarian style!
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How to Make Hungarian Apple Pie with Fresh Apples from Scratch
What ingredients do you need to make an old-fashioned apple cake?

1) 2 kg/70 oz of sweet apples
2) 200 ml/7 fl oz of cow milk
3) 1 tbsp of vanilla essence
4) 10 g/0.35 oz of baking powder
5) 10 g/0.35 oz of dried yeast
6) 850 g/30 oz of all-purpose flour + some flour for the working surface
7) 330 g/11.5 oz + 6 tbsp + 6 tbsp of granulated sugar
8) 630 g/22.5 oz of pork lard or fat butter (featuring over 80% fat)
9) grated zest from a lemon
10) 2 +1 eggs
11) 6 +6 tbsp of semolina
12) 2 tsp of cinnamon powder or to taste
13) some caster sugar for garnishing (optional)
How to make an old-fashioned apple cake recipe from scratch?

1) peel apples off, then shred them and remove the stub and seeds
2) put milk in a bowl, then add vanilla essence, baking powder, and yeast, and mix the ingredients
3) put flour in a bowl and add 330 g/11.5 oz of sugar and pork lard at room temperature
4) grate zest from a lemon over the ingredients in the flour bowl
5) combine ingredients in the bowl by rubbing them between fingers until there are no more lard lumps
6) add 2 eggs and milk, then knead the ingredients until you get a smooth dough
7) sprinkle some flour on the worktop, take the dough out from the bowl and divide it into two equal pieces
8) spread a piece of dough into a sheet the size of the tray you are going to use for baking
9) put the dough sheet in the tray, then straighten the edges and remove the excess dough if necessary
10) sprinkle evenly 6 tablespoons of semolina over the dough in the tray
11) sprinkle evenly 6 tablespoons of sugar over the semolina layer
12) squeeze by hand apples gently so that they remain still well moistened (VERY IMPORTANT!), then place them evenly on the tray
13) sprinkle over apples some cinnamon powder to taste
14) sprinkle again 6 tablespoons of semolina over apples
15) sprinkle again 6 tablespoons of sugar over semolina
16) spread the second piece of dough into a sheet the size of the tray you are going to use for baking
17) put the second dough sheet over the ingredients in the tray and join the edges of the two dough sheets on all four sides
18) cut the excess dough off on all sides
19) break an egg, beat it up with a fork, and brush the entire surface of the fresh apple cake
20) use a fork and drill holes from place to place in the pie to go the steam out during baking
21) put the tray in the preheated oven at 180 C/360 F and bake this delicious apple cake until it becomes golden on the entire surface (about 30 minutes)
22) take the tray out from the oven and wait for the homemade apple pie to cool to room temperature
23) cut and remove edges, then slice the pie up into pieces of the desired size
24) sprinkle over this old-fashioned apple cake some caster sugar as desired (optional)
Final Notes for the Old-Fashioned Apple Cake Recipe
➡️ Apple cake is one of the most popular recipes for traditional homemade cakes. Everyone likes apples, so there is not surprising that cakes including fresh apples among the ingredients are some of the most appreciated desserts all over the world.
➡️ In Eastern Europe, almost every housewife knows a traditional apple cake recipe that is passed down from generation to generation within the family. That is why many call such cakes “old-fashioned apple cakes”. The recipe for the homemade apple cake shared on this page is the one used in my family for a few generations. Because it’s very tasty, I often prepare this autumn fruit cake because it’s enjoyed by everyone, family and friends alike.
➡️ Apart from its delicious taste, the pie is remarkable also because it’s very economical. The dough is made with pork lard, which is very cheap compared to butter, at least that’s how it was in the past in Eastern European countries.
➡️ It’s worth mentioning that this old-fashioned apple cake recipe doesn’t require any sophisticated ingredients or extended experience in preparing homemade cakes. Therefore, the cake is accessible to all and can be made by anyone who wants to taste it!
➡️ The only secret which is of crucial importance you need to know when you are going to prepare this old-fashioned apple cake recipe, which is actually a kind of pie, is to not completely remove the juice from the apples when you put them on the tray. You may have already tasted a pie that was very dry. This is due to the lack of juice that is usually absorbed by dough while baking and makes it tender.
➡️ Another important thing to keep in mind when making this apple pie with shortcrust pastry is to make some holes in the upper dough sheet. Without an exit way, the steam that forms during baking will break the dough sheet and so the cake will be unsightly and difficult to slice.
➡️ Enjoy making old-fashioned apple cake recipes from scratch! For additional info, read more on apple cake!
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