Jewish apple cake is a dairy-free apple cake associated with American Jewish cuisine, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is typically made with apples, flour, sugar, eggs, cinnamon and vegetable oil, often with orange juice. The use of oil rather than butter makes traditional versions pareve, allowing the cake to be served with either meat or dairy meals under the dietary laws of kashrut.
Its precise origin is uncertain. Similar apple cakes occur in Eastern European baking traditions, including the Polish szarlotka, and recipes resembling Jewish apple cake have been passed down in Polish Jewish families. The name Jewish apple cake is documented in American community cooking by the second half of the 20th century and has also appeared in non-Jewish church cookbooks.
Preparation Jewish apple cake is usually prepared from a thick batter containing flour, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder and flavorings such as vanilla and cinnamon. Orange juice is included in many versions. The apples may be sliced or chopped and are commonly mixed with cinnamon and sugar before being added to the cake.
The batter and apples are often arranged in alternating layers in a tube pan or Bundt pan, producing a tall cake with fruit distributed through the interior. Other recipes use loaf or rectangular pans. Some versions include walnuts or other nuts.
Unlike many American cakes, Jewish apple cake traditionally uses vegetable oil rather than butter. This keeps the cake free of dairy ingredients and therefore pareve when the remaining ingredients are prepared in accordance with kosher requirements.
Jewish holidays Jewish apple cake is commonly served during Rosh Hashanah. Apples are traditionally eaten during the holiday as a symbol of hopes for a sweet new year, and apple cakes provide one baked form of the custom. Oil-based versions are suitable for serving after either meat or dairy meals.
The cake is also associated with Hanukkah. Its use of vegetable oil accords with the holiday's culinary emphasis on oil, which commemorates the miracle of the oil. Unlike foods such as latkes and sufganiyah, however, Jewish apple cake is baked rather than fried and is not restricted to the holiday.
Regional distribution Jewish apple cake is particularly associated with parts of the American Mid-Atlantic, including eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland. Recipes under the name have circulated through both Jewish and Christian community cookbooks in the region.
In some Jewish households, especially where the cake is already familiar as part of family cooking, it may simply be called apple cake rather than Jewish apple cake.
See also Apple cake Jewish cuisine List of apple dishes Szarlotka
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