This easy apple cake roll is a delicious Swiss roll with a layer of sweetened fresh apples baked right under the sponge cake. After baking, you flip it over so the apple filling ends up in the middle when you roll it up. Dust it with powdered sugar after the cake cools down.
Jump to:
My go-to dessert when I have extra apples
This easy apple cake roll is very similar to one of my most popular apple sponge cake recipe. It is a perfect dessert you can make in under 40 minutes, does not require frosting, looks beautiful and tastes amazing. The base of the cake roll is a classic sponge cake with added baking powder to guarantee the rise and a light texture. The apple layer is baked into the beautiful filling that is sweet, buttery that tastes almost like apple pie filling, minus all the extra work. Once you flip the baked cake, that delicious filling ends up perfectly rolled inside the soft, airy sponge cake.
Nataliia
Looking for more apple recipes? Try next my apple cake with pistachio crumb topping, apple cinnamon crepes or apple banana and carrot muffins.
Ingredients needed
Apple filling layer:
- Apples: Although sour types like McIntosh or Granny Smith are best ones to choose, you can absolutely use any type of apples.
- Sugar: I used 2 tablespoons of sugar for the apple filling layer.
- Lemon juice: Add a fresh taste. You can also use lemon zest.
- Cinnamon: If you do not like it, skip it.
- Butter: for greasing the baking pan, so the apples bake nice and buttery.
Cake layer:
- Eggs: Preferably at room temperature. Just take them out at least 30 minutes before baking the cake.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar. You can also use powdered sugar for making the cake batter.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. On the images it might look darker, because I accidentally added extra ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour mix. Which actually made the cake even more flavorful, so you can do the same.
- Vanilla extract: for warm flavor.
- Baking powder: I add it just it case, so we do not have to rely solely on eggs and sugar.
How to make easy apple cake roll
Peel the apples. Using a knife or a veggie peeler, peel the apples.
Prepare the apples. Grate the apples on a coarse side of a box grater. Discard the cores and any seeds.
Combine apples with other filling ingredients. Mix grated apples with sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon.
Beat eggs and sugar. In a large bowl, add eggs and sugar. Use electric mixer to beat eggs and sugar for about 8-10 minutes on high speed or until they triple in size.
Finish making the cake batter. Mix flour, baking soda and cinnamon (optional). Fold in dry ingredients into the eggs mixture. Mix them in gently, preferably with a silicone spatula.
Spread the apples on the baking pan. Line the standard size baking (13"x9") pan with parchment paper. I used two sheets overlapping each other, so the go all the way up to the rims. Grease the parchment paper with melted butter or vegetable oil. Spread the layer of grated apples on top evenly. It is easier to use hands.
Add the batter on top. Pour over the cake layer on top of the apples. Use a spoon or spatula to spread it evenly.
Bake the cake roll for about 20-23 minutes at 350°F. The cake is ready when the tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Flip it over. Take the cake out of the oven and carefully flip it over with the parchment paper on a towel or parchment paper. Peel the parchment paper from the apple layer that the cake was baked in.
Roll the cake. While it is still warm, carefully roll it into a log starting from the shorter side and let it cool down. Once cooled down, dust it with powder sugar. Slice it and enjoy.
Recipe tips
- Beat the eggs and sugar for no less than 8 minutes. It might take up to 1 minutes, depending on your mixer. The best way to tell: 1. by the volume: It should triple in size; 2. by the way the mixture falls back from the mixer whisk: when lifted, the mixture should fall back in thick ribbons, that stay on surface for a few seconds.
- Fold in dry ingredients gently, do not over mix the batter.
- Check the cake at about 20 minutes. It is quite thin so it bakes quickly.
Frequently asked questions
You can use any apples you have on hand. That's is the beauty of this recipe. But if I have a choice, I would use sour typed of apples rather than sweet.
Traditionally, sponge cake relies on properly beaten eggs and sugar for the rise and light texture, so baking powder is often not necessary. But for this recipe, I like adding a little bit of baking powder just in case - since the batter is spread thin and grated apples add some moisture.
📖 Recipe
Easy Apple Cake Roll
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 Box grater
- 1 baking pan, 9"x13"
Ingredients
Apple filling layer
- 2 pounds (4-5 apples) whole apples
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon melted butter for greasing the pan
Cake roll layer
- 4 large eggs
- 130 grams (about ⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 120 grams (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (optional) cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Peel the apples. Using the box grater coarse side, grate apples. Discard cores and any seeds. Add grated apples to the bowl and mix them with sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.2 pounds (4-5 apples) whole apples, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar , ½ teaspoons cinnamon .
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line your baking pan with parchment paper, overlapping two sheets, so they reach up the sides. Brush the parchment paper generously with melted butter or vegetable oil. 1 tablespoon melted butter
- In a large bowl, add eggs and sugar. Using electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for bout 8-10 minutes or until they triple in size. Add vanilla extract. Fold in flour mixed with baking powder and cinnamon (if using).4 large eggs, 130 grams (about ⅔ cup) granulated sugar , 120 grams (about 1 cup) all-purpose flour , 1 teaspoon baking powder , 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ½ teaspoon (optional) cinnamon .
- Spread the apple filling on top of parchment paper evenly. If there is any juice left, discard it. Pour over the cake batter over the layer of apples. Spread it evenly with a spoon or spatula.
- Bake the cake roll at 350°F for about 20-23 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake and carefully flip it over on a clean towel or parchment paper, so the apples are on top. While the cake is still very warm, fold it into a roll. Let it cool down. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar on top before serving. 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Comments
No Comments