Eplekake (Norwegian Apple Cake)
Norwegians love cake, which is no surprise considering how many incredible Norwegian cakes there are. I’ve shared my favorite Norwegian cakes here. But perhaps the most popular every occasion cake in Norway is eplekake, or Norwegian apple cake.
Eplekake is quick and easy to make, and sweet enough to serve as a tasty desert, without being too indulgent. Eplekake is a classic vanilla sponge cake topped with sliced apples, cinnamon, and sugar. Interestingly there are no apples in the cake batter, as they are all placed on top of the cake.
Eplekake is a popular cake to make out of a box, however it’s quite easy to make from scratch and uses ingredients you likely have in your kitchen already. And of course I think homemade apple cake tastes best!
Norwegians are very proud of their apples and make all sorts of delicious apple dishes and products with them. After the apple harvest in the autumn you’ll see apple cake served across Norway. But it’s so popular that many Norwegians eat apple cake all year round. Norwegian apple cake is usually served with ice cream, vanilla sauce, or whipped cream.
Tips
I always try to use the best quality (salted) butter I can find for this cake, as you can really taste the butter flavor in the sponge cake.
The cake can stick to the cake form, so be sure to butter the sides well and line the bottom with baking paper.
I like to slice the apples into medium thick slices. If they’re too thin they lose texture, and if they’re too thick they won’t cook through. I then arrange them in circles around the top of the cake batter, pressing them down a bit into the batter. You can arrange them however you think is pretty. I try to fit as many apple slices as possible!
Traditionally, Norwegians sprinkle the top of their eplekake with pearl sugar or granulated sugar. However I think it tastes even better with brown sugar. Use whichever you prefer, or have on hand. If you want extra sweetness, you can sprinkle a layer of sugar below the apples as well. Some people also sprinkle the top with chopped almonds.
Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the cake form before removing it. Eplekake is usually served at room temperature, however if serving it with ice cream I like to serve it warm.
The apple cake will keep in an airtight container or plastic wrap for a few days in the fridge, or you can freeze it. I like to heat up the apple cake a bit when eating it the next day.
You can switch the recipe from US measurements to metric by clicking from “US Customary” to “Metric” under Ingredients.
Eplekake (Norwegian Apple Cake)
Equipment
- 10 inch (25 cm) spring form
Ingredients
- 3-4 apples
- 14 tbsp butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)
- 4 tbsp pearl sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For serving
- whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or vanilla sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease the sides of the spring form and line the bottom with baking paper.
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into medium slices.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and the milk, mixing well.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and vanilla and stir until you have a smooth batter.
- Spread the cake batter evenly in the spring from and arrange the apple slices on top in circles. Sprinkle the top with sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake for about 40 minutes on the bottom rack until the cake is golden. You can test the center with a toothpick – no batter should stick to the toothpick when the cake is done.
- Let the cake cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.