Nanny’s Rosh Hashanah Apple Cake

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT TAYLOR-GROSS

By Jake Cohen

Published on September 27, 2019

With a streusel topping and pie-like dough, this Rosh Hashanah apple dessert is half cake, half pie.

Featured in: The Apple Dessert That's Half Cake, Half Pie

What You Will Need

Ingredients

2 cups (9 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 oz.) sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus more for greasing
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch wedges
¹⁄₄ cup raisins
¹⁄₄ cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
¹⁄₂ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

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Instructions

Step 1

In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until it forms pea-size crumbles. Add the egg and pulse until the dough just comes together. Remove one-third of the dough and flatten it into a disk. Flatten the remaining dough into a disk as well, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the larger disk into a 12-inch circle. Press the circle into a buttered 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges flush with the edge of the pan, reserving the trimmings. In a medium bowl, combine the apples with the raisins, walnuts, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add to the pan. Pinch off small pieces of the remaining dough disk and the trimmings, and scatter them over the top of the apples.

Step 3

Bake until the cake is golden brown and bubbling in the center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely before serving.

In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until it forms pea-size crumbles. Add the egg and pulse until the dough just comes together. Remove one-third of the dough and flatten it into a disk. Flatten the remaining dough into a disk as well, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the larger disk into a 12-inch circle. Press the circle into a buttered 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges flush with the edge of the pan, reserving the trimmings. In a medium bowl, combine the apples with the raisins, walnuts, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add to the pan. Pinch off small pieces of the remaining dough disk and the trimmings, and scatter them over the top of the apples.
Bake until the cake is golden brown and bubbling in the center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely before serving.