Torta di Mele (Apple Cake with Olive Oil) is the apple cake of my childhood, one of the few ones my mom would make (and still does). It is tender and delicious, made with olive oil and milk instead of butter, and a lot of apples.
Song of the day: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
Freshly picked apples from a neighbor's tree, peeled, chopped, and tossed in lemon juice are the stars of this simple, rustic Torta di Mele (Apple Cake with Olive Oil), scented with lemon-flavored olive oil, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla.
Happy Birthday To Me
Tomorrow will mark my 51st birthday. They say time flies when you're having fun, and I surely was having a blast, because it seems yesterday that I was in my mother's kitchen, waiting for a freshly baked Torta di Mele to come out of the oven.
My mom's Torta di Mele
My mom would always make Torta di Mele with oil (peanut or olive) and never with butter, which I never saw in our fridge and which she avoided like the plague. The other ingredients would be milk, sugar but not too much, eggs, lemon juice and zest, flour (never weighed but always added "by eye and feel"), and baking powder. She would not add cinnamon, or vanilla, let alone cardamom, simply because she would not have them, thinking they are not a pantry staple.
She would bake Torta di Mele in a rectangular pan, the chopped apples in the batter (and not artistically arranged on top), no sugar sprinkled on top, nor icing sugar after. I would take care of the bowl, my finger fast to clean the batter before she could see me. Those minutes in the oven seemed interminable, until finally, out of the oven the Torta would come, and she would cut a square for each of us. We would eat it with our hands like we still eat crostata or other rustic cakes like these. No-fuss, no plates, and especially no fork.
The Flavors of My Childhood
Torta di Mele would taste like home, like most of my mom's other -few- baked goods: never too sweet, very lemon-scented, filled with fruit, unpretentious, sincere.
My Torta di Mele (Apple Cake with Olive Oil)
I tried to stay tried and true to my mom's Torta di Mele, however, I took some liberties.
- Among the main ingredients in common (flour, eggs, milk, olive oil, sugar, and baking powder), there is an array of fragrances and spices which I have come to love and that have become a staple in many of my baked goods: lemon of course, but also vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom. You will be surprised -or maybe not- to see how amazingly they pair with apples.
- The second difference is that I used a large round springform pan because I prefer round cakes to angular ones. Nonetheless, one thing they both have in common. That Torta di Mele has to be a low cake, with just enough batter to 'hug' a lot of apples.
- Lastly, I sprinkled the cake with raw cane sugar before it hit the oven, a step my mother would have surely skipped. It gives such a nice texture, though, and since the cake has a few tart elements, it also brings a delightful sweetness.
How I tackle the making of a cake
- I first read the ingredients and all the steps of the preparation, right to the end. Make notes on the side if I want to make some adjustments.
- I have all the ingredients ready in ramekins/small bowls so that the preparation is smooth and I don't have to stop to weigh or go get that particular ingredient.
- For a simple cake like this one, I grab two bowls, a whisk, and a spatula, and divide the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in the other. Then, gently, fold the wet into the dry.
- In the case of a cake that involves apples (or pears, or any fruit that browns in contact with air), I slice/chop the apples, put them in a bowl, and toss them in lemon juice (it helps prevent oxidation).
Torta di Mele as my birthday cake??
As I said, tomorrow will be my birthday, and Loreto has big plans for me for the whole weekend. We ordered a cake from a famous local bakery we love, The Art of Cake, and I asked for a semi-naked Pumpkin Spice Cake with cream cheese icing. Pretty simple. In fact, you might remember I don't like icings and frostings on cakes. For that matter, I would have gladly put a candle on my Torta di Mele and called it a birthday cake 🙂 .
As a usual practice, I shared my Torta di Mele with neighbors, friends, and family. I wasn't sure about their reaction since it is a little different than the typical apple pie. However, after a few minutes from the delivery, my cell phone buzzed and the messages I received warmed my heart: "Beyond good. Thank you!"; "That piece of cake was yummy, thank you!"; "Thank you for the yummy dessert. Amazing". Loreto said it was "like candy and dessert all in one bite. The crust with that remarkable texture and the cake and apples a comfort and delectable treat." He may be biased but his lip-smacking was a good indication that he truly enjoyed it.
Share the love. Our motto.
Enjoy!
PrintTorta di Mele (Apple Cake with Olive Oil)
Torta di Mele (Apple Cake with Olive Oil) is the apple cake of my childhood, one of the few ones my mom would make (and still does). It is tender and delicious, made with olive oil and milk instead of butter, and a lot of apples.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- about 4 regular apples (or 5-6 small/medium apples)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice + 1 tsp lemon zest, for the apples
- 200 g flour type 00 (or all-purpose)
- 120 g raw cane sugar + more for sprinkling on top of the cake
- pinch of salt
- a pinch of cardamom
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 10 g baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 80 g olive oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C) and butter a 26 cm (10 in.) springform cake pan.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pinch of salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
- Use an apple slicer to core and divide the apples into slices. Remove the skin and cut each slice in half lengthwise. Or chop them, as you most like. Place the apples in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice and zest.
- In a medium bowl, add the eggs, olive oil, vanilla, and milk. Beat well.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a spatula to combine.
- Before it is all combined, add the sliced/chopped apples with their juices and fold in.
- Pour the thick batter into the prepared pan, spreading and smoothing the top with the spatula.
- Optional, sprinkle the top with raw cane (turbinado) sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake is nice and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack before removing from the springform pan.
Notes
You can use a mild olive oil, or a lemon-flavored olive oil.
This apple cake is very low on purpose. For a taller cake use a smaller pan.
The cake keeps in an airtight container for 2-3 days without losing its beautiful moist texture.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Matt - TotalFeasts says
I love apple cakes, just love them. I imagine that with the olive oil it adds a really good flavour, and the whole thing looks perfect to go with a nice coffee!
Thank you, Matt! We shared it with many people and they all loved it. It is so simple but the flavors are so bright!
Becky says
Made this cake today. The recipe was so easy and perfect. Is there any chance you have the nutritional information.
Thank you for the feedback! Sp happy you loved the cake! Unfortunately we don't have the nutritional info. We would have to install a plug in that does that. Will se what we can do in a near future.
Chef Dennis says
I've been craving for an Apple recipe this Fall season and this Torta de mele Apple cake is just so perfect that it made me drool. I really love this. Will definitely make this for my family.
Thank you! It is such a great cake to showcase beautiful apples. Very simpe to make and delicious.
Elaine Benoit says
I love a great apple cake and this looks fantastic! I saw it was your birthday and also saw you had an awesome celebration! I'm going to be making your cake for my sister's birthday next month!
Thank you! Yes, it was my birthday and I had a wonderful time. Hope you make it and everybody loves it the way we do!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I made this cake this morning with the intention of serving it for dessert later tonight. My husband and I couldn't wait to try it and ended up eating so much of it we don't need lunch and might not need dinner either. 🙂 It's so delicious. Thank you for a great recipe!
So glad you tried it! It's that good????. So simple and fast to make, you can whip up another one ????.
Sharon says
This is a great dessert for fall with all the apple flavor and spices. It would be a great afternoon treat with a cup of tea.
Thanks! It is! And it goes so well with tea or coffee!
Tammy says
Happy Birthday! I hope you had a beautiful day 🙂 This is a perfect cake to celebrate with. It's just a lovely seasonal treat. I wish I could have a slice right now!
Veronika says
My all time favorite Apple Cake! I never tried to make it with olive oil but it sounds really good! Saving the recipe)
Jo says
How soft and moist that apple cake looks! You can't miss having some apple cake in fall and this recipe is so easy and perfect. Saving the recipe
Aline says
OMG!! This cake looks incredible!! Perfect for the season and so easy to make. I'm saving the recipe to make it next weekend! I can't wait!!
Elena Torday says
I have made this cake twice now simply love it a great recipe, the olive oil and cardarmon add so much taste and interest.
I am so happy to her that! It is a really great cake, simple with lots of flavor. Thank you for the feedback! Really appreciate it!
Luciana says
I like your torta di mele recipe..I love rustic food and cakes! I will definitely try it. Do you suppose I could use gluten free flour (like Robin Hood all-purpose flour)? Many thanks!
Thank you! Yes, this is a rustic and delectable torta di mele, my favorite this time of the year. I would say yes, it's a trusted brand and their g.f. flours are a good substitute. The texture will be a little different, but there are more apples than batter, so not too much 😉 . Let me know how it goes!
Julia s says
So delicious! My husband doesn't eat dairy, so I was looking for an apple cake recipe that was made with oil and heavy on the apple. This ticks all the boxes, plus has lovely subtle spicy notes from the lemon, cinnamon and cardamon. Highly recommend!
I am so happy to hear you loved this cake which is dear to my heart! Thank you!
Emma says
Thank you for this simple and DELICIOUS recipe! I made this for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was the perfect counterpart to overly-sweet, gooey desserts. I only bake with whole grain flours so I used whole wheat pastry flour in place of the all-purpose flour. The other modifications were using orange juice and zest since I didn't have lemon, and I added about a 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds for a little texture. I froze the leftover slices and they defrost beautifully. I never leave comments on recipes I use from various blogs but this was so good and easy I had to let you know - thanks again!
Thank you so much! That is such a wonderful compliment. Great modifications, and you're right it's not overly sweet. My favorite apple cake :).
avigail says
This recipe is still giving! I was looking for an apple cake to make without butter (just have enough for greasing) and came across this. Made it last night. Accidentally left it in the oven for about 20 too long but it was still delightful and yummy! So light! Would make a great, ahem, breakfast cake 🙂
So happy to hear, because this is one of my favourite cakes to make. Easy and always delicious. Thank you!