I reimagined the Jamie Oliver Apple Cake into an effortless single-bake dessert that hides a surprise layer of cinnamon-spiced apple slices beneath a buttery crumble, and it works with any apples you have on hand.
I stumbled on this Jamie Oliver Apple Cake and it made me rethink what a simple dessert can do. The mix of soft cake, a judicious hit of warm ground cinnamon and rich unsalted butter somehow makes every forkful feel important, like a secret trick on repeat.
I kept asking myself why it tastes like a proper pie without the faff, then I ate another slice instead of answering the question. It’s relaxed but clever, and each time I bake it I notice a tiny change that lifts it higher.
Try it thin or thick, you wont believe how the textures play together.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and moisture, mostly fat, makes cake tender and slightly more indulgent.
- Golden caster sugar: Sweetens the cake, quick dissolving, mainly carbs, gives light caramel notes.
- Eggs: Bind and leaven, provide protein and structure, help golden colour and moisture.
- Self raising flour: Gives lift and soft crumb, mostly carbs, low fibre.
- Apples: Fresh apples add juice, fibre and natural sweetness, slightly tart depends on variety.
- Lemon zest and juice: Adds bright zing and acidity, balances sweetness, small vitamin C boost.
- Ground cinnamon: Warm spice, no calories worth mentioning, gives aroma and cozy flavour.
- Demerara sugar for crumble: Crunchy caramel like sweetness for topping, adds texture and extra sugar.
Ingredient Quantities
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g golden caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- a pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- 4–5 medium eating apples (about 600g)
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 75g plain flour (for crumble topping)
- 75g cold unsalted butter (for crumble)
- 75g demerara or light brown sugar (for crumble)
- icing sugar to dust, optional
How to Make this
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) or gas 4 and butter and line a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper.
2. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples, then toss them in a bowl with the lemon zest, lemon juice and 2 tsp ground cinnamon; set aside so the flavours mingle.
3. In a large bowl beat 225g softened unsalted butter with 225g golden caster sugar until pale and fluffy, a few minutes with an electric whisk or by hand.
4. Crack in the 4 large eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; if the mix looks like it might split add a spoonful of the 225g self-raising flour with an egg to stabilise it.
5. Fold in the rest of the 225g self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp milk until you have a smooth batter – don’t overwork it, a few lumps are fine.
6. Spoon about half the batter into the prepared tin and spread it out a little, pile the cinnamon apples onto that layer, then dollop and spread the remaining batter over the apples so they’re partly covered. You can swirl a knife through the top so apples peek through.
7. Make the crumble by rubbing together 75g plain flour and 75g cold unsalted butter with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs, then stir in 75g demerara or light brown sugar and scatter it evenly over the cake. Cold butter gives a nicer crunchy crumble.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean; if it’s browning too quickly tent with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar if you like and serve warm or at room temperature.
Equipment Needed
1. 23cm round cake tin, buttered and lined with baking paper
2. Oven (set to 180C / 160C fan or gas 4)
3. Large mixing bowl
4. Electric whisk or hand whisk
5. Digital kitchen scales and measuring spoons
6. Rubber spatula or wooden spoon for folding and spreading
7. Sharp knife and chopping board (or apple peeler/corer)
8. Wire cooling rack and a skewer or cake tester
FAQ
Jamie Oliver Apple Pie Cake Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Unsalted butter: swap with solid coconut oil (use same weight) or with salted butter; if you use salted, leave out the pinch of salt. Coconut oil gives a mild coconut taste and can make the crumb a touch lighter.
- Golden caster sugar: use granulated sugar 1:1 (pulse in a blender if you want it finer) or light brown/demerara 1:1 for a deeper caramel note and chewier crumble.
- Self-raising flour: if you only have plain flour mix 225g plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder + a pinch of salt, then sift. Works almost exactly like store bought self raising.
- Eggs: for each egg try 1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp water (mix and rest 5 minutes) or 60-80g unsweetened applesauce; you’ll get a slightly denser, moister cake but it’s great if you need an egg-free option.
Pro Tips
1) Let the butter be soft not melty. If it’s too warm the batter goes flat, if it’s too cold you wont get a smooth cream, and you end up overworking the mix. If it looks like it might split while adding eggs, stop, scrape the bowl and fold in a spoon of flour or a splash of milk to stead it.
2) Choose firm, slightly tart apples and slice them thin. Toss them with lemon and a little sugar and let them sit so they macerate, then pat them dry or dust with a teaspoon of plain flour or cornflour so they dont release too much juice into the cake and make the bottom soggy.
3) For a really crunchy crumble, use very cold butter and either grate it or rub it only until you have pea sized lumps, then chill the crumble while the oven heats so the lumps stay distinct. Bigger butter bits = better crunch after baking.
4) Don’t rely only on time. Test with a skewer and look for moist crumbs not raw batter, and if the top is getting too brown cover loosely with foil for the last bit of baking. Let the cake rest in the tin for a short while before you move it, and slicing when slightly warm gives a nicer texture than cutting it piping hot.
Jamie Oliver Apple Pie Cake Recipe
I reimagined the Jamie Oliver Apple Cake into an effortless single-bake dessert that hides a surprise layer of cinnamon-spiced apple slices beneath a buttery crumble, and it works with any apples you have on hand.
10
servings
602
kcal
Equipment: 1. 23cm round cake tin, buttered and lined with baking paper
2. Oven (set to 180C / 160C fan or gas 4)
3. Large mixing bowl
4. Electric whisk or hand whisk
5. Digital kitchen scales and measuring spoons
6. Rubber spatula or wooden spoon for folding and spreading
7. Sharp knife and chopping board (or apple peeler/corer)
8. Wire cooling rack and a skewer or cake tester
Ingredients
-
225g unsalted butter, softened
-
225g golden caster sugar
-
4 large eggs
-
225g self-raising flour
-
a pinch salt
-
1 tsp vanilla extract
-
2 tbsp milk
-
4–5 medium eating apples (about 600g)
-
zest and juice of 1 lemon
-
2 tsp ground cinnamon
-
75g plain flour (for crumble topping)
-
75g cold unsalted butter (for crumble)
-
75g demerara or light brown sugar (for crumble)
-
icing sugar to dust, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) or gas 4 and butter and line a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper.
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples, then toss them in a bowl with the lemon zest, lemon juice and 2 tsp ground cinnamon; set aside so the flavours mingle.
- In a large bowl beat 225g softened unsalted butter with 225g golden caster sugar until pale and fluffy, a few minutes with an electric whisk or by hand.
- Crack in the 4 large eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; if the mix looks like it might split add a spoonful of the 225g self-raising flour with an egg to stabilise it.
- Fold in the rest of the 225g self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp milk until you have a smooth batter – don’t overwork it, a few lumps are fine.
- Spoon about half the batter into the prepared tin and spread it out a little, pile the cinnamon apples onto that layer, then dollop and spread the remaining batter over the apples so they’re partly covered. You can swirl a knife through the top so apples peek through.
- Make the crumble by rubbing together 75g plain flour and 75g cold unsalted butter with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs, then stir in 75g demerara or light brown sugar and scatter it evenly over the cake. Cold butter gives a nicer crunchy crumble.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean; if it’s browning too quickly tent with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar if you like and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 173g
- Total number of serves: 10
- Calories: 602kcal
- Fat: 26.7g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0.9g
- Polyunsaturated: 0.9g
- Monounsaturated: 6.3g
- Cholesterol: 138.9mg
- Sodium: 32.5mg
- Potassium: 128mg
- Carbohydrates: 68.7g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Sugar: 36.2g
- Protein: 6g
- Vitamin A: 310IU
- Vitamin C: 5.8mg
- Calcium: 29.1mg
- Iron: 0.78mg
