Spiced apple cake from Ottolenghi Simple (page 285) by Yotam Ottolenghi

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    See recipe for cooking apple and green-skinned apple suggestions.

  • amber_fr96mh on April 25, 2026

    Easy to make and a hit with the whole family

  • MADCH82 on September 18, 2025

    It was ok... the cake was dense, dough indeed under apples not quite cooked through. used speculaas spice mix, about the same. makes the apples extremely tasty, just wasn;t as impressed by the cake base and i had hoped to be.

  • corsentino on October 13, 2024

    I made this once as cake and today as muffins and both received rave reviews. I took another commenters suggestion and subbed in 1/2 cup of almond flour and added lemon zest as well. With respect to the muffin version I sliced the granny apples very thin due to a shorter bake time, and boosted the temp to 375F. Baked 35-45 min looking for a clean cake tester.

  • FJT on September 26, 2023

    I made this using a gluten-free flour blend and subbed one third of the flour for an equivalent weight of ground almonds (thanks to Frogcake for the suggestion). I used less Demerara sugar on top and wish I'd used a little less mixed spice too, but overall it was a lovely moist cake. Perfect for an autumn birthday.

  • anothersarah on January 15, 2023

    I found that 60-70 minutes was enough for baking time. Also the people who ate it said they really enjoyed the bake. Overall the recipe came out great and I would definitely suggest giving it a try if you are up to the occasion.

  • LittleLemon on September 03, 2022

    This recipe came together very well. I made my own apple pie spice, since I didn’t have any storebought. I used the recommended amount of apples, and it was the perfect apple to sugar/spice ratio. I had no issues with anything. I listened to the recommendation here to bake it for 80 minutes, and it came out perfect! Even though apple spice desserts are not my favorite, this cake was very delicious! My family loved it!

  • Frogcake on October 03, 2021

    I’ve made this cake before with positive results. This time I added half cup of almond flour, replacing half cup of white flour - a nice addition, which enhanced the flavour even more. We love this recipe- a regular on our menu in the fall!

  • sharpcatherine on December 10, 2020

    Needed much longer cooking. The large size of the apples on top prevented the sponge underneath from cooking.

  • Lsblackburn1 on October 27, 2020

    Followed everyone’s advice and baked this for 80 minutes. That was perfect - cake was very moist still, but cooked through. Family devoured this! Not too sweet and easy to eat.

  • Skamper on October 16, 2019

    I baked this for 70 minutes and it was underdone in the center. The rest of the cake was very tasty but I worry it would be overcooked by the time the center was done.

  • kitchen_chick on October 12, 2019

    Fantastic! I substituted lactose-free whole fat yogurt for the sour cream. Mine also took a lot longer to bake. About 85 minutes. Aside: the ingredient list here says “self rising flour”, but my edition lists the flour, baking powder, and salt separately.

  • Frogcake on January 01, 2019

    Really delicious! My cake looked exactly like the picture. So simple to make - it baked for 65 minutes while we consumed other courses. I added a teaspoon of freshly grated orange rind to the dough and this enhanced the flavour nicely. I served small portions, warm, with gelato for New Year’s Eve dinner and everyone ate the rest of the cake (still fragrant and moist) for breakfast.

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    Easy, had all ingredients on hand. Delicious served warm, with double cream.

  • Astrid5555 on October 06, 2018

    Perfect apple cake for a chilly fall afternoon! Reduced the demerara sugar for the apples to 100g, still too much for coating the apples. Will reduce next time to 80g. Recipe states to bake for 60-65 minutes, I took mine out of the oven after 80 minutes. Dough underneath the apples was still a little custardy, but a longer baking time would have resulted in a dry cake. Everbody loved it!

  • RosieB on September 16, 2018

    This cake was easy and delicious. It looked stunning.

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