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Easy Traditional Swedish Apple Cake (Äppelkaka)

A moist slice of Swedish apple cake, studded with apple pieces and dusted with powdered sugar, sits on a white plate.
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You will love this simple and moist Swedish Apple Cake, or Äppelkaka. It features tender apples mixed with warm cinnamon and cardamom, making it a comforting Scandinavian dessert perfect with coffee.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 medium apples (like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set this dry mixture aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
  6. Spread half of the batter evenly into your prepared baking pan.
  7. Arrange the thinly sliced apples over the batter layer. You can slightly overlap them for a nice look.
  8. Spoon the remaining batter over the apples, spreading it gently to cover most of the fruit.
  9. Sprinkle the top evenly with the 2 tablespoons of coarse sugar.
  10. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The top should be golden brown.
  11. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. This is the best Swedish apple cake for dessert.

Notes

  • For an extra layer of flavor, toss your apple slices with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice before layering them into the batter.
  • Serve this moist apple cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for a truly cozy fall dessert experience.
  • If you do not have cardamom, you can increase the cinnamon to 3/4 teaspoon, but the cardamom adds the authentic Nordic flavor.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://devourdish.com/easy-swedish-apple-cake-recipe/