I can’t get over how this Jamie Oliver Apple Pie Cake lands somewhere between a tender apple cake and a buttery crumble topped pie, with spiced apples tucked into every bite. One slice looks simple, but it disappears like the dessert everyone secretly hoped I’d make.
I’m obsessed with this Jamie Oliver Apple Pie Cake because it gives me that dessert hit without turning into a whole project. The cake is soft, the apples go juicy and slightly jammy, and the crumble on top brings that buttery, crumbly bite I always pick at first.
I love how ground cinnamon runs through the fruit without taking over. But the best bit?
It tastes like apple pie got shoved into a cake tin and came out better behaved. And honestly, I’ll take a thick slice with coffee, another after dinner, and maybe one more straight from the counter.
Ingredients
- Butter makes the cake rich and soft, with that proper homemade bakery smell.
- Caster sugar keeps the crumb sweet and light, not heavy or gritty.
- Eggs help everything hold together, plus they give the cake a little bounce.
- Self raising flour brings the lift, so it doesn’t turn dense and sad.
- Vanilla adds cozy sweetness, like the cake just got a warm hug.
- Apples go soft and juicy, giving you that classic pie feeling.
- Lemon juice keeps the apples bright, so the sweetness doesn’t feel flat.
- Cinnamon makes it taste warm, autumny, and honestly kind of comforting.
- Brown sugar gives the apples a caramel vibe, sticky in the best way.
- Plain flour helps the crumble clump up into those buttery little bits.
- Chilled butter makes the topping crisp, crumbly, and totally snackable.
- Rolled oats add chew and crunch, basically making the crumble feel rustic.
- Icing sugar is optional, but it makes the top look café-level cute.
Ingredient Quantities
- 200 g unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 225 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 600 g)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 50 g light brown sugar or demerara sugar (for apple filling)
- 100 g plain flour (for crumble)
- 75 g chilled butter, cubed (for crumble)
- 75 g light brown sugar or demerara (for crumble)
- 50 g rolled oats (for crumble)
- icing sugar for dusting, optional
How to Make this
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) or 350F and grease and line a 23cm springform or round cake tin.
2. Toss the peeled, cored and sliced apples with the lemon juice, 2 tsp cinnamon and 50 g light brown or demerara sugar; set aside to macerate.
3. Cream 200 g softened unsalted butter with 200 g caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Beat in the 3 large eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, then stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
5. Sift together 225 g self raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt, then fold into the butter mixture with 2 tbsp milk to make a smooth batter.
6. Spoon about two thirds of the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Scatter half the apple mixture over the batter, then spoon the remaining batter on top and level gently. Arrange the remaining apples over the top.
7. Make the crumble by rubbing together 100 g plain flour, 75 g chilled cubed butter, 75 g light brown or demerara sugar and 50 g rolled oats with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs.
8. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apples and press lightly so it sits well on the cake.
9. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the cake part comes out clean; if the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
10. Cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool further; dust with icing sugar before serving if desired.
Equipment Needed
1. Oven (preheated to 180C/160C fan or 350F)
2. 23 cm springform or round cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment
3. Large mixing bowls (one for batter, one for apples, one for crumble)
4. Electric hand mixer or stand mixer, or a sturdy wooden spoon and whisk for creaming and beating
5. Sieve for flour and a set of measuring spoons and kitchen scales
6. Spatula and wooden spoon for folding and spreading batter
7. Knife and cutting board or apple peeler/corer/slicer for preparing apples
8. Baking tray, wire cooling rack and skewer for testing doneness
FAQ
Jamie Oliver Apple Pie Cake Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Unsalted butter: use salted butter and omit or reduce the pinch of salt in the cake batter to taste, or use a firm baking margarine at equal weight.
- Self raising flour: replace with plain flour plus 2 tsp baking powder per 225 g plain flour and a pinch of salt.
- Eggs: use 3 flax eggs made from 3 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 9 tbsp warm water, or 150 g unsweetened applesauce for a denser, moist cake.
- Rolled oats: swap for 75 g almond meal or 75 g crushed cornflakes for a different texture in the crumble.
Pro Tips
– Let the sliced apples macerate for at least 20 minutes, then lightly toss them in a tablespoon of plain flour before layering. That little flour dusting soaks up excess juice and helps keep the cake from turning soggy while still keeping the fruit juicy and flavorful.
– Make sure butter and eggs are at room temperature before you start creaming. Warm ingredients cream together more smoothly, trap more air, and give you a lighter crumb. When folding in the flour, be gentle and stop as soon as there are no visible streaks to avoid a dense cake.
– Keep the crumble butter as cold as possible and work quickly. Use a food processor for a few short pulses or rub with your fingertips until you have coarse, uneven crumbs. Those irregular pieces give better texture than uniformly fine crumbs.
– If the top is browning before the centre is cooked, slide a sheet of foil loosely over the cake and move the tin down a rack or to the middle of the oven. That protects the topping while the inside finishes without drying out the crumble.
– For serving, warm a slice slightly and pair with thick cream, crème anglaise or vanilla ice cream. A sprinkle of fresh lemon zest over the warm slices brightens the apple and cinnamon notes beautifully.
Jamie Oliver Apple Pie Cake Recipe
I can’t get over how this Jamie Oliver Apple Pie Cake lands somewhere between a tender apple cake and a buttery crumble topped pie, with spiced apples tucked into every bite. One slice looks simple, but it disappears like the dessert everyone secretly hoped I’d make.
12
servings
435
kcal
Equipment: 1. Oven (preheated to 180C/160C fan or 350F)
2. 23 cm springform or round cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment
3. Large mixing bowls (one for batter, one for apples, one for crumble)
4. Electric hand mixer or stand mixer, or a sturdy wooden spoon and whisk for creaming and beating
5. Sieve for flour and a set of measuring spoons and kitchen scales
6. Spatula and wooden spoon for folding and spreading batter
7. Knife and cutting board or apple peeler/corer/slicer for preparing apples
8. Baking tray, wire cooling rack and skewer for testing doneness
Ingredients
200 g unsalted butter, softened
200 g caster sugar
3 large eggs
225 g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 600 g)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
50 g light brown sugar or demerara sugar (for apple filling)
100 g plain flour (for crumble)
75 g chilled butter, cubed (for crumble)
75 g light brown sugar or demerara (for crumble)
50 g rolled oats (for crumble)
icing sugar for dusting, optional
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) or 350F and grease and line a 23cm springform or round cake tin.
- Toss the peeled, cored and sliced apples with the lemon juice, 2 tsp cinnamon and 50 g light brown or demerara sugar; set aside to macerate.
- Cream 200 g softened unsalted butter with 200 g caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the 3 large eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, then stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Sift together 225 g self raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt, then fold into the butter mixture with 2 tbsp milk to make a smooth batter.
- Spoon about two thirds of the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Scatter half the apple mixture over the batter, then spoon the remaining batter on top and level gently. Arrange the remaining apples over the top.
- Make the crumble by rubbing together 100 g plain flour, 75 g chilled cubed butter, 75 g light brown or demerara sugar and 50 g rolled oats with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apples and press lightly so it sits well on the cake.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the cake part comes out clean; if the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
- Cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool further; dust with icing sugar before serving if desired.
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: 146g
- Total number of serves: 12
- Calories: 435kcal
- Fat: 20.8g
- Saturated Fat: 12.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Polyunsaturated: 0.56g
- Monounsaturated: 5.06g
- Cholesterol: 95.8mg
- Sodium: 67mg
- Potassium: 88mg
- Carbohydrates: 57.4g
- Fiber: 2.45g
- Sugar: 33.1g
- Protein: 4.75g
- Vitamin A: 192IU
- Vitamin C: 2.3mg
- Calcium: 31.3mg
- Iron: 1.1mg
