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Easy Traditional Swedish Apple Cake (Äppelkaka)

A moist slice of swedish apple cake topped with baked apple slices and dusted with powdered sugar on a white plate.
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You get a moist, comforting Scandinavian dessert with this simple sheet pan Swedish Apple Cake recipe. It features the classic warmth of cinnamon and cardamom, perfect for serving with coffee or ice cream.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This takes about 3 minutes.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Mix until just combined; do not overmix the batter.
  6. Toss the thinly sliced apples with the lemon juice in a small bowl.
  7. Spread half of the cake batter evenly into your prepared baking pan. Arrange half of the lemon-tossed apple slices over the batter.
  8. Spread the remaining batter over the apples. Top with the remaining apple slices, arranging them in a decorative pattern if you wish.
  9. Sprinkle the top evenly with the 2 tablespoons of coarse sugar.
  10. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
  11. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

  • For an extra moist cake, use slightly less flour or add one extra egg yolk to the batter.
  • Serve this traditional Scandinavian dessert warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. It pairs perfectly with your afternoon coffee.
  • If you do not have cardamom, you can increase the cinnamon to 1 1/2 teaspoons, but the cardamom provides the authentic flavor.

Nutrition

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