
My Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake recipe was inspired by my Italian grandmother. Though I was only 5 years old when Nonna Luigia left this world, memories of her are vivid and the influence she had on me everlasting. A sweet, loving woman with a warm smile and twinkle in her eyes, Nonna wore a permanent apron swathed around her ample body while she bustled around the kitchen preparing traditional Trentino-Alto Adige meals for her husband and three sons. Appreciation for Nonna’s excellent home cooking extended beyond her family to the numerous boarders hosted in her U.S. home, having immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 30 from a quaint town in the Dolomite mountains.
Read about my Italian origins and culinary tours: A Slice of the Dolomites—The Return to my Italian Roots.

Nonna’s legendary cooking lived on through my mother—her daughter-in-law—and eventually through me. When my parents married, Nonna taught Mom how to make my father’s favorite regional Trentino dishes—but did so without recipes or verbal instruction—she showed her how it was done through her actions. My mother would sit at a large table in Nonna’s kitchen and avidly scribble notes as her mother-in-law cooked. There were no written recipes but rather a little of this, a pinch of that, how she did this, and when she did that. No words were exchanged and no explanations given. The room was silent without the constant chitchat I learned to know in Italian kitchens and only punctuated by chopping, pounding, and sizzle of the pan. This quiet was not due to respectful reverence but simply because the two women did not speak the same language. My Nonna never learned to speak English in the 44 years she lived in the U.S. and my mother didn’t understand the Italian dialect her mother-in-law spoke.

After Nonna passed away, my mother carried on the tradition, gracing our dinner table with all the regional Trentino dishes my father loved. Polenta, risotto, potato cake and the like—this is where my love of food and passion for cooking was born: at our family table. When I decided to leave the comfort and security of home to live in Italy at age 24, it was to pursue the quality lifestyle inspired by Nonna. By choosing to live my adult life in Italy, I regained my family heritage and learned, not only how to be an Italian woman like Nonna, but also how to cook like her…and then some. Today, I owe my successful career as an Italian Chef and cooking instructor to the rich culture of food instilled in me as a child by Nonna and my parents.

My apple cake recipe is a tribute to Nonna Luigia’s legacy. It’s a simple, homemade cake that every woman from her region knew how to make and had a family recipe for. Since I did not have a precise recipe from my Nonna, I perfected this cake in her honor using bits and pieces of information, recollections, and professional know-how. Now, every time I make it or share it with my students and followers, I’m reminded of the precious gift she gave me: the love of Italian culture and cooking <3 .
Read about my Italian origins and culinary tours: A Slice of the Dolomites—The Return to my Italian Roots.
NONNA’S ITALIAN APPLE CAKE
Torta di Mele della Nonna
{Recipe}
Copyright, 2008, Deborah Dal Fovo, All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited
Makes one 9-inch cake—serves 8 to 12 | Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 60 to 70 minutes
Nothing says casa dolce casa, or home-sweet-home, more than a homemade apple dessert. This simple cake is from my Nonna’s homeland of Trentino-Alto Adige in the Dolomite Mountains, where the finest apples grow. It’s a moist cake filled with succulent bits of apple and infused with fragrant lemon zest, then topped with a golden crown of apple slices that gives it a beautiful, professional look. A welcome treat at any hour as a sweet finale to a home-cooked meal or comforting afternoon snack, this delicious cake is a true slice of casa mia in the Dolomites.
Watch a tutorial video of this recipe on my Instagram feed.
1 untreated lemon, washed and dried
2 pounds/1 kilo Golden Delicious apples (4 to 5 apples)
8 tablespoons/113g unsalted butter, divided, plus more for greasing cake pan
1/3 cup/75ml milk
1 3⁄4 cups/210g all-purpose or Italian 00 flour, plus more for dusting pan
2 teaspoons/10g baking powder or Italian vanilla baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup/200g granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling cake top
1 teaspoon/4g vanilla extract (omit if using Italian vanilla baking powder)
Confectioner’s sugar to garnish cake
Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan with removable bottom
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, positioning the rack in the center. Butter and flour the springform pan, then set it aside.
Zest the lemon using a fine grater and set aside. Cut the lemon in half.
Peel the apples and halve them lengthwise through the stem end. Carefully hollow out the cores with a melon ball tool: this ensures the same size hollow in each apple, creating a uniform look when sliced. Place apple halves flat side down on a cutting board and cut into half-moon slices approximately 3/16-inch thick. Transfer apple slices to a large mixing bowl, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over them, and gently toss to coat using your hands.
Melt 7 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, pour in the milk, and set aside.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl or bowl of an electric mixer. Using a large whisk (or whisk attachment for the mixer), beat the eggs while gradually adding the sugar. Beat until the mixture is pale yellow, creamy, and sugar grains are not felt when rubbed between two fingers, (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and whisk to incorporate.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, whisking gently between additions, until just incorporated, without overworking. Pour in the butter and milk, whisking until a smooth cake batter forms.
Gently fold half of the apple slices into the batter until evenly distributed, reserving the remaining half to decorate the top of the cake. Don’t worry if the apples break up while folding; they will evenly distribute moisture and flavor throughout the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the surface.
Adorn the cake surface by arranging the remaining apple slices in circular rows over the batter, fanning them out with edges slightly overlapping. Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over the apples, then dot the surface here and there with bits of the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
Place the cake pan on a baking sheet and position it in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before running a knife around the sides and removing the sides of the springform pan. Let the cake cool before dusting it with confectioner’s sugar and slicing into portions. Serve Nonna’s Italian Apple Cake on its own or accompanied by a dollop of whipped cream.
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