Stewed Apple Cake (Tray Bake)

4.57 from 76 votes

This moist and delicious stewed apple cake with cinnamon will probably become your new favorite easy apple traybake recipe.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 45

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: Romanian

Servings: -24 pieces

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Adina

Peel and core the apples and process them coarsely, in batches, in the food processor. You could grate them coarsely, but it takes longer.
2 kg apples/ 4.5 lbs
Cook apples: Place them into a wide pan, add sugar, and cook gently until the apples are soft and almost all the released liquid has evaporated.
It took me about 15 minutes, but you might need a bit longer if your apples are juicier. Add cinnamon and the cloves and stir well. Leave to cool until you prepare the rest.
150 g granulated sugar/ ¾ cup + 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Line the baking tray with parchment paper.

Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and frothy. Add oil and incorporate it.
4 eggs + 200 g granulated sugar/ 1 cup + 175 ml vegetable oil/ ¾ cup
Mix flour and baking powder in another bowl. Add the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture, alternating. Start with the flour and finish with milk. The batter will be pretty runny.
250 g all-purpose flour/ 2 cups + 1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons baking powder + 175 ml milk/ ¾ cup
Bake: Pour half the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Take the tray out of the oven.
At this point, I prefer using a baking frame because my baking tray is very shallow. If your baking tray is deeper, you will not need the frame; otherwise, I recommend using it just to make sure your batter will not end up all over the place (Note 3).
Top and bake: Spread the apples on the cake, level nicely and pour the remaining batter on top. Level very lightly and continue baking the cake at the same temperature for about 40 minutes or until nicely browned.
Leave to cool completely, then slice and dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results.
Apples: I used winter apples stored in the cellar for a while before being ready for eating and baking. They are a bit floury and sour and don't release a lot of liquid when stewed. Using fresher, juicier apples increases the stewing time until most of the released cooking liquid has evaporated.
Baking frame(the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab): You will need one if the rim of your baking sheet is very low, less than 2 inches/ 5 cm. My baking sheet’s rim is only about 0.5 inch/ 1 cm tall, so I need a frame to prevent the batter from running off the tray.