I baked a great, quick dessert for you. This is a delightful, easy cake revisited from a guest blog post of Chef Dennis Littley of A Culinary Journey. Chef Dennis has been a supportive, loyal friend from the start. I have met him in person at bloggers’ conferences and he has provided a wealth of wisdom, information and kind encouragement to all foodies he meets.

I have a confession. I’ve baked this cake, Torta di Mele a dozen times since Chef Dennis gave me the recipe. The cake is so marvelous, that the minute it comes out of the oven, my family just finishes it all up – not one buttery morsel is left to photograph. But all Filipino meals end with good dessert and this cake is now a mainstay at our table.

Now that it’s apple season, you’ll enjoy baking this one. There’s more apples in the recipe than cake. And that’s what sweetens it and makes it splendid. You won’t be disappointed. There is some moist vanilla-flavored creamy cake embedded within those plump, succulent apple slices slathered in butter. As soon as this coffee cake is out of the oven, let it rest and cool on the counter for at fifteen to twenty minutes . Once cooled, you can enjoy a rich slice filled with chunks of apple slices. Drizzle some thick dulce de leche on a piece of cake, straight up, sideways or zigzag…no matter, just pour the caramel syrup on it and indulge.

Print Recipe

Torta di Mele with Caramel Frosting

This is a classic Torta di Mele, an Italian apple cake recipe which was shared by Chef Dennis Littley. Adding caramel frosting to the top was something I could not resist. This is an easy cake to bake, using apples in season, a little flour and basic baking ingredients. Serve this with tea for dessert or a snack. Recipe was inspired by Ask Chef Dennis. Serves 4.

Cook Time35

Total Time35

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Torta di Mele Italian Apple Cake

Servings: people

Calories: 478kcal

Author: Asian in America

Equipment

Round cake pan: 9-inches diameter
Large Skillet: 12 inches in diameter

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 whole large apples peeled, sliced; I used Fuji or red delicious
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 whole eggs
1 whole egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche bottled or homemade; for frosting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Prepare the cake pan by greasing it with butter and placing parchment paper at the bottom.
In a large skillet, over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Reserve the 6 tablespoons of butter for later.
Add the apple slices to the skillet. Cook until tender, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the whole eggs plus the egg yolk, until blended.
Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.
Stir in the flour and apples.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
Bake at 375 F degrees, for 30 - 35 minutes, till cake is browned on top. Test for doneness by pricking the top and center of the cake with the edge of a sharp knife. If knife comes clean, cake is ready.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
Loosen the sides of the cake with a sharp knife. Invert the cake on a cooling rack for 30 minutes more or up to 1 hour.
When cake has cooled, place on a large, round cake platter. Drizzle the top with Dulce de Leche.

Cook's comments:

Chef Dennis originally recommended dusting the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar. I have done that with a previous blog post and it was marvelous. For this recipe, I opted to drizzle dulce de leche on top. I either make my own (see past blog post) or use store-bought bottled dulce de leche. No matter what the topping is, this Torta di Mele is always divine and decadent.

Nutrition

Nutrition Notes: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking or baking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Did you love this recipe? I have more Philippine dessert recipes in my popular cookbook How to Cook Philippine Desserts, Cakes and Snacks.

If you need Filipino Instant Pot recipes, find more in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot. Buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.

Copyright Notice: Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected].

14 Comments

Laura says:

September 10, 2012 at 11:54 AM

Yum! Pinning now! I love apples in desserts!

1. Elizabeth Q says:
  
  September 10, 2012 at 7:29 PM
  
  Thanks, Laura! This was a great recipe from Chef Dennis! You must try it. Glad you stopped by 🙂
  
Nami | Just One Cookbook says:

September 12, 2012 at 2:47 AM

So you will have just one blog from now on? That’s easier for you, I bet? I can’t imagine taking care of two blogs. You are super blogger, Elizabeth! Thanks to you and Chef Dennis. This apple cake sounds amazing!

1. Elizabeth Q says:
  
  September 12, 2012 at 10:54 AM
  
  Thanks, Nami. Yes, this was a terrific way to use apples & so easy you can bake the cake in one afternoon while the kids are in school. Chef Dennis’ gave me a gem of a recipe. And yes, we wanted to give our friends who read the blog faster features to make it easier to surf around ~ thus the blog transfer here. Thanks for taking the time to blog-visit!
  
maruh says:

September 19, 2012 at 9:02 AM

hello! i made your Torta Di Mele, apple cake with caramel. It was so good! i used the apples we picked last sunday in the countryside. My friend tells me that this cake is the best!!! i am very glad i find always good choices to try from ur blog. millions of thanks again!!!! good to hear you love Paris :))) best regards – maruh

1. Elizabeth Q says:
  
  October 1, 2012 at 9:30 PM
  
  Hi Maruh! Thanks for stopping by and giving me feedback on the Torta di Mele. Yes this is such a superb apple cake – so easy & so delish. I have to keep thanking Chef Dennis Littley of the blog “A Culinary Journey” for this wonderful recipe.
  
James Agapito says:

November 19, 2012 at 3:12 AM

It looks very delicious in pictures. Let me try this recipe

1. Elizabeth Q says:
  
  November 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM
  
  Thanks, James! Yes, you must try this incredibly easy & delish apple cake! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
  
Geoff Malen says:

January 24, 2013 at 10:36 AM

This is makes so much sense. I never would of it in that way. I am sooooo trying this myself!! Nice one!

1. Elizabeth Q says:
  
  January 24, 2013 at 2:24 PM
  
  Hi, Geoff. Thanks for the kind comments. I owe this delish recipe of Torta di Mele from Chef Dennis of the blog A Culinary Journey. It has been my go-to recipe when I have an abundant supply of apples 🙂
  
Peter says:

January 15, 2014 at 4:08 AM

I last tasted a Torta when I went to the Phil. 2 years ago and I thank the heavens for your page, I finally have recipe of it. Thank you so much!

V says:

October 9, 2014 at 2:21 PM

This torta looks delicious, and the caramel sauce poured over it..absolutely a classically delicious pairing. This cake is definitely a great way to start the Fall 🙂

1. Elizabeth Q says:
  
  October 9, 2014 at 8:39 PM
  
  Thanks for the nice comments about the Torta Di Mele. I owe this recipe to Chef Dennis Littley @AskChefDennis!

Torta Di Mele, Italian Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting