This apple-filled gingerbread is a classic Christmas treat from Poland. It is fantastic and simple to make, I assure you!
| Prep Time: | 50 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 30 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 1 9-inch layer cake |
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and chopped
- ¾ cup butter at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (20 ounce) can apple pie filling
Instructions
- Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples; cook and stir until tender. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, mix 3/4 cup of butter, honey, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing each one until blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, ginger and salt; stir into the batter, alternating with the milk. Stir in the walnuts and cooked apples just until evenly distributed. Divide evenly between the prepared pans and spread evenly.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cakes on a wire rack. Keep the oven on for the walnuts.
- To make the candied walnuts for the top of the cake, whip the egg whites in a clean bowl until foamy. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool completely before using.
- To make the frosting, mix together the butter, confectioners’ sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Place one layer of cake on a serving plate and spread with a thin layer of the cream cheese icing. Top with most of the apple filling and spread evenly. Place the other layer of cake on top with the bottom facing up. Spread remaining cream cheese icing over the top and sides. Decorate the top with remaining apple filling and sprinkle with candied walnuts.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 918 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 99 g |
| Cholesterol | 170 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 30 g |
| Sodium | 784 mg |
| Sugars | 52 g |
| Fat | 56 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
The apples make a delicious and moist addition to this cake. I wish it had a little more spice though.
Absolutely delicious! My ancestry is Polish so I enjoy trying the flavors and cooking that comes with it. I’ve made this cake for our extended family Christmas meal and it is always finished! I followed the recipe to the “T” except for the candied walnuts…they didn’t turn out so well the first time and so I’ve never tried them again. A very good recipe!
a delicately flavoured, moist cake. Good without the walnuts. I do suggest you make your own pie filling rather than using canned.
Good and lasts a while in the refrigerator. My candied walnuts didn’t turn out that great–not sure if it was me or the recipe (which I followed). Next time I will not use canned apples…I’ll saute fresh ones with a little sugar and cinnamon. A nice fall cake.
This is super good! I didn’t add the candied walnuts to the top because of allergies and I also just made one layer instead of 2. But the taste is phenominal, thanks for a great recipe!