Easy apple pie cake recipe made with semolina flour and fresh apples. It’s a no-brainer recipe that is easy to whip up – no mixer required!

Can’t get enough of apple desserts? Try our Apple Tart Recipe. It’s the perfect fall treat!

apple semolina cake this recipe

Apple semolina cake comes together with semolina flour and apples. It’s topped with delicious caramel glaze for an extra sweet finish.

Just like our homemade zucchini bread, this is the perfect dessert to cozy up to when cooler temperatures start to creep into the mornings.

What’s unique about this recipe is that it’s made with semolina flour, which gives this cake a crumbly with a slightly chewy texture. The layers of shredded apples make the cake moist and delicious for days.

What is Semolina Flour?

What is it? Semolina flour is a type of flour made from durum wheat. It’s coarser than traditional flour and pale-yellow in color.

How it’s used? Even though it’s mostly used in pasta making, semolina flour can also be used to make pizza crust or baked goods, yielding dense, grainy, and nutty flavor.

Where to buy it? You can buy semolina flour in the same aisle as other flour. This brand pops up a lot in grocery stores. If you can’t find semolina flour at your local supermarket, try Amazon. I personally like Bob’s Red Mill Semolina Flour.

semolina apple cake

Ingredients

  • Semolina flour – This is a key ingredient in this cake recipe. Semolina gives the cake a unique texture and I do not recommend using a substitute.
  • All-purpose flour – Half of the cake batter is made up of all-purpose flour. I haven’t experimented with any other flours for this recipe so I would just stick to this type of flour.
  • Cane sugar – I like using cane sugar instead of granulated sugar. It’s a little less processed. But feel free to use granulated sugar instead.
  • Baking powder – It’s going to help our cake rise. 
  • Milk – I like using whole milk but 2% will work too.
  • Eggs – This will bind the cake batter.
  • Apples – I’ve made this cake with Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp apples. They all work. The key is to shred the apples using a box-grater or a food processor with a shredding attachment. If you like, drizzle apples lightly with fresh lemon juice to prevent from browning.

For the Caramel Glaze, you will need butter, brown sugar, milk, and powdered sugar.

ingredients for easy apple pie cake recipe

How to Make Cake with Semolina

This semolina apple cake recipe is made up of four layers: two layers of the cake batter with two alternating layers of the shredded apples. The layers do not have to be perfect.

  • Prepare the Cake Batter: In a bowl, whisk together the semolina flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder.
semolina flour in a bowl

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. 

whisked eggs in a bowlAdd to the flour and mix to combine with a wooden spoon.

cake batter in a bowl
  • Assemble the Cake: Spoon 1 cup of batter into a greased 9X5-inch loaf pan. Then add 1 cup of shredded apples. Make two more layers, alternating between the batter and apples. Bake at 350F for 55-65 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
apple pie cake in a loaf pan
  • Make the Glaze: While the cake cools, make the glaze. Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of milk and cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk until smooth. 
caramel glaze in a saucepan
  • Glaze the Cake: Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake. Slice and serve.
glazed cake on cooling rack

Storing Leftovers

Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

easy apple pie cake

More Apple Dessert Recipes

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apple pie cake

Cake with Semolina

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 25 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 mins
  • Yield: 10-12
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Easy apple semolina cake made with semolina flour and fresh apples. It’s a no-brainer recipe made in one bowl – no mixer required!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup semolina flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cane sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and shredded, such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith

Caramel Glaze

  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 Tbsp. milk
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the semolina flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Add to the flour mixture and using a wooden spoon mix to combine. Some lumps are okay.
  4. Add 1 cup of batter to the loaf pan, followed by 1 cup of shredded apples. It’s okay if the layers are not perfect. Continue to make 2 more layers, alternating between the batter and apples. The last layer should be the last of what’s left of the apples.
  5. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack. Cool for about 15 minutes before taking the cake out to cool further.
  6. Drizzle the cooled cake with Caramel Glaze. Slice and serve.

Caramel Glaze

  1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar. Lower the heat to low and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 tablespoon of milk and cook until sugar dissolves.
  2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add milk by ½ teaspoon.

Notes

  • Shredding Apples: I recommend a box-grater or food-processor with a shredding attachment. Apples will turn slightly brown after you shred them. If you like you can drizzle the apples with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning. Also, apples are high in water content so they will release some liquid after you shred them. Do not drain those juices. Toss with the shredded apples before adding to cake.
  • Overbaking: My cake usually takes about 55-57 minutes to bake. I would start checking for doneness around 55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. Some crumbs are okay.
  • Leftovers: Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  • Substitute for Semolina Flour: I can’t guarantee results if you make substitutions. For best results, follow the recipe as written. With that being said, I did test this cake with all-purpose flour. It gives the cake a slightly different texture. I used 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour in place of semolina flour.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 297
  • Sugar: 36.8 g
  • Sodium: 30.2 mg
  • Fat: 3.7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 61.8 g
  • Protein: 5.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 43.9 mg