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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    No Bake Apple Jelly Cake

    Published: Sep 25, 2022 · Modified: Jun 9, 2024 by Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs · 4 Comments

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    This light and easy no-bake cake features layers of sponge biscuits and apple jelly, topped with sweetened sour cream. It is an extremely refreshing dessert that the whole family will love!

    A slice of apple jelly cake on a dessert plate.

    I make this recipe every fall when the apples ripen in our garden. The prep of the cake is very easy; most of the time is probably spent peeling the apples and then waiting for the cake to rest in the fridge overnight.

    However, the waiting time is absolutely worth it! This apple cake has a delightful flavor that is quite refreshing, and the pleasant taste of apples is wonderfully balanced by soft biscuits and a fantastic layer of sour cream as a finishing touch.

    Let me tell you that the recipe comes from the Czech Republic, where apples thrive, and home cooks and bakers know many fantastic apple dishes. Give this yellow cake a try, and let yourself be surprised by its divine taste.

    MY TIP: Do you have a lot of apples from your garden in the summer and fall and don't know what to do with them? Try this apple compote, a favorite thing of Czech grannies!

    ➜ Ingredients

    For a homemade cake with apple jelly, you need:

    • Fresh apples; I used apples from an old apple tree that grows in our garden. If you have a chance to get some homegrown apples, go for it! Otherwise, use store-bought apples.
    • Sponge biscuits; in the Czech Republic, we use so-called piskoty. These are round, thin, and crispy biscuits without filling. If you have a Polish European food store near you, try to see if they offer classic Czech piskots. For those based in the US, a good option might be Nilla Vanilla wafers.
    • Vanilla pudding powder; a food item you can get in every shop in the Czech Republic. I looked up that the Dr. Oetker brand I used is available online at Amazon.com (please check). If you don't have any Dr. Oetker pudding powder on hand, ordinary cornstarch will work just as well. Dr. Oetker's pudding powder is essentially just cornstarch with vanilla flavor added. The cornstarch will thicken the cooked apple blend and form a flavorful jelly, see below in the recipe instructions.
    • Lemon juice; freshly squeezed from a lemon
    • Vanilla bean paste for baking; you can possibly omit it. Real vanilla adds aroma and flavor to the cake. In the Czech Republic, a small sachet containing vanilla-scented sugar is available for baking. Check out Amazon.com; from Dr. Oetker, you can find both this vanilla sugar (look for Vanille Zucker as Dr. Oetker is a German brand) and also vanilla baking paste.
    • Granulated sugar; to sweeten the jelly and then on top of the sour cream layer
    • Cinnamon powder; apples are a natural pairing for this aromatic spice!
    • Water; for the jelly preparation. Some people add pineapple juice instead of water, but in that case, reduce the amount of sugar you use to make the jelly.
    • Sour cream; together with the sugar, forms the final layer of the cake. I recommend sour cream with a fat content of between 15-20%. Such is thicker, tastier, and keeps better on the cake surface.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    STEP 1: Clean the apples, peel their skins, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into cubes about ½-1 inch in size. For more, see the article on how to shred apples.

    Peeling and cutting apples into smaller pieces.

    STEP 2: Put the sliced apples in a pot and cover them with a cup of water. Increase the heat, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down to low and let the apples simmer under the lid for 15 minutes.

    Pouring water over sliced apples placed in a pan.

    STEP 3: Add ground cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice to the cooked apples. Stir to combine.

    Seasoning cooked apples with cinnamon powder and lemon juice.

    STEP 4: Pour a cup of water into a bowl and add a ladleful of the cooking juices from the apples. Stir in the pudding powder or cornstarch and whisk well, so there are no lumps in the mixture.

    Making cornstarch pudding powder mixture to thicken apple jelly.

    STEP 5: Slowly pour the pudding powder mixture over the cooked apples. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil over medium heat. The custard powder will thicken the apples. Cook over medium heat for about a minute, and then remove the pan of apple jelly from the heat source.

    Making apple jelly, thickening pieces of cooked apples with cornstarch mixture.

    STEP 6: Crush the apple pieces a bit, for example, with a potato masher. Do not blend the mixture; you should still see small pieces of apple chunks in it.

    Mashing cooked apples in a pan.

    STEP 7: Take a round springform cake pan with a diameter of 9-10 inches. Line the bottom with baking paper, fit the sides and simply cut the excess paper around the perimeter with scissors. You can grease the bottom with baking paper with a little unsalted butter.

    STEP 8: Place a layer of biscuits on the bottom of the springform pan, one right next to the other.

    Placing biscuits in a bottom of a springform cake tin.

    STEP 9: Scoop the apple jelly with a ladle and spread it over the biscuits while smoothing the surface.

    Placing apple jelly over biscuits, making a no bake cake.

    STEP 10: Place another layer of biscuits on top of the jelly.

    Placing biscuits on apple jelly, making aplle cake.

    STEP 11: In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream with the sugar. Pour the cream mixture over the biscuits and spread evenly. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make the most of the cream.

    Pouring granulated sugar to sour cream.
    Smoothing sour cream layer on a apple cake.

    Now put the cake in the fridge and leave it there overnight. The cake flavors will develop, and the biscuits will soften as they soak up the juices from the apple jelly.

    ➜ Serving

    Using a knife, carefully cut the cake into wedges and serve on a dessert plate. For a better presentation, dust the cake lightly with ground cinnamon.

    MY TIP: If you think the cake is not firm enough, put it in the freezer for half an hour. It will then cut perfectly.

    Slice of a apple jelly cake with a fork.

    ➜ Useful tips

    • Instead of sour cream, some Czechs use whipped heavy cream as the top layer. This option contains more calories but is definitely a possible option to consider trying. However, in our family, sour cream is rather preferred.
    • Do you have any cake left? Put it in the fridge, where it will keep for 5-7 days.
    • No oven is needed to make this no-bake cake. You just need a stove to cook the apple jelly.

    More apple recipes:

    • Apple strudel
    • Czech Apple slice
    • Apple bread pudding (Czech Zemlovka)
    • Dried apples (Czech Krizaly)
    • Pan fried apple rings (in pancake batter)

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!

    Slice of a apple jelly cake with a fork.

    No Bake Apple Jelly Cake

    Author: Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs
    This light and easy no-bake cake features layers of sponge biscuits and apple jelly, topped with sweetened sour cream. It's an extremely refreshing dessert that the whole family will love!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time: 40 minutes mins
    Resting time: 12 hours hrs
    Total Time: 12 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
    Servings: 12 pieces

    Tap or hover to scale

    Ingredients 

    Apple jelly:

    • 2 pounds apples
    • 2 cups water
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla paste optional
    • 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 2 sachets Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus more to dust the cake
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice freshly pressed
    • 7 ounces sponge biscuits Czech piskoty

    Sour cream topping:

    • 1 ½ cups sour cream fat content of between 15-20%
    • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

    Instructions 

    • Clean 2 pounds apples, peel off their skins, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into cubes about ½-1 inch in size.
    • Put the cubed apples in a pot and cover them with a half of 2 cups water. Increase the heat, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and let the apples simmer for 15 minutes.
    • Add ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice to the cooked apples. Stir well to combine.
    • Pour the rest of water into a bowl and add a ladleful of the cooking juices from the apples. Stir in 2 sachets Dr. Oetker vanilla pudding powder and whisk well to ensure there are no lumps in the mixture.
    • Slowly pour the pudding powder mixture over the cooked apples. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil over medium heat. The pudding powder will thicken the apples. Cook for about a minute, then remove the pan of apple jelly from the heat.
    • Crush the apple pieces slightly using a potato masher or another appropriate kitchen tool. Do not blend the mixture; you should still see small chunks of apple in it.
    • Grab a round springform cake pan with a diameter of 9-10 inches. Line the bottom with baking paper, fit the sides, and trim the excess paper around the perimeter with scissors. You can grease the baking paper on the bottom with a little solid fat.
    • Prepare 7 ounces sponge biscuits. Place a layer of biscuits on the bottom of the springform pan, arranging them closely together.
    • Scoop the apple jelly with a ladle and spread it over the biscuits, smoothing the surface as you go.
    • Place another layer of biscuits on top of the apple jelly.
    • In a clean bowl, mix 1 ½ cups sour cream with 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar. Pour the cream mixture over the biscuits and spread it evenly. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make the most of the cream.
    • Now put the cake in the fridge and leave it there overnight. This will allow the flavors to develop and the biscuits to soften as they soak up the juices from the apple jelly.

    Notes

    • The basic recipe makes about 12 pieces of an apple cake.
    • I used a 9-inch (22 cm) diameter round springform cake pan.
    • SERVING: Using a knife, carefully cut the cake into wedges and serve on a dessert plate. For a better presentation, lightly dust the cake with ground cinnamon.
    • MY TIP: If you think the cake is not firm enough, put it in the freezer for half an hour. It will then cut perfectly.
    • Do you have any cake left? Store the cake in the fridge, where it will keep for 5-7 days.
    • Instead of sour cream, some Czechs use whipped heavy cream as the top layer. This option contains more calories but is definitely worth considering.

    Nutritional estimate pro serving

    Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg
    Servings: 12 pieces
    Calories pro serving: 187
    Course: Cake
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Recipes with apples
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    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Comments

    1. Lorraine Vítámvás says

      September 30, 2022 at 4:58 am

      Hi Petra,

      I made this recipe last weekend and it was a bit hit with my family.

      Your step by step instructions and pictures are great.

      Keep the recipes coming! 🙂

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská says

        October 10, 2022 at 3:41 pm

        Thank you so much for your nice comment! I am happy you liked the cake. In our house, this cake always disappears rapidly from the table! 🙂

        Reply
        • Beverly Svab says

          October 24, 2022 at 5:59 pm

          Thank you for your recipes, love them all

          Reply
          • Petra Kupská says

            October 26, 2022 at 3:49 am

            Thank you very much for your nice words; I appreciate them!

            Reply

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    Hi, I am Petra, a born-and-raised Czech and self-taught cook with 25+ years of experience. I am here to show you that you can cook Czech food—even if you live abroad or never learned it growing up. With clear steps and trusted guidance, Czech cooking becomes simple, joyful, and meaningful, right in your own kitchen.

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