No Bake Apple Jelly Cake

If fall leaves you with a basket of apples and no idea what to do with them all, this cake is my answer. Czechs call it nepečený jablečný dort, a no-bake apple jelly cake, and it is one of my favorite ways to use up the apples when our garden trees give us more than we can eat.

What is an apple jelly cake? It is a light, no-bake Czech dessert built from three layers: sponge biscuits (Czech piškoty, close to American Nilla wafers), a soft filling cooked from fresh apples and thickened with vanilla pudding powder, and lightly sweetened sour cream on top. The biscuits start out crisp, but overnight they soak up the apple filling and turn soft and cake-like. There is no gelatin in the cake, and no jar of apple jelly either. The filling sets in the fridge into a sliceable, jelly-like layer, which is where the cake gets its name.

This is a true beginner recipe: if you can stir a pot of pudding, you can build this cake. Allow about an hour of hands-on time, then the fridge does the rest, so start a day ahead; the cake needs to rest overnight. Serve it cold. I have made this cake for years, and I have learned exactly what makes the difference between a cake that sets just right and one that does not.

Jump to

• ➜ My best tips for this recipe
• ➜ The story behind this apple cake
• Czech pronunciation
• ➜ Ingredients
• Equipment
• ➜ How to make this no-bake apple cake
• ➜ Variations
• ➜ Serving suggestions
• ➜ How to store this apple jelly cake
• ➜ FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

➜ My best tips for this recipe

• Use full-fat sour cream for the top layer. Light sour cream turns thin and runny on the cake. Full-fat stays firm on top and tastes better.
• Vanilla pudding powder does the setting. Cooked apples thickened with pudding powder (or cornstarch) firm up in the fridge into a layer that slices cleanly. It is the traditional Czech way, easier than gelatin and reliable every time.
• Do not skip the overnight rest. The apple filling needs those cold hours to stiffen. Cut the cake too soon and it will not hold together.

"I made this recipe last weekend and it was a big hit with my family. Your step by step instructions and pictures are great."

Lorraine Vítámvás

If you still have apples to use up, the delicious Czech apple slice (jablečné řezy) deserves a turn next, and a classic apple strudel (jablečný štrúdl) never disappoints. For a warm, cozy supper made of apples and old rolls, Czech grandmothers swear by apple bread pudding (žemlovka).

➜ The story behind this apple cake

I did not grow up with this cake, but I learned it from my friend Pavla, one of the best home bakers I know. She brought it to a get-together years ago, and I asked for the recipe before the plates were cleared. It has been part of my autumn routine ever since, though "baking" is hardly the word for a cake that never sees the oven.

The recipe could only come from a country where apples thrive the way they do in the Czech Republic. When the harvest lands all at once, Czech cooks turn it into apple compote (jablečný kompot), dried apples (křížaly), a quick batch of fried apple rings, and cakes like this one.

Among all those apple dishes, this cake stands out for its lightness because there are no rich butter creams or heaps of sugar, just fruit, biscuits, and tangy sour cream. Maybe that is why it is the one dessert everyone at the table, from grandchildren to grandparents, actually finishes. You will find more sweets like it among my Czech dessert recipes.

➜ Ingredients

✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.

• Apples, practically any variety works, and a slightly tart apple, such as Granny Smith or Jonagold, keeps the filling tasting fresh. I use whatever our own tree gives us. Homegrown or farmers market apples are wonderful. Store-bought apples work just as well.
• Sponge biscuits, the little round piškoty every Czech pantry knows - thin, crisp, vanilla-flavored, no filling. You can make piškoty at home, look for Czech or Polish ones at a European deli, or reach for Nilla wafers, the closest American match. Ladyfingers work in a pinch, so break them to fit the pan.
• Vanilla pudding powder, the Czech shortcut that sets the apple filling. A Dr. Oetker sachet is essentially cornstarch with vanilla flavor, and it is available on Amazon. Plain cornstarch with a splash of vanilla extract does the same job (exact amounts are in the recipe card).
• Granulated sugar, just enough to sweeten the filling and the topping, because the cake is not meant to be very sweet.
• Ground cinnamon, the apples' natural partner. A little goes into the filling and a pinch dusts the finished cake.
• Lemon juice, freshly squeezed. Tt brightens the cooked apples so the filling does not taste flat.
• Vanilla extract, optional. Real vanilla deepens the flavor. I originally made this cake with vanilla bean paste, which is what you see in the photos, and either works. Czech bakers often use vanilla sugar instead (from Dr. Oetker, sold as Vanille Zucker, also online).
• Water, for cooking the apples and dissolving the pudding powder.
• Sour cream, mixed with a spoon of sugar it becomes the cool, tangy finish of the cake. Choose full-fat sour cream with 15 to 20 percent fat. Light sour cream is too thin and tends to run off the cake.

➜ How to make this no-bake apple cake

STEP 1: Prepare the pan. Take a 9- to 10-inch springform pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the bottom, close the ring over it, and trim the excess paper with scissors. Lightly butter the top of the parchment paper. The butter helps the piškoty biscuits stick to the paper, so they stay in place as you start layering the cake.

STEP 2: Prepare the apples. Wash the apples, peel them, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into cubes about ½ to 1 inch (1-2.5 cm) in size.

STEP 3: Cook the apples. Put the cubed apples in a pot and pour in half of the water. 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.

STEP 4: Season the filling. Add the cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice to the cooked apples. Stir well.

STEP 5: Mix the pudding powder. Pour the rest of the water into a bowl and add a ladleful of the hot cooking juices from the apples. Whisk in the pudding powder until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps left.

STEP 6: Thicken the filling. Slowly pour the pudding mixture into the pot with the apples, stirring as you go. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 1 minute, until the filling thickens. Take the pot off the heat.

STEP 7: Crush the apples. Crush the apple pieces lightly with a potato masher. Do not blend the filling; you should still see small chunks of apple in it.

STEP 8: Lay the first biscuit layer. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of biscuits, placing them close together.

STEP 9: Spread the apple filling. Ladle the warm apple filling over the biscuits and smooth the surface.

STEP 10: Add the second biscuit layer. Place another layer of biscuits on top of the filling.

STEP 11: Let the filling cool. Set the cake aside and let it cool at room temperature for about an hour, until the filling no longer feels warm. A warm filling would thin the sour cream topping.

STEP 12: Spread the sour cream topping. In a bowl, mix the sour cream with the sugar. Pour it over the biscuits and spread it evenly - a rubber spatula helps you get every last bit out of the bowl.

STEP 13: Chill the cake overnight. Put the cake in the fridge and leave it there overnight. By morning, the filling is set and the cake is ready to cut.

➜ Variations

• Whipped cream topping. Some Czech families finish the cake with whipped heavy cream instead of sour cream. It is richer and a touch sweeter. In our house, the tangy sour cream wins.
• Pineapple juice filling. Cook the apples in pineapple juice instead of water for a fruitier filling, and cut back on the sugar; the juice brings its own sweetness.

➜ Serving suggestions

Bring the cake to the table straight from the fridge, it tastes best thoroughly cold. Cut it with a sharp knife and lift the wedges onto dessert plates. Right before serving, dust the white topping with a little ground cinnamon, so the cake instantly looks festive with no extra work. Czechs enjoy a slice like this in the afternoon, with a cup of coffee or black tea alongside. Dobrou chuť!

➜ How to store this apple jelly cake

Keep the cake in the fridge, loosely covered, and it will stay fresh for 5 to 7 days. I do not recommend freezing this cake.

➜ FAQ

📖 Recipe