Sign up for Weekday J and get the latest on what's happening in the Jewish Bay Area.

Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.

Editor’s note: J. published a photo of Ethel’s Jammy Apple Cake on the cover of our Sept. 6 Rosh Hashanah Food print issue. We heard from a number of readers who wanted the recipe from J. food columnist Micah Siva. So here it is, straight from Siva’s cookbook published earlier this year, “Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine.”

Ethel, my great aunty, was a spitfire, and we were connected by a shared birth date, despite our generations apart. I would visit her in Vancouver, Canada, where she would share embarrassing stories about Grandpa Louis, her younger brother. She would always make me something vegetarian and dairy-free to eat, including her famous apple cake. 

Hers was different from any I had ever had. Dolloped with golden apricot jam, it was a snacking cake that was studded with apples. I tried to stay true to her recipe by loading it full of apples and a touch of spicy ginger. It’s also sweetened with apricot jam in the batter and on the top. This one’s for you, Aunty Ethel. 

Ethel’s Jammy Apple Cake 

Serves 8

• 5 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ cup apricot jam, divided
• ½ cup neutral oil, such as avocado or grapeseed
• ⅓ cup cold water
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 8-inch springform pan and line it with parchment paper.

In large bowl, combine and mix apples, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.

In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, ⅓ cup of apricot jam, oil, cold water, sugar, vanilla and ginger. Add to apple and flour mixture, using a rubber spatula to fold in the ingredients until just combined.

Transfer batter to springform pan, spreading it with silicone spatula in an even layer. Dollop remaining ⅓ cup of apricot jam on top with an offset spatula.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cake is deeply golden. Let cool in pan on wire rack. Loosen cake using an offset spatula or butter knife and remove from pan before serving.

Note: Tightly wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Variation: Replace apricot jam with apple butter or marmalade

Substitutions: Granny Smith apples work best in this recipe because of their sweet and tart flavor and crispy texture, but use whatever apples you have on hand. Also, the fresh ginger can be replaced with 1½ tsp. of ground ginger.