Layered Semolina Apple Crumble Cake
So easy even a child can manage it - amazingly tasty and made from simple ingredients! This layered semolina apple cake has a wonderful flavor. Butter and apple juice soak through the dry layers, making the cake moist and aromatic. Prep takes no more than 20 minutes, and it bakes for about an hour.
Updated : 15 January, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
Dough
220 grams
Wheat flour
220 grams
Semolina
150 grams
Sugar
150 grams
Butter
1 teaspoon
Baking powder
Filling
1.5 kilograms
Apple
2 tablespoon
Honey
1 tablespoon
Ground cinnamon
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make a layered semolina apple crumble cake? Start with the “dough” mix - it’s done in minutes. Put the butter in the freezer for 20 minutes (or a bit longer) so it’s easy to grate and won’t melt in your hands.
Step 2
Make a dry mix from flour, semolina, sugar, and baking powder. Mix very well so the baking powder is evenly distributed. Divide the dry mix into 3 equal parts.
Step 3
Now prepare the filling. Use juicy sweet-tart apples with a bright flavor (for example, Simirenko or Granny Smith). The greener the skin, the longer the apples won’t brown. If the apples are not juicy, use 20-30 g more butter (about 0.7-1.1 oz). If the honey is crystallized, melt it in the microwave or over a water bath and let it cool.
Step 4
Wash the apples, peel them, remove the cores, and quickly grate the flesh on a coarse grater. The net weight of grated apples should be at least 1 kg (2.2 lb). If your apples brown very fast, you can sprinkle them with lemon juice.
Step 5
Line the bottom of a baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment and the sides of the pan (mine is 20 cm / about 8 in) with butter. Pour in the first part of the dry mix and level it. It’s better to use a solid (non-springform) pan, because juice can leak from a springform pan and drip into the oven - here we want all the juice to stay in the cake.
Step 6
Spread half of the grated apples evenly over the top.
Step 7
Drizzle the apples with 1 tbsp liquid honey and sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp cinnamon. Repeat the layers again: dry mix, apples, honey, and cinnamon.
Step 8
Sprinkle the top with the remaining dry mix and level it. All layers should be roughly the same thickness.
Step 9
Take the butter out of the freezer and grate it over the top on a coarse grater. Bake the cake in an oven preheated to 180°C (356°F). First bake for 30 minutes on a lower rack, then move the pan to the center and bake for another 20-25 minutes. During baking, the butter will melt and flow through the layers, and the flour-and-semolina mix will swell, turning into a fully formed moist, juicy cake layer.
Step 10
Cool the finished cake, transfer to a serving plate, and cut into pieces. Enjoy your meal!
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