Apple Kugel (Jewish Baked Apple Casserole)
Kugel is a Jewish baked casserole that sits somewhere between a cake and a pudding. This sweet apple version is built on a poured batter — oil, eggs, flour — that goes over layered apple slices and bakes until the bottom caramelises and the top turns golden. Denser than a charlotte, more forgiving than a tart. Traditional on Shabbat and holiday tables, pareve, and genuinely better the next day.
Ingredients
- 5 firm tart apples
- 130 gall-purpose flour
- 150 gwhite sugar
- 3 eggs
- 120 mlvegetable oil
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- ½ tspbaking powder
- 1 pinchsalt
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 2 tbspwhite sugar for topping
Method
- Preheat and prepare. Heat the oven to 180 C. Grease a 23 x 33 cm baking dish or equivalent with vegetable oil. Peel and core the apples and slice into 1 cm wedges. Arrange them tightly in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. The apples compact during baking, so pack them in generously.
- Make the batter. In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt until smooth. The batter will be quite liquid, similar to a thin crepe batter. This is correct — it soaks down between the apple slices as it bakes.
- Pour and top. Pour the batter evenly over the apples. Mix the ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle over the surface. The cinnamon-sugar forms a crackling, slightly caramelised crust in the oven.
- Bake. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The kugel is done when the top is deep golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with moist crumbs but not liquid batter. Do not overbake: the centre should remain slightly moist.
- Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before cutting. This allows the structure to set and makes clean slices easier. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
FAQ
Kugel is a Jewish baked casserole that produces a denser, more substantial result than a charlotte. Charlotte relies on whipped egg whites for its airy structure; kugel is made with oil and whole eggs, giving a moist, compact crumb that holds its shape without the lift. In kugel, the apples are layered on the bottom and the batter is poured over them, so the fruit caramelises on the underside. In a charlotte, batter and apple are usually mixed together. Kugel is also traditionally made with oil rather than butter, which makes it pareve and suitable for meat meals under kosher dietary laws.
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